“Because you miss them so much?”
“That, and because every time I come here, it feels like another person from my past, someone I’ve known and loved, is here. It hurts my heart to think that all those shared memories we had—my grandparents and I fishing, George and I at the dock, Lewis and I exploring—now belong only to me. And someday, when I’m buried here, those memories will no longer exists, as if they never happened.”
“If it hurts so much, why stay?” asked Ellie. “Why not start over somewhere new, where there aren’t any ghosts?”
“You mean someplace like Houston?” He glanced at her before looking away. “I’ve considered it, but for better or worse, this is my home. It’s as much a part of me as I am of it. Besides, I’ve learned that when it comes to ghosts, they follow you wherever you go.” Unwilling to ruin Ellie’s homecoming, Jack cleared his expression. “But enough about me. Let’s get back to you. Given everything you’ve seen and heard, are you thinking of taking the job?”
Ellie drew a breath. “I don’t know. Half of me wants to, but…” She fiddled with her bracelet. “It’s so far away from everything and everyone I know and love.” She anchored her gaze on his. “What do you think I should do?”
Jack wanted to tell her to turn it down, to be satisfied with what she had, but he decided against it, choosing instead to take the high road. “I’m not sure it matters what I think.”
She leaned away as a deep frown creased her brow. “Of course it matters. Why wouldn’t it?”
Jack lifted his shoulder in a half shrug as he stared into the distance. “Like you said before, you’re used to making decisions on your own. Besides, you’ve probably already made up your mind.”
“But I haven’t,” she protested. “That’s why I asked you.” She stood and faced the western sky, where the setting sun had given way to a palette of purples and pinks that stretched across the horizon.
“What if I wasn’t in the picture? Would it make your decision easier?”
She turned and looked him in the face. “But you are in the picture.”
“I know, but if you’d been offered this job six months ago, what would you have done then?”
“I’d have taken it,” she answered without hesitation. “But that was then. Things are different now, and I would never make a decision like this without taking your feelings into account.”
Jack leaned back, resting himself against the tree. “And what if I said I thought you should turn it down? What would you do then?”
Ellie looked away for a moment, then brought her gaze back to him. “Is that how you truly feel?”
Jack looked at his hands. “Maybe.”
“I see. Well, I guess there isn’t much more to talk about, is there?”
Jack got up and started in her direction. “Ellie, I—”
She raised a hand, cutting him short. “It’s okay. I can’t fault you for being honest.” She was silent for a few seconds before going on. “I think I’m going to go now. It’s been a long day, and there’s a lot I need to think about.”
* * *
Over the next few days, Ellie weighed the pros and cons of her job offer. One minute, it seemed like she was leaning toward accepting. The next, she shifted in the opposite direction, leaving Jack nauseated from all the back and forth. He did his best to be supportive, of course, but refrained from giving his opinion. He wanted Ellie to make this decision on her own.
On Sunday evening, they sat at the table after supper, discussing their options.
“I realize it’s a bigif, but if you agreed to come with me, the main facility is southeast of town, so we wouldn’t have to live in the city. And the best part is”—her smile widened—“they have a lake.” She’d been saving that detail as a last-ditch effort to sell Jack.
“Ellie, that all sounds great, and I’m sure it’s a lovely place, but…”
“You’re still not convinced, are you?”
“It’s not that, it’s just…”
“What?”
Jack got up and made his way to the porch. “Do you see that sky, those mountains, the water? Those things are a part of who I am. For whatever reason, God put me here, in Sims Chapel. And I know there are beautiful places all over this world. I’ve seen enough of it to realize that. But this is home, and it always will be.”
Ellie was silent for a moment, processing Jack’s words. “It’s sounds as if you’ve made up your mind.”
He turned and looked at her, his face bearing the signs of worry. “As I said before, I won’t stand in the way of your dreams. If taking this job means that much to you, then you should take it, but”—he hesitated, knowing that what he told her next could spell the end for them—“I don’t think I can go with you.”
