Page 110 of Love on Deck

“That’s adorable.”

“Now we know why they kept disappearing on the ship,” Jack said, grinning.

“Have you heard from Sydney?” I asked, swatting at his arm.

Amelia cringed. “I decided it was time to let that friendship go.”

Smart girl. Most relationships were worth occasional setbacks or putting up with irritating quirks, but some people were simply toxic. No one needed added toxicity in their lives.

We finished eating, the conversation moving between Jack’s moving plans, Amelia’s current school play for her elementary kids, The Jungle Book, and Kevin’s latest bitcoin obsession.

Jack took over the dishes while I cleared the table. Amelia hopped onto a barstool at the island, and I couldn’t help but think of the last time she’d been sitting there and the way we’d fought. I was glad our relationship had seemed to bounce back. Both of us were making an effort. If anything, we were doing better than before, now that we understood each other.

“How are things going with the in-laws?” I asked.

“Don’t ask,” Kevin shouted from the sofa, which wasn’t even that far away.

Amelia gave an exaggerated cringe. “I invited them to Sunday dinner and they’ve accepted. I don’t anticipate them being anything other than frosty.” She leaned in, lowering her voice. “Kev just wants them to see my ring, I think, so they know we aren’t getting divorced like they recommended. I don’t really care why they’re coming. I’m just going to do my best to mend our differences.”

“And if you can’t?”

She shrugged. “I’ll cross that bridge then.”

“It’s kind of ridiculous that the twenty-four-year-old has to be the adult in this situation.”

“We can’t all be humble and mature,” she joked. It was the truth, though, as ridiculous as it was.

They stayed for another few hours before calling it a night, leaving Jack and me on the sofa, my computer between us, going over the updates I’d made while he was at work.

“You can see I upped your grocery allotment.” I turned a little on the sofa to face him better, my shoulder pressing into his. “I wondered what you thought about working out a deal with Gigi’s Diner so the guests had the option to go there some mornings.”

“Maybe for special occasions, but I don’t think anyone wants to book a bed & breakfast and then have to leave to eat.”

“Yeah, maybe not.” I screwed up my nose. “There are so many variables. It’s hard to know what the final numbers will be.”

He tapped the top of my computer. “At least this can help us get a loan.”

“Us?” I raised my eyebrows, turning in time to see his cheeks mottle red.

Jack took my computer and put it on the coffee table. “Hear me out before you answer, okay?”

I nodded.

“I am not asking you to move in with me. I just want that to be clear from the onset. Our relationship is new, and that is something I want to protect.” He took a breath. “That being said, I also know without even a little doubt in my mind that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you fixing up this little B&B and making spreadsheets and organizing events in our backyard.”

My breath caught. He was listing all my favorite things.

“Moving to Arcadia Creek is an enormous ask, but it’s not entirely selfish,” he said gently. “I feel like you could flourish there, too. My parents have already offered multiple times for you to take a room at the house until the B&B is ready. If that idea doesn’t give you enough independence, there are a handful of people in town who could potentially be looking for a roommate. I could find you a situation. I would hire you as my project manager and events coordinator so you aren’t coming to town without an income, which is necessary since it’ll take at least a year to get the place open for business.”

I wasn’t quite sure if I was hearing him correctly, but he was addressing each of my worries about uprooting my life and moving to the country. First and foremost: crushing the fear that he wouldn’t want me to do it at all. He was making his stance perfectly clear.

Jack slid his hand over my cheek, losing his fingers in my hair. “I love you, Lauren. We can take this one day at a time, so please don’t feel pressured. I want to do this thing with you. Please say you’ll come to Arcadia Creek?”

My body hummed, excitement beating a steady drum through me before deflating. “Amelia. I couldn’t let myself be estranged from her the way you and your brothers became over the years.”

“I’ve thought about that, and my solution is monthly dinners. We’ll take turns going to their place in Dallas and having them come to Arcadia.”

It was a good plan, actually.

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