Still on the stoop, Jed said a quick silent prayer for guidance, then followed Holly inside, stopping in the archway between living room and kitchen. Signs of baking were everywhere, and dance music played from a speaker. More of her favorite oldies, judging by the current tune.
“Alexa, off,” Holly said, and silence filled the room.
Jed moved to the opposite side of the island. “Now let’s talk about me. I’ve decided I’m not going back to Tacoma.”
That made her eyes widen.
“First reason is because you’re here, so here is where I want to be. We can’t figure out if there’s going to be an us if we’re in two separate places. Relationships require proximity and time.”
“What about Laffriot?”
“I haven’t decided. I’ll have to discuss things with my dad. Whatever we decide, I’ll still be here.” He leaned toward her, hands on the counter. “One thing I won’t do is go back to working twelve- and fourteen-hour days, week in and week out. I’ve discovered there’s more to life than work. There’s more to life than building a business and chasing financial success. You’ve taught me that.”
“I have?” She looked fragile and uncertain. Lost, maybe.
He longed to take her in his arms and comfort her. “Yes, you. You work hard, but you also make time for God and you make time to love others. You make time for Willow and all the other gals from the shelter. You care about people at church. You give of yourself, even when it isn’t easy or convenient.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “I may have a lot more time for all of that in the future.”
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head even as she took a step back from the counter, as if needing space between them.
“Come on, Holly. Take a chance. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m sticking around. That’s my commitment to you. That I’ll give you the time you need to figure this out.”
He could read the internal struggle in her eyes. For a while, he thought he would come out on the losing end.
Unexpectedly, she reached for a cupcake and held it out to him. “Try one?”
“Sure.” He took it. Even if he hated cupcakes—which he didn’t—he would have accepted it just to please her.
“Jed, I may lose the restaurant. I may lose the house. Maybe I’ll end up bankrupt.”
He stopped peeling the paper cup from the cake.
“I made some poor decisions a year ago, and they’re coming back to haunt me now.”
He set the cupcake aside. “Tell me.”
There followed a lengthy silence, then finally, “See the cup half full, not half empty.” Her eyes were downcast, her voice barely audible.
It seemed a strange thing to say, but he schooled his face not to reveal that thought, should she look up. When Holly moved to the table and sat down, he followed, taking the chair opposite her. She drew a slow, deep breath, and then began.
* * *
In a halting voice, Holly told him everything, told him every stupid choice she’d made. She told him how overwhelmed she was by the debt and the responsibility. She didn’t try to paint herself in a favorable light. How could she? She hadn’t been forced to take out loans or to open the restaurant. She’d chosen. Perhaps she’d been influenced by Nathan, but it had still been her choice. The results were her own fault. She talked with her gaze locked on her folded hands, not wanting to see the moment he realized what a fool she’d been—even though she’d told him that in advance. When she finished the lengthy tale, she fell silent, hardly breathing, and waited.
“You know what you haven’t said.” Jed waited a moment, forcing her to make eye contact. “You haven’t said what you really want.”
“I want to be out of debt. I don’t want to let other people down. I don’t want to fail.”
“No. What do you want, Holly?” He leaned closer. “I’m a good businessman. I can help you get through this crisis. I know I can. Together we can figure out the tax situation and how to get the restaurant back on a firm financial foundation. And we can rescue your personal finances too.”
“I wasn’t asking you to—”
“But what do you want after all of that’s done? We’ll sort through all the financial problems. But then what? What does Holly want? What’s your dream?”
His questions made tears well in her eyes, and no amount of blinking or swallowing could stop them from falling. She heard the genuine caring in his voice. He wanted her to have her dream, whatever it was. Almost from the day he’d moved into the basement apartment, he’d been chipping away at the wall around her heart. But this—his desire to see her pursue a dream—caused it to crumble.
“Jed, I can’t ask you to—”
He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “I know you aren’t asking for my help. I’m offering. Because I’m in love with you. Maybe it’s crazy. Maybe we haven’t known each other all that long. But that’s how I feel. That’s how it is with love. You fall in love gradually, and then suddenly. Well, I’m at the ‘suddenly’ part, and all I want is a chance to show you what that means. All I want is the chance to prove I’m the guy who’ll be at your side. Always.”
His words made her heart somersault.
“I won’t let you down, Holly. Not ever.”
Oddly enough, she believed him.