Page 64 of Valentine's in Bayberry

And then she heard his retreating footsteps. The breath caught in the back of her throat. It stayed there until she heard the back door open and close. Only then did she allow the air to whoosh out of her lungs in a sob.

She knew in that moment that things between them would never ever be the same. There would be no more sitting around the fire pit and making s’mores. There would be no more sled races. No more reminiscing about their past.

She’d hurt him with her rejection, but surely he had to see that it was for the best. He couldn’t give up his successful career any more than she could give up her dream of operating Totally Chocolate.

She told herself it would be okay. She was used to not having Jackson around. But her heart felt as though it had just been broken in two.

Anxious to go home and indulge herself in some junk food, she swiped away the tears from her eyes. She had a cake to frost, and then she would go home, regretting how things had worked out with Jackson. She already missed him.

Chapter Nineteen

Why was she sostubborn?

Jackson reminded himself that Carrie was never quick to change. She was more of the stick-to-her-routines, proceed-with-caution type. That must be why she kept throwing up every roadblock imaginable.

Still, he’d seen the jealousy in her eyes when she thought he’d been kissing Brittany. His nose curled up at the thought. He pushed away the unwanted memory of that unwanted kiss. He supposed it might have been worth it, if that’s what it took for Carrie to realize the depths of her feelings for him.

He was more certain now that she cared about him. And his love for her kept growing every day. But where did he go from here? How did he get her to take his hand and step into the future together?

Instead of going home, where Jackson knew he would do nothing but pace, he went next door. The storefront was coming together. He went in search of Mark. He had some new ideas he wanted to run past him.

He didn’t have to go far to find him because as Jackson headed for the back door, Mark was entering the building. “Mark, do you have a moment to talk?”

“Sure.” Mark gave him a concerned look. “Is everything okay?”

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck, finding it stiff and sore. His first instinct was to tell his friend he was fine, but then he realized maybe he needed someone to give him some perspective.

Before he could change his mind, Jackson said, “It’s Carrie. You know how important my friendship with her is?” When Mark nodded his head, Jackson continued. “I want to take our relationship to the next level, but Carrie doesn’t. Or at least that’s what she says.”

“And you don’t believe her?”

Jackson shrugged. “I think she’s afraid to find out what we could have together.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t help that Brittany is throwing herself at you.”

Jackson rolled his eyes. “So you heard about that too?”

Mark nodded. “Heard about it a half hour ago.”

“This town could medal in the fastest grapevine.”

Mark nodded in agreement. “So, what’s the deal? Are you seeing both women? That sounds very dangerous.”

“What? No. Of course not.” He frowned at Mark. “I don’t know what Brittany was thinking before she threw herself at me, but I had absolutely no part in it.”

“Actually, I hear your lips were involved.” Mark let out a laugh at Jackson’s obvious distress.

Jackson’s frown deepened. “This isn’t funny. I’m serious. I have a problem.”

Mark subdued his amusement. “Does Carrie know your version of the story?”

“I tried to tell her, but she didn’t seem to want to hear it. She said that even if Brittany wasn’t an issue, that we still wouldn’t work.”

Mark was quiet for a moment. “Maybe what you have to do is show her that you two work together.”

He liked the sound of this idea. It was the implementation he was struggling with. “You mean do the things I would do if we started seeing each other.”

Mark nodded. “Do you have a plan of how to make it work? Are you going to have a long-distance relationship?”

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