Page 76 of Worthy

″Enjoy what?” He looks at me blankly.

″Building.” I nudge his foot under the table. “I know it’s the family business and you’ll inherit it, but do you enjoy it?”

″Mostly. I’m not much of a desk guy, so I like the building part of the business. The operations stuff I’m not too keen on, but Dad sees it as his legacy to pass on, so it’ll be my job eventually.” He rubs his neck.

″I can’t tell if you think carrying on the legacy is a good thing or a bad thing.” I watch his face for a reaction that doesn’t come.

″Probably a little of both.” He sips his wine absently before focusing on me. “I’m fortunate to have something stable, something I can do year-round as opposed to the seasonal jobs most other people have. And I guess it’ll be nice to work for myself instead of someone else, but I’m not in a hurry to be the guy in charge.”

″Does he want you to be? In charge, I mean?” I take a sip of my wine.

″Not yet. He’s not ready to retire, and he’ll want to make sure I’m all set long before he calls it quits. I’m sure he’d prefer I start learning the ropes sooner rather than later, though.” The corner of his lip pulls up just slightly before it settles back into a thin line.

″It means a lot to him to have you take over?”

″Yeah. He took over from my grandpa,” he trails off, looking out at the water.

″The fat happy guy?” I hint.

″That’s the one.” He finally cracks a full smile. “I think it’s a pride thing to be able to pass it on, you know?”

After a second, I nod my head, because I do understand family pride and being able to leave your kids with something. I also understand how that can be both a blessing and a curse. In my case, the pressure for me to go into the family business isn’t as encompassing since I havesiblings and cousins who are happy to get involved, leaving me free to pursue what I want. For Cade, I sense it’s a bit of both, he appreciates it, but it might not have been his first choice of careers. I respect him more than ever for his inability to walk away from it, and if anything, it makes him look even more selfless in my eyes... It just means his future is here, and only here.

It’s never been a secret, but having it confirmed still makes my chest ache, because up until now, a part of me wondered if he’d ever consider leaving. Whether those unguarded moments when his gaze lingers a little too long means he does have feelings for me, and whether it’s possible those feelings might outweigh his love for his hometown.

I’d never ask him to leave, of course, though if I thought he’d be willing to maybe I’d be a little more forthcoming with my own feelings. But in addition to not knowing exactly where we stand, I could never ask him to turn down the legacy his family wants to leave him. Which means, when I leave in a few weeks, he’ll stay here.

Permanently.

That makes this whole evening bittersweet. It’s such a thoughtful gesture, to get dressed up and take me out for a special evening, highlighting how much he really does care about me. And like I told Ally, it’s clear we both do truly care about one another. Yet our lives seem to be on separate paths, which is what makes this evening just as sad as it is special. He’ll never leave Katah Vista, and my career path doesn’t encourage me to stay.

That’s not to say I couldn’t work here. Environmental scientists are used everywhere, particularly where people and nature form a delicate balance like in Katah Vista. But I’ve poked around to see what sort of opportunities exist, and right now there aren’t any. Besides, it’d be presumptuous of me to get a job and stay here when he hasn’tindicated he wants me to. He may care about me, but that doesn’t mean he wants me to be a permanent fixture in his life.

I need to be content with the time we have instead of spending it wishing for more.

″If your other clients rave about your work as much as my uncle does, they’re leaving you with a nice legacy.” I try to sound positive.

″They are,” he agrees.

″And I bet in some ways it’s nice not to have to question your future. I envy you that, since I still don’t know where I’ll be working after I finish my thesis.” I play with the stem of my wine glass.

″Wherever it is, I’m sure you’ll make an impact. You’re the most brilliant person I’ve ever met.” He’s giving me a compliment, and while his intense gaze tells me he’s serious, he almost seems sad about it. I’m not sure what I’ve done to make him lose the giddy smile he had earlier, but I don’t want the evening to end on a negative note.

″You know you don’t have to compliment me to get me into bed, right?” I send him a wry smile. “I’m a sure thing.”

My lame joke earns me the chuckle I was going for.

″I didn’t bring you here to get you into bed.” He bumps my leg with his under the table.

″Whydidyou bring me here?” I ask. “I mean, you mentioned about me deserving a nice date, but why here? Why not somewhere in town?”

″I thought you’d like the view.” His eyes dart to the lake next to us as if to sayduh. “Plus, if we went somewhere in town, I’d have to share you. Everyone would stop by to say hello, they’d want to know what the occasion was, and they’d make it impossible to eat in peace. I didn’t want to share you tonight. Is that okay?” He looks slightly panicked, like he made the wrong decision.

″Of course.” I reach out under the table and rest my hand on his thigh. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the town and all your friends, but I like how it’s just the two of us right now. Sometimes, I don’t want to share you, either.”

“Yeah?” There’s a note of hope in his voice I can’t quite decipher, but rather than puzzle it out I try to stay in the moment, leaning over to give him a swift but searing kiss.

“Yeah.”

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