Page 4 of You Wish
Damn it,she had wanted to ask him face to face, not have him hear it through the grapevine.
“So did Jane. She threatened to castrate me if I didn’t say yes,” he said and Georgia had to smile at the idea of her best friend giving him hell.
“You still have the boys, so I’m guessing the answer was a yes?”
“Not on your life, darlin’.”
“Seriously? You love this kind of thing. So why?”
“I get only two weeks off for the holidays and I’m spending it with my grandparents.”
“How are they?” She’d never met his grandparents, but she’d heard plenty about the amazing couple who stepped in and raised him when his own parents couldn’t be bothered.
“Getting older. That’s why I’m going to Pine Village to help them with their Christmas tree farm at the height of the season.”
That warm spot she’d held for Jake began to glow. One of the things she admired about him was his love for his family. It was one of the many things they had in common.
“I’m sorry. I know how much independence means when one loses it.”
Even the thought of being reliant on others for survival made her think of her brother. And that made her think of the day he died. Which reminded her of the sort of guy Jake was. She buried any sentimental feelings that were creeping up and cleared her throat. “Anyway, I think if you hear me out, you’ll change your mind.”
He crossed his arms over his bare chest. “You’ve got one minute.”
“You’ve always been so generous with your time at different charities. But what makes ours different is that we pair up local celebrities and local kids whose dying wish is to meet their hero.”
“Stop with the pitch and talk to me.”
What a dangerous line that would cross. She knew she hid behind her title and job. Not when it came to kids, but when it came to everyone else. She’d opened up to him once before and discovered the hard way how fleeting love could be, making her feel so alone on the worst day of her life.
“As an ambassador, you’d help us raise enough money to double our wishes. Wishes for brave kids who don’t want for much but to meet someone who is strong and doing things they can only dream of. Connor didn’t get his chance, but maybe I can make a difference in another kid’s life.”
Even saying her brother’s name in front of the man who had pretended to be Connor’s hero felt like a betrayal to his memory.
Jake’s expression softened, weighted with a quiet kind of sorrow. “I heard about Connor. I’m so sorry.”
She went silent, thinking back to that awful time in her life. Part of her felt she owed him an explanation. The other part, who, still after nine years, was reeling from that last beautiful and awful night together when she realized she have to endure the loss alone, told her she didn’t owe him shit.
Not only had he duped her into believing he was a hero, her hero, but he’d also been her brother’s hero. And by all appearances he was still that guy. But unlike last time, his charismatic and gleaming smile was not going to override her instincts. She had been a naive and inexperienced girl who was desperate for something good in her life, when she was surrounded by nothing but hospitals and death. And damn it if she and Jake’s last night together wasn’t one of her most cherished memories.
Then she’d overheard him and his sister. Overheard everything she’d been terrified of—that her life was too complicated for someone who had such a bright future.
She swallowed hard. “I think the time for sorrys has long passed.”
“Agreed,” he said quietly. “I wish I could have been there to say goodbye.”
Me too, she thought but didn’t dare voice it. Jake didn’t deserve to know what happened on the last day of Connor’s life. Didn’t deserve to know the truth.
“Then help me be there for other kids like him.”
“I really wish I could, but my family needs me.”
“It’s a matter of a few photos with you and racing cars, a fundraiser that could raise hundred of thousands of dollars, and gala where the big item is to sit in the paddock at your next race.”
“I hate dinners, and people in the paddock are a distraction.”
“But you love kids. And everything is right there in Austin. Your grandparents are only a couple hours away. We can schedule the photo shoot by your grandparents’. And distraction, my ass. You’ve had Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and every girl you’ve ever dated in the paddock.”
“Not all. You never made it to one of my races.”
