Jack’s face flushed with understanding as he put two and two together. “Mike Pearson?” He looked away, his face pained. “Is it serious? Do you love him?”
“I-I don’t know. I’ve only ever been in love with you.”
“And does it feel like that?”
There were times when Ellie thought she felt that spark with Mike, and others…
“You know what? Don’t answer that.” Jacked dropped a five-dollar bill on the table and walked away.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. I can see now that this was a mistake.”
“Jack, wait!” She hurried after him. “I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you.”
Jack took another step, stopped, and turned on his heel. “Hurt?” He scoffed. “What do you know about hurt?” He unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his bare chest. “See this?” He pointed to a scar just above his heart. “I took a bullet from a machine gun. And this…” He rolled up the sleeve to his shirt, revealing a jagged scar on his forearm. “Shrapnel from a mortar shell. Those hurt, Ellie. And telling my mother I had to go to war, not knowing if I would ever see her again, that hurt.” He took a step toward her. “But what you did to me goes beyond flesh wounds. You literally reached into my chest and pulled out my heart. God, Ellie, you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We had something special, you and me, and you threw it all away. And for what? So you could be with Mike? He doesn’t love you.”
“You don’t even know him,” she said in Mike’s defense.
“I know all I need to know about him,” Jack growled. “He’s smug, arrogant, and as soon as something better comes along, he’ll drop you like a hot rock. Just wait and see.”
“You’re wrong, Jack. Mike loves me. And you know what else, I love him too.”
Silent tears clouded his eyes, concealing the look of a man who had just had his heart broken in two.
* * *
“I had no idea.” A troubled look covered Zora’s face. “But if you loved him so much, why did you end it?”
Ellie dried her eyes. “When Jack left, I had no idea how difficult being apart was going to be. I was sad all the time, to the point it affected every part of my life. If I hadn’t done what I did, I would never have made it as far as I have.”
“But at what cost? I mean, I get ambition and career and all, but Ellie, someday, when all this goes away, what will you have to show for it? Who will be there for you?”
And it was then Ellie realized that letting Jack go might have been the biggest mistake of her life.
“So you haven’t spoken to him since that day?”
Ellie shook her head. “But I’ve thought about him, even asked my aunt about him once when she called to congratulate me on earning my doctorate. That’s when I found out he had moved to the West Coast. After that, I assumed I’d never hear from him again. Then on Friday I get this package, and poof, it’s like I’m nineteen again.”
“Do you ever wonder what might have been if things had turned out differently?”
“All the time.”
“Have you ever thought about seeing him again?” Zora asked.
Ellie shook her head.
“Why not? It’s obvious this man still loves you. Why else would he send a book and write these words? He’s probably thinking about you right now.”
Ellie considered that. The gesture was more than just a token gift. Jack had taken the time to write a letter and an inscription. What if hewasstill in love with her? “But so much time has passed. I’ve changed, and undoubtedly so has he. And what if, by seeing him again, I somehow tarnished those memories I have of us when we were teenagers? Those are precious memories.”
“I get your trepidation, but what if he’s the man you’re destined to spend the rest of your life with? I know we joke about it all the time, but what if the reason you’re still single is because secretly, deep down in a place you keep hidden from everyone, including me, you’ve been holding on to a shred of hope that you and Jack would find each other again?”
Maybe Zora was right. Perhaps, subconsciously, Ellie had hoped she and Jack would someday reunite. If so, this was her chance to reach out, to see if he still had any interest in her. And it was at that moment she remembered the story of the mockingbirds Jack had once told her, and she wondered.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Tipof the Iceberg
