Page 29 of Snowflakes Over Starr's Fall
With another sigh, Jenna pushed such thoughts away. She was tired and still a little buzzed and she just needed to go to sleep. Tomorrow morning she’d be in better shape to figure out how she felt and what she should do about it… if anything.
* * *
Sunlight was streaming through the window when Jenna woke the next morning, dressed in Jack’s t-shirt and sweats, spread-eagled in the middle of a very comfortable bed, feeling pleasantly groggy and thankfully not hungover. She took a breath—and inhaled one of the best morning smells, that of fresh coffee and frying bacon.
Bliss.
For a few seconds, she simply lay there, enjoying everything about the moment—the sunlight streaming through the window, the luxurious comfort of the huge bed, the smell of bacon and the knowledge that it was an attractive and interesting man who was frying it for her.
There really was just so much to enjoy about this.
Jenna lay in bed for a few more minutes, simply savoring every aspect of the experience, and then, feeling a sudden burst of energy, she jumped out of bed. She couldn’t resist the walk-in shower, but she kept it quick, conscious that Jack had to be waiting downstairs. Wearing the same clothes from last night wasn’t ideal, but it could have been worse.
When she stepped out into the hallway, she saw he’d left a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste outside her door, and she smiled before quickly making use of both.
As she headed downstairs, her stomach leapt with a pleasant sense of anticipation. She was looking forward to both coffee and bacon… and seeing Jack. Even if she still felt confused about… well, basically everything.
As she stepped into the kitchen, she saw he was standing at the stovetop, freshly showered and wearing new-looking jeans and a plaid flannel shirt.
“Are those your country clothes?” she teased, and then worried that she’d sounded snarky when she really hadn’t meant to be.
Jack glanced down at himself before laughing wryly. “Do I look the part?”
“I think they need to be a little more well-worn.” She slid onto a bar stool at the huge marble island. “Maybe go outside and roll around in the dirt for a few minutes?”
He grimaced good-naturedly. “I think I’ll pass and just own my newbie, city slicker status. Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Jenna propped her chin in her hands as he poured her a giant mug from the coffeemaker. This all felt surprisinglyunawkward, considering the fair few floundering missteps of last night. “And is that bacon I smell?” she asked as he handed her the mug.
“It is, indeed.”
“I would have thought bacon wasn’t on your approved list of foods, post-heart attack,” Jenna remarked as she took a sip of coffee.
“It isn’t, but my doctor said I could have a little of what I love, so…” He shrugged, giving her an abashed smile that was pretty endearing. “It might seem like a small thing, but I really love bacon.”
“I understand completely,” Jenna assured him. “We’re talking about bacon, after all.”
“Everything’s better with bacon,” Jack agreed, and for a second they just smiled at each other.
“Has it been very hard?” Jenna asked as she put down her mug. “I mean, recovery? It seems like it required a major lifestyle shift.”
“It certainly did. Complete one-eighty.” He sighed as he raked a hand through his hair. “I really fought against it at first, which is why I was so grumpy that day in the store, trying to find something I was actually allowed to eat?—”
Jenna held up a hand to forestall him. “Clean slate, remember?”
“Right.” He gave her a rueful smile of acknowledgment. “Anyway, I was resisting having to change anything about my life for a long time. My doctor told me if I went back to work, the stress would kill me before I was fifty. He was serious, but I didn’t want to believe it, although I knew I should.”
“Goodness.” Jenna shook her head slowly.
“What’s so crazy is that I would have kept going even if it cost me my health, mylife. But…” He sighed. “I’d lost my mojo,” he confessed. “That world is so ruthless. One hint of weakness,anykind of weakness, and investors lose faith. People immediately start looking elsewhere. And your credibility crashes. When that happens, it’s basically over, and so I decided to walk away before I was booted. But I wasn’t happy about it. Not by a long shot.”
“I don’t blame you,” Jenna replied feelingly. “That sounds so tough.”
“It was.” He paused before continuing briskly, “Well, I know there’s nothing more boring than someone talking about that kind of stuff, so I’ll shut up. But let’s just say that with the ulcer on top of the heart attack, and having to havetwoseparate surgeries… I finally got the wake-up call I needed. I’m choosing to live differently… even if I don’t always like what that has to look like right now. I know I need it.”
“And whatdoesit look like?” Jenna asked, intrigued.
Jack turned back to the stove to flip the bacon. “Boring,” he replied succinctly and then, almost to himself, “Lonely.” He turned back to her, shaking his head slowly, almost as if in wonder. “You know, I was never lonely in the city. I was too busy. I had meetings all the time and when I didn’t have meetings, I was still doing something productive—going to the gym, reading the news, keeping up with everyone and everything. I didn’t have a moment to think, except when I went sailing, and then I enjoyed the peace and quiet because I had so little of it in my life, and it was an active kind of thinking, anyway. You’re pretty busy when you’re sailing solo.” He blew out his cheeks in a gust of a sigh, shaking his head once more.
