Page 26 of The Lake House (Southern Charm #2)
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was Sunday night. Julie had gone out with James the previous evening, but he’d called again that morning after church to see if she was free tonight.
There was something he wanted to talk about.
She’d begun to think that he really only wanted a friendship.
He continued to ask her out, to pay for dates, to open the car door.
But he still hadn’t kissed her or even brought up a conversation about a future between the two of them.
It was very confusing. Perhaps tonight he’d finally tell her what he was feeling.
She dressed in jeans and a sweater. It was a casual dinner, and the air had turned cooler lately.
She loved jeans weather and was happy to have summer behind her.
The past month had been a whirlwind. She’d begun helping out at the café, since Matilda was there less often.
And between that, taking care of Rita, and spending time with James, she found herself busy for the first time in a while.
It was a nice change, but it was also good to move on to a new stage or season of life.
The pain of her new family situation had faded a little, and she was almost ready to talk to Matilda.
Almost, but not quite. She wasn’t sure exactly why, but she felt as though talking to Matilda face-to-face about everything would make it even more real and she might not be able to cope with the emotion of it.
It didn’t make sense, but it was how she felt.
When James picked her up, she was happy.
She’d found someone whose company she loved and who seemed to feel the same way about her.
She was excited to get up in the morning, thrilled when she got a chance to see him.
The past had been blown apart by Matilda’s revelations, but the future was looking brighter by the moment.
She could almost start planning for it again.
“What did you get up to today?” she asked.
He smiled as he pulled the car out of the drive. “I went for a bike ride with some buddies.”
“How far did you go?”
“About fifty miles,” he replied.
She swallowed. “See, you look normal and then you say something like that.”
He laughed. “It’s normal for me. How about you?”
“Church with Rita. Then laundry and housework. I’ve started meal prepping on Sundays to get us through the week. Now that I’m at the café more and more, I need quick and easy things to make for meals.”
“Sounds like a busy day. Maybe I can come to church with you next week?”
She grinned. “That would be nice.”
They decided to eat at Chili’s . Julie loved the bottomless chips and salsa, and she snacked on them while James told her about his ride.
“I wish I were that fit,” she complained.
He shrugged. “It’s not such a big deal on a road bike. It virtually propels itself.”
“Sure. I totally believe you.” She crossed her eyes at him, and he laughed.
When their burritos arrived, Julie cut hers into small pieces before she began to eat, and he made fun of her.
They had an easy relationship. They teased one another, were open about everything going on in their lives.
The past couple of months had been such a balm to her soul, she could never fully express to him how much he’d done to save her from her own despair. She was about to try when he spoke up.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
She nodded, encouraging him on.
“As you know, I’ve been at the same hospital for a number of years now. I love it there. They’re really good to me, and I enjoy the work. It’s so fulfilling. But at the same time, if I want to move my career forward, I have to be constantly on the lookout for opportunities. And I found one.”
This conversation wasn’t going the way she’d expected or hoped it would. She tried to reorient herself around what he was saying. What was he saying?
“Okay . . .?”
He inhaled a slow breath. “I applied for a job at a hospital in Boston. It’s a big deal. A huge step up for me and an opportunity to do far more research than I’m currently doing. I interviewed for it a couple of weeks ago, and they called me on Friday to offer me the job.”
“A job? In Boston?” He’d known about this last night and didn’t say anything? She’d thought their date was so perfect. She’d flown home on wings. And now…
“Yes, I told them I’d think about it. But I’ll probably accept. Unless you can think of a reason why I shouldn’t…” He hesitated, watching her.
She was thrown off course. She’d thought he wanted to talk about their relationship. Where it was going. How he felt about her. What their future might look like together. And instead, he was here to discuss his career trajectory? That he was moving to Boston? What?
She stammered. “Uh, oh, okay. Well, it sounds like a good opportunity.” What else could she say?
He’d interviewed for this job after they’d begun spending time together.
And although she hadn’t taken the step of calling him her boyfriend, considering they’d never had “the talk” and he hadn’t kissed her yet, she’d been under the mistaken assumption that was the direction they were headed.
He ran fingers though his hair and leaned back in the booth. “Oh, okay. Well, thanks.”
Was he upset? Had she said the wrong thing? This couldn’t be happening. She’d been so happy, thinking something was finally going to work out in her life. That maybe she could look forward to the future again and let go of the past.
“I’ll definitely miss you,” she said.
And she swore a look of disappointment flashed over his face.