Page 57 of Snowflakes Over Starr's Fall
“Absolutely not,” Will replied firmly. “It’s all about work-life balance, right?” His eyes glinted with humor. “Within reason, of course.”
Jack had a feeling that Will’s definition of “within reason” might be different from his. Will had never left New York; whereas six months in Starr’s Fall had changed Jack, whether he’d wanted it to or not. And, like he’d told Jenna, hehadwanted it to, but he also wanted a little bit of the old him back. The guy who had straddled the world, who had done deals in his sleep, who had felt important and purposeful.
Was there a way to have both of those things, tobeboth?
Surely there had to be.
“So can I get the ball rolling?” Will asked. “Talk to some investors, draw up some contracts? You know when I leave here, it will be cutting the cord. I need to know you’re with me.”
Jack hesitated. Could he really make this kind of decision on a whim? He knew how the investment world worked; if Will was thinking about going, rumors would already be starting to swirl, and he needed to jump before he was pushed. They would have to move fast.
He should talk to Jenna, he knew, and yet what would she say? What wouldhe? He’d have to move back to New York, at least on a temporary or part-time basis. The work, no matter what kind of balance Will suggested, would be all consuming, especially at the start. There was a reason, a very good one, that Jack hadn’t had any serious romantic relationships in twenty years. There simply hadn’t been the time.
And would there be time now?
“What does your wife think about this?” Jack asked suddenly, and Will sat back, surprised.
“Mywife?” he repeated, somewhat incredulously. It wasn’t a question, Jack suspected, that he got very often.
“It’ll affect her, is all I mean.”
Will shrugged dismissively. “As long as the money’s flowing in, I think she’ll be okay.”
Jack nodded slowly. It was the kind of response he’d expected… and yet it wasn’t at all relevant to him and Jenna.
Him and Jenna. Just the thought of her—ofthem—caused his heart to give a little lurch. He’d told her they should see where this goes. He’d said there were variables. Would it be really such a surprise if he told her he was moving back to New York, at least on a part-time basis? That he needed to work, to be himself again? And he couldn’t see how that could happen if he stayed retired in Starr’s Fall…
Surely she could understand that.
And if she didn’t…?
They could still make it work somehow, right? On a part-time basis, long-distance for half of the week…
“Jack?” Will prompted, his smile only slightly tinged with good-natured exasperation. “I know this might feel kind of quick, but you know how these things work. Things have to move fast. Are you in, or at least interested?”
Jack felt his hands tighten into fists in his lap, and he deliberately smoothed them out again. Took a deep breath and smiled as a sense of purpose that he’d been missing for so long flooded through his body. “Yes,” he told Will. “I’m interested.” He paused and then added defiantly, “I’m in.”
22
Jenna had never considered herself a huge Christmas person, but that was before she had something to look forward to at Christmas.Someone. The last few days had been busy with pre-Christmas preparations for celebrating at Jack’s house, which he’d kindly offered, even though he was at a loss when it came to putting on a full Christmas meal, Jenna had suggested she bring the side dishes, and her mother was doing the turkey. Jack had offered to procure several pies from The Rolling Pin for dessert, and so all together they had a Christmas dinner.
Jenna had deliberated long and hard about what to get Jack for a Christmas present. She wanted something special, but nothing too intense. Something that showed she cared without overwhelming him. She’d settled on a book of hikes in northwestern Connecticut—in the hopes that they’d do them together—as well as a paperweight in the shape of a sailboat, and, as something of an in-joke, a platter of high-end smoked salmon. Was it too much? Not enough? Would he even get her a present? She had no idea.
It was challenging, living in the uncertainty, especially when, in her own mind, she’d already decided to be reckless. On Christmas Day, she was going to tell Jack she was in love with him. Or maybefallingin love with him, in the process of falling, even. But the L-word would be mentioned.
And, Jenna told herself repeatedly, she wasnotgoing to expect a reciprocal response, although she already knew she’d feel deflated if he didn’t start to gush. But the point, she’d come to realize, wasn’t in eliciting that or any other response from Jack. It was simply being brave enough to do it in the first place. This was, she knew, as much about her as it was about him, if not more. She needed to do this for her sake, to show she’d moved on.
But if Jack said he loved her back… well, that would be a serious bonus.
In the meantime, Jenna was enjoying the Christmas spirit. Starr’s Fall looked positively magical under six inches of snow and strung with Christmas lights. Mike had rigged up speakers on Main Street, so Christmas carols played in the background during shopping hours, giving the whole town a holiday feel. Miller’s Mercantile continued to do a brisk trade, but with the help of her mom, Jenna was still able to take a few hours off to spend time with Jack.
He’d returned from his visit to New York the other day with a spring in his step which gladdened Jenna, even if it also made her the teensiest bit nervous. When she’d asked him about it, he’d said he’d had a nice lunch with his friend Will and left it at that.
“Do you miss it, sometimes?” Jenna had asked hesitantly. “The city? The buzz?”
He’d shrugged, not quite meeting her eye. “Sometimes.” Then he’d caught her up in a hug and kissed her, which had gone some way to calming Jenna’s formless fears. “But why are we talking about New York?” he’d asked, and Jenna had had to agree. There were so many other things to talk about, and she knew her slight paranoia about Jack being the city slicker she’d once called him was on her and her history.
Jack, she’d told herself as well as a few other people like Laurie and Annie, wasnotRyan. And he would not respond like Ryan when she told him how she felt. It was an especially needed reminder as she headed over to Jack’s house on Christmas morning, conscious that today was the Big Day. She was going to tell him she loved him. She really was.
