Page 72 of The House on Sunset Lake

She sighed deeply and acknowledged that he had a point. They had not been disturbed; no search party, as far as she was aware, had been sent out.

‘What are we going to do?’ she said finally.

‘What do you want to do?’ asked Jim, his eyes not leaving hers.

She knew what he was really asking her. What was she going to do with her life? Which direction was she going to take? Was she going to accept the life mapped out for her, or pick some exciting, uncharted new course?

Her own mini rebellions over the summer – leaving the art gallery in New York, coming home to Savannah, making her documentary – suddenly seemed quite superficial, as Jim dared her to make a decision.

‘Our timing’s been lousy, hasn’t it?’ she said.

‘It’s not great. We could have had a lot of nights like last night if only . . .’

‘If only . . .’

‘I should have kissed you at the cemetery.’

‘You were too busy calling me a serial killer.’

‘There were a dozen times I could’ve have kissed you. I just didn’t. I was scared of being turned down, so I never even tried. I thought it was better to have your friendship than risk being rejected.’

‘It was still the best summer of my life. Last night, when you kissed me, I was so happy. It was what I wanted, what I’ve wanted for a long time. But everything seems so complicated. I mean, you’re leaving Savannah. Tonight.’

‘I don’t have to,’ he said quietly.

She felt a surge of hope.

‘You’d stay?’

‘You might be able to twist my arm,’ he grinned.

‘What are you going to do, though? Delay your ticket for a week or two? You have college to get back to at the end of the month.’

‘Not necessarily,’ he said more seriously.

‘What are you saying?’

‘I’m saying that we can be happy, Jen. Me and you. Together.’

‘In an ideal world, yes.’

He shook his head and looked angry.

‘We can create whatever world we want for ourselves, make choices to let that happen.’

‘And when your visa runs out in three months, you’ll be kicked out of the country, with no college place, resentful of me because we didn’t think about the practicalities . . .’

‘There’s ways around all that,’ he said, not looking at her.

What was he saying? she wondered to herself. She felt a flood of butterflies at the possibility in his words.

‘Jim, you can’t quit college. I won’t let you.’

‘Then come to England with me. We can get a place in London. I can study, you can study, work. I don’t know. What I do know is that I can’t get on that plane and leave you here.’

‘I guess I’d better go and talk to Connor, then,’ she teased, feeling as if

she had let the brakes off and could freewheel to a life with Jim Johnson.