Page 69 of Lost Love on 6th Street

“I do.”

We emerge from the exhibition hall, back into the main lobby. The woman at the reception desk watches us intently as we cross toward a door that requires keycard entry. “So why not stay? It’s not like you have a job anywhere else.”

“I know more people in Chicago. My network is bigger.”

It’s a knife to the chest that I know she didn’t intend, but hurts, nonetheless. “You have a network here.”

Eleanor scans her badge and opens the door. “I have you,” she says with half a laugh. “And Jolene I guess, but that fell through.”

“Is that not good enough?” My annoyance comes through despite my best intentions.

Her eyes avoid mine. “That’s not what I was trying to say.”

I follow her through the door and down the staircase. The air is so cold it bites at my skin. “You’d be making a mistake deciding to leave now.”

“I have to get back to work,” she says, hurrying down the stairs.

“Hey.” I reach out and grab her arm. “Just stop for a second.”

Eleanor whips around, yanking her arm out of my grip. “Don’t grab me.”

I swallow. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just . . . please listen for a second.”

“I have been listening and I told you—” Her eyes waver across my face. “I need to go back to work.”

“Then you’re not hearing me. Nor, hear me.” I delicately place my hands on her shoulders and smooth them down her arms, thankful she’s not drawing away. “You should stay. I want you to stay.”

Eleanor’s eyes flutter shut. “Luke . . .”

“Don’t you want to stay? And see what happens?” I told her a month ago that we’d enjoy each other to the fullest. For now. Until she had to decide. But I didn’t want her to make up her mind like this. “With us?”

Eleanor’s head drops forward. “Yes, but it’s not that simple.”

For me, it’s simple. For me, it’s her. She’s all I want. It’s so crystal clear to me. But it’s not for her. And telling her would terrify her even more, I’m sure. “You have until the end of the day to get the apartment,” I say. “Then the deal’s off. So, if you change your mind, you have to let me know. Soon.” My desperate expression reflects off her glasses.

Eleanor nods. “Okay.”

I’m not sure if I’ve just been broken up with, but lord help me if I’m going to give in so easily. “It’s going to be okay. Whatever it is, okay?”

She nods again.

Though my heart’s starting to crack, I pull her into my arms and hug her tight, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.

She grips the front of my shirt, presses her face into my chest. How can someone hold me like this and not want to stay?

If I’m here any longer, I’m going to cry. I release her. “I’ll send you the guy’s phone number. You can call him if you think you want to stay. Promise me you’ll think about it, Nor.”

“I will,” she says in a slight voice. “Promise.” She steps away and then stops. “Thank you for looking out for me.”

“Of course.”

Her purses her lips. That’s the face of a woman who knows she’s breaking a heart. At least it looks like it hurts her too. “I just need to think about it.”

“I get it, Nor. It’s okay.”

The walk up the stairs, out of the museum, and back to my car is as close to a zombie as I’ll get. I don’t know what more I could have done to do right by her. Other than being fully honest about Diane. Maybe if I’d been upfront, she’d have something for the museum right when she got there and could have been in their graces in a flash. Maybe they would find the money to keep her.

But would I have known her the way I do now if I’d been honest?

---