Page 100 of You Chive Me Crazy

“Well, that makes me feel a little better,” I said. “Justice prevails.”

“On a totally different note, I got a call almost immediately after that from Jeremy,” Lucas said. “They offered me a TV job.”

“What?!” I jumped up from my patio chair and almost spilled my wine and dropped my phone. “That is wonderful, Lucas! I’m so happy for you, and you are going to be amazing on TV! Why didn’t you start the conversation with that?! It’s the best news ever. How do you feel? I mean, are you excited? Nervous?”

I was beyond happy for Lucas. He helped make my dreams come true, so it was equally important to me to see his dreams come to fruition.

Lucas hesitated. “Well . . .”

“Okay, that doesn’t sound very positive,” I said. “You should be screaming and dancing in the streets. What an amazing opportunity. Why don’t you sound excited about this?”

Lucas hesitated for a moment, then said, “The job is in New York.”

I admit he blindsided me with that one, right on the spot.

In fact, at first, I wasn’t sure if maybe I had heard him wrong.

“New York?” were the only two words that came out of my mouth.

“Yeah . . .”

I felt my stomach drop as the reality of the situation really sank in. New York was on the other side of the country, thousands of miles away from my home in California. Was he saying we were done as a couple, even though we had just gotten started? Was he interested in a long-distance relationship? I certainly wasn’t going to tell him not to go, that was for sure. I was in love with the man, but it would be selfish to ask him to give up his dream job.

“Zoe? Are you there?” Lucas asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yes, sorry. I just . . .” My voice was shaking. “I don't know what to say.”

“I know. It's a lot to take in. I'm sorry,” he said.

“Please—there’s no need for you to apologize, Lucas. You deserve this. I’m so proud of you, and it’s an amazing opportunity.”

“But it’s in New York,” Lucas said, his tone far from upbeat. “I don't know, Zoe. It's a big move, and I don't want to decide without considering how it’ll affect us.”

I was hoping he would say that.

Uswas all I had been thinking about lately. I didn’t want to lose Lucas again. It would hurt even more than the first time ten years ago. But who was I to stand in his way? Lucas had an opportunity to move to New York to make his dream a reality. He had practically bent over backwards to make all my dreams come true. How could I tell him not to go?

That was just it, I wouldn’t get in his way.

Long-distance relationships are hard, but they’re not impossible.

Hopefully, with any luck, we could make it work, because going to New York wasn’t an option for me with my growing business.

One thing was for sure, I would not be the reason for him living an unfulfilled life. As much as it pained me to say it, I needed to make sure he knew that, as much as I wanted him to stay.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. “If it’s going to fulfill you, you’d be crazy to pass up this opportunity. Go and everything else will fall into place.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

I could hear Lucas’s labored breathing.

“Are you sure about that, Zoe?” he finally asked. “Most long-distance relationships never work. I don’t want to lose you over this.”

“I appreciate that, and I feel the same way,” I said.

My heart ached at his words because that was the last thing I wanted.

“Follow your dreams,” I added. “We’ll make the rest work, no matter what. When do they need to have an answer from you?”