Paula was floating on a cloud. She’d hardly been able to make it through the evening broadcast without spilling the news to all her viewers: she was almost finished with this pokey little town. Donald had told her this afternoon that their Chicago affiliate had called while she was at lunch. They wanted to set up a time for her to come to Chicago for an interview.
She’d called immediately and set it up. Miles, the station manager, was eager to have her there; she could tell it in his voice. Next week they were flying her to the big windy city, and she could hardly wait. She looked at the little two-story wooden stores as she drove down Broadway on her way home. Next week she would be driving through downtown Chicago with its majestic skyline along the lake.
She needed to make plane reservations. She needed to get her hair trimmed and the highlights retouched. She needed a new outfit! Something classy and hip. Would they put her up in a fancy, towering hotel?
She wondered briefly what David would say. He’d been nothing but cold since their argument about her supposed affair. They had polite conversations and nothing more. He hugged his side of the bed as if her side were infested with the Black Plague.
She shrugged. His loss, not hers. Despite his righteous attitude, he was the one who owed her an apology. She’d done nothing wrong.
She pulled into the drive, her heart still flying high, as though it were filled with helium. She was so close to her dream. All her efforts were paying off. Chicago. She could hardly believe it. The temporary job would lead to a permanent one, she just knew it.
She walked in the door and followed the sounds coming from the kitchen. She didn’t know how David would react to her news. She hoped he could put their differences aside long enough to be excited for her. It would be pure selfishness to do anything else.
When she walked into the kitchen, David was putting a plate into the dishwasher.
“Hi,” she said, testing the waters.
He smiled at her for what seemed like the first time in weeks. “Hi, there.”
She set her purse on the countertop and studied his face. “Have a good day?”
“You could say that. Want something to eat? I made a meatloaf. There’s a plate for you in the fridge.”
She blinked. It was usually self-service around here. Especially lately. She pulled the plate from the fridge and heated it in the microwave. “Thanks. I have some great news, too. But tell me about your day first.” If it had made him this happy, she’d be glad to let him go first. She was just glad to see him back to his old self. And this good mood definitely boded well for his reaction to her news.
When her food was hot, she placed it on the bar and sat down on a stool while David leaned against the counter.
“So spill it, what happened?” Paula asked. It had to be something great to get David this excited. She hadn’t seen him like this since her pregnancy. She pushed the thought away and forced a smile on her face.
“You know how Stewart has been talking about retiring the past few years,” David said.
“Sure.” The owner of Jackson Hole Realty was way past retirement age and had a dozen realtors working for him, but Stewart had always been a workaholic.
“You’re not going to believe this. He took me to lunch today and told me he’s decided to sell. He wants to move out to Colorado to be close to his kids.”
He paused long enough to draw her complete attention. “Paula, he offered me ownership. Full ownership. He said he thought I could take the company to the next level.”
Paula let her fork down slowly. Ownership in JH Realty? It was a wonderful opportunity. But that meant—David would have permanent roots in Jackson if he owned it.
David was watching her expectantly. Her mind worked for something to say. She had to handle this just right. “David, that’s so wonderful. He must trust you enormously to leave his baby to you.”
“No kidding. Stan’s going to be so jealous. He thinks he’s the best thing to hit JH since the low interest rate.”
“Did you discuss any details?” How was she going to turn this around? She couldn’t stay here. She’d suffocate if she had to live here another year, much less the rest of her life.
“He’s not in a huge hurry, but he’d like to have everything done by the beginning of winter.”
“That’s three months away.”
He pushed his glasses up. “You sound upset.”
She collected herself. “It’s just sooner than I expected. You have so much to get in order, so much to think about.”
“What’s to think about? This is my dream.”
His dream? What about her dream? She’d sacrificed so much for it. She’d sacrificed her baby … Her breath felt as if it had caught in her lungs. She pushed the stool back and walked to the window facing the backyard.
“What about my dream?” she asked, trying to rein in her temper. “I’m happy for you, David, really, but I don’t want to be stuck here forever.”
The dishwasher whirred into a different cycle. “You’re happy for me, but you want me to pass it up.” His voice was flat. “Isn’t that thoughtful.”
She clenched her jaw and turned around. “You’re not the only one who got an offer today, David.”
That gave him pause for thought. She could almost see the wheels turning before his eyes narrowed. “Who was it? That Dante creep you’ve been fawning all over?”
Dante … ? What did the job offer have to do with him? She replayed her words in her mind. Got an offer. He thought she’d gotten an offer from a man? Her blood raged. “What?”
“Or was it someone else?”
“A man? You think I’m talking about an offer from a man?”
He began to look a little uncomfortable. But not enough. “Is that all you ever think about anymore? That stupid affair I supposedly had? I told you it wasn’t true!”
His face went hard.
So did her heart. “You’re never going to believe me. I’m wasting my breath.”
“I knew there was something going on after you had the miscarriage. You acted so strange. I just couldn’t figure it out. You were relieved, weren’t you?” His voice rose. “Relieved because you wouldn’t have to pretend it was my child anymore.”
Her insides coiled like a snake getting ready to strike. She had acted strange. She had been hiding something. But not an affair. She couldn’t tell him then, and she couldn’t tell him now.
“I can see the guilt all over your face.”
What could she say? She’d dug herself an awful hole, and there was no easy way out. It was better for him to believe the affair than to know the truth. He’d never forgive her for aborting her pregnancy. He wouldn’t understand that it had been her choice, not his.
She walked out of the kitchen. Behind her she heard him have the last word.