Ellie examined the cover. It was a copy ofSeeing Stars. She had mentioned it once to Sam years earlier, had told him how it had ignited her passion for science and astronomy.
“That’s the one you were telling me about, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “It’s nearly identical to the one I used to check out at the library when I was in grade school.”
“Not just nearly,” he said as a smile broke across his face.
Curious, Ellie opened the back cover to the checkout card and found her name. The last entry was from December 15, 1941. “Oh my God.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Where did you get this?”
“From a friend of mine in Chicago.”
Ellie blinked her eyes to keep the tears in place. “I don’t know what to say.”
Overcome with emotion, she threw her arms around Sam as silent tears fell from her eyes.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered. “Maybe someday, when you have a daughter of your own, you can give it to her,” he said as they parted.
Ellie dried her tears and smiled. “Yes, I think I will. Thank you again.”
“Don’t mention it. Besides, I should be the one thanking you for all you’ve done for me and Alicia. Your generosity and smiling face will stay with me wherever I go.”
When Ellie got home, she sat in her bedroom and cried. Jack was right. Everything was happening so fast, which made her question her decision to leave. She debated calling him one last time to see if he’d changed his mind but decided against it, thinking that if he wanted to talk to her, he would reach out.
Sunday was spent tying up loose ends, and when she was satisfied that she’d done all she could do, Ellie sat down to one last dinner. Over a plate of spaghetti and a bottle of red wine, she reminisced about all who had visited her over the years. It was Amelia who had been with her the day she moved in and again following her breakup with Michael. Then there was Zora and all the times they had sat in the kitchen, trading stories over glasses of wine. And more recently, the weekend she and Jack had spent together. Scanning the empty room, she felt a stab of loneliness at the realization that her life would never be the same.
Upending her glass of wine, Ellie pushed those thoughts out of her head, clinging to the hope that what lay ahead was better than what she was leaving behind.
* * *
Monday morning, after loading the suitcases into her car, Ellie made a final sweep of the house. In a few minutes, she’d be on the road, headed toward her destiny. She had just said her final goodbyes when she heard someone knocking at the door. Thinking it might be Zora, she went to answer it.
“Jack.” Her jaw went slack when she saw him. “W-What are you doing here?”
“I’m probably the last person you expected to see, but I couldn’t let you go without first telling you I’m sorry.” His eyes were full of regret. “For everything. And if it isn’t too late, I’d like to come with you.”
“But—”
“Please just hear me out.” He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Look, I know what I said about not being able to leave Tennessee, but I was wrong. All this time I thought my life was there, in those hills, on that water, but I finally realized my life is wherever you are. And if that’s Texas or Tennessee or Timbuktu, I don’t care, so long as we’re together.”
The breath left her chest. “Jack, I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say you’ll think about it,” he pleaded. “That’s all I’m asking.”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” She dropped her eyes for a moment, then met his gaze. “I phoned Dr. Clement this morning to tell him I’d had a change of heart.”
Confusion flitted across Jack’s face. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not taking the job,” she explained.
“But the suitcases,” he said, nodding toward the car.
Ellie chuckled, finding the timing of Jack’s visit remarkable. “I was on my way to see you,” she said, overcome with emotion.
“Me? Is this because of what I said? Because if it is, I—”
“No,” she reassured him, “it isn’t. At least, not entirely.” She offered him a seat on the porch swing. “The truth is these past couple of weeks have been the most difficult of my life,” she admitted. “I went back and forth, wondering if I’d made the right decision. Then I was reminded of something recently that helped put things in perspective.”
“And what was that?”
