by Sofia Sawyer
Rich let out a low whistle. “Wow. You’ve got it bad.”
Jackson made a face. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying, that’s some deep shit right there. Most guys would take a girl out to her favorite restaurant and maybe get some flowers she likes. Or a small gift he saw her eyeing. But this? You’re going to ruin her for all other men. No one’s going to be able to top this.”
Jackson’s stomach clenched at the thought of her with someone else. Yeah, he knew going into it that this was a temporary thing. Pretend. But something between them the last couple of days had shifted. He could no longer think of her as Mae’s friend, the girl he grew up around. Now, he could only think about the way her lips tasted, the feel of her smooth skin, and how her eyes turned into little crescent moons when she genuinely smiled. The sweet sound of her laugh and how she looked at him in a way that made him feel like she was really seeing him.
Those brown eyes—they stared straight into his soul at times. And in those moments, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
How could he ever let her go? Let her be with someone else?
Jackson let out a small uneasy laugh. “Yeah, man. That’s the plan. She’s my girl.”
If only it were true. Jackson’s feelings for her had grown in unexpected ways. He felt out of control. Every waking moment was flooded with thoughts of Elena. He’d assumed the “can’t eat, can’t sleep” thing was bullshit, but was quickly realizing how true it was.
Problem was, he wasn’t sure if it was one-sided. Maybe she was putting on a great act for the cameras. After all, her career depended on making their relationship believable. The stakes were high.
But what about last night at Shua and Brandon’s house?
There were no cameras around then, and yet, she seemed completely at ease with him. It almost felt like bringing here there was a casual first date. That is until he captured her gaze across the fire while he was strumming the guitar. Her soulful eyes had a glint of emotion that couldn’t be faked.
Nothing about the look they shared was casual.
There was something there. It was growing between them. He just knew it.
“So, did you think about my offer?” Jackson asked, trying to bring them back to a safe topic.
Rich rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting Jackson’s eyes. “Yeah. I talked it over with Jen.”
A few weeks back, Jackson had asked Rich if he was open to taking his spot on the world tour. Rich had always expressed his interest in traveling, especially since he never had the means or opportunity to do it as a child. He hadn’t been shy about throwing his hat in the ring if and when a spot ever opened up.
With Jackson’s plans to expand the business, he needed to be rooted in one spot for a while so he could focus. He finally gave Rich the green light that he could take on the community-aspect of their work if it’s what he wanted for the next step in his career.
“And?”
“Listen, man,” Rich started, letting out a long sigh. “You know Jen and I just got married a few months ago. I brought it up to her, and the sentiment was that she wanted to start a family. She can’t do that if I’m not around to...ya know.”
Jackson made a face. “Yeah, I get the picture.”
“And even if I made the most of the time, I was home to...ya know...” Jackson rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t feel right leaving her for stretches of time if she did get pregnant,” he continued. “This woman is my life. She looked through the piece of shit I was and saw something good.”
“Hey, man,” Jackson clapped him on the shoulder. “You were never a piece of shit. You were just dealt a crappy hand.”
Rich nodded. “And I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me. You taking a chance on me turned my life around, but…”
“But you’re ready for the next step in your life, and that means family.”
Rich nodded, a look of disappointment on his face. “I’ve never had one, and now that I have the opportunity, I want to be the best dad and husband I can be. I like knowing I have somewhere reliable to come home to each night and that someone who loves me is waiting there. You gave me a stable life I never thought I’d ever get. Selfishly, I want to embrace every single moment—even the mundane ones.
“The opportunity you’ve offered is a dream. Jen and I took some time to imagine all the places we could go. But as I spent these last couple of weeks thinking about it, I realized it’s not my dream. My dream is to set down roots, start a family, and give my kids the best life growing up. I want to give them the things I never had. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Jackson leaned back into the chair, his mind reeling with what he could do next. “It was a lot for me to ask of you, especially with Jen in the picture. From my experience, I can tell you that travel can be demanding, and for most people, even the most beautiful places in the world won’t stop you from feeling homesick.” He stood and pat Rich on the back to show no hard feelings. “I get it. And I’m glad you finally found a home you never want to leave.”
Relief flooded Rich’s face as he stood. “Thanks for understanding.”
Jackson watched Rich retreat as he went to tend to the production line. A sense of panic washed over him. He hadn’t lied to Elena when he said he was considering settling somewhere, and Charleston was high on the list.
Near her. With her.
He had been banking on Rich taking his place on the travel front. Jackson thought it was a done deal. Finding out that wasn’t the case nearly knocked the wind out of him.
Just a few weeks ago, Jackson wouldn’t have minded. He’d been traveling for years now and loved every minute of it. In fact, the thought of settling anywhere—especially his hometown—would have had him booking even longer trips. Although the warehouse was here, he knew—or at least hoped—they’d grow out of it. And now that they were, he realized he could relocate his expanding business anywhere.
Normally, being in one place for too long sent a shiver up his spine. It was unfathomable. But now, the thought of not being able to set roots created a heaviness in the pit of his stomach.
It wasn’t just the plans for the business growth that weighed on him. Now, it was the thought of not being here to see if what was building between him and Elena was the real deal.
The thought of not seeing her everyday crushed him in a way he didn’t think possible.
How did this happen?
18
Elena
“She said what?” Mae screeched midbite of her sandwich. A tomato slipped from the bottom and plopped onto her plate.
“She basically said that the only reason I was hired was because I’m Hispanic.” Elena leaned over the island in Mae’s kitchen and snagged the tomato, chewing it before Mae could protest.
As soon as Brittany left, Elena and Marley walked directly to Mae’s apartment. When Mae was in between contracts, she typically worked on freelance projects at home. Thankfully, Jackson was at his warehouse when Elena burst through the door in tears. She wasn’t ready to share that humiliation with him.
“That bitch,” Mae muttered, slapping Elena’s hand away from another fallen tomato. “That’s a horrible thing for her to say.”
“Am I really that talentless? Maybe I deserved to be fired.” Elena dropped her face into her hands. “God. I made such a mess of things,” she groaned.
Anger flashed across Mae’s face. “Do you really believe that? Because if you do, I may have to smack you again.” Mae put down her sandwich and locked eyes with Elena, her expression serious. “Listen, you know that Mark and the rest of the team don’t think that, right? You can’t let people like her get to you. There will always be shit people with small minds like Brittany in the world. But just because their perception is wildly skewed doesn’t make a single word of what she said true. Knowing her, she’s probably just trying to throw you offer your game, so you’ll back down from the promotion. Seems like a sneaky move she’d pull.”
Marley nudged Elena’s hand as if to say, “Listen to Mae. She knows what she’s talking about.”
“Every time I think I’m ready to let it all go and just be who I am, someone or something comes around and reminds me that I’m not good enough. It’s hard, you know?” Elena’s shoulders sunk as she exhaled a breath. Her gaze darted away, not feeling quite comfortable looking into Mae’s eyes as she spoke the little truth that always ate away at her.
Mae slid her plate over, knowing Elena’s love language was food. “I know. We all have our insecurities and hang-ups.”
“You never did. Even when you very dramatically came out to your parents.”
Mae laughed at the memory. “Yeah. I don’t think they were expecting me to bring my girlfriend at the time to their very upscale dinner with dad’s associates, especially after they’d been trying to pawn me off on one of his colleague's sons all summer.”
It had been senior year of high school, and Mae’s parents had been on her about finding a nice guy who could offer her a stable future.
“I still wish I had been there to see the look on their faces,” Elena commented as she took a bite of the sandwich Mae had offered.
Mae rolled her eyes. “As if a guy was the only way to ensure a good future for myself. I was eighteen for Christ’s sake. I was about to go off to college. What’d they think? It was the forties, and I was just going to school to meet myself a suitable man?” Mae scoffed. “It’s been over a decade now, and they’re still warming up to the idea. They aren’t dicks like Brittany, but they still have their moments. Thankfully, they’re getting better.”
“And you seemed to deal with that just fine. Why can’t I?”
Mae snatched the sandwich back before Elena ate it all, dropping a piece of turkey on the floor for Marley. “Because being bisexual wasn’t a hang-up for me. If they couldn’t deal with it, that said more about them than me.”
“I wish I could be a badass like you,” Elena said, knocking her shoulder with Mae’s.
“I’ve been hoping after all these years my badassness would have rubbed off on you. Doesn’t seem to be taking,” she joked. “So, what’s on the agenda for today’s shoot?”
“Your brother apparently has to plan some secret date for me. Something to show he listens to the small details.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m assuming he got intel from you.”
Mae’s eyebrows shot up. “No, not at all. He hasn’t even mentioned it to me.”
“Really?”
“Love my bro, but God only knows what he’s going to do. As far as I know, he hasn’t dated anyone in a while, let alone put together something romantic. Hopefully, he doesn’t make an embarrassment of himself with some lame attempt.”
Elena shrugged. “He’s actually been kinda great. At first, he was throwing me into all sorts of situations. I thought he was trying to humiliate me, but I realized he was just trying to get me to loosen up. Apparently, I was ‘stiff’ on camera and ‘standoffish’ to the group.”
Mae snorted.
“What?” she asked defensively.
“I say this with love, but you’re like that whenever you’re out of your comfort zone. Which is like always.”
“It is not!”
“Whatever you say.” Mae got up to rinse her plate in the sink. “What are you doing after your date?”
“Meeting with the rest of the group after our dates to tango at that new brewery on East Bay Street.”
“What time will that be done?”
“Not sure. Maybe ten?”
Mae spun around and smiled. “Great. Then you and Jackson can meet me at the bar afterward. My friend’s band is playing.”
Elena’s eyes lit up. “Oh my God. Is it the band that does all the covers from our high school angst age?”
“You bet your ass. Every emotionally-fueled emo, punk, alt-rock, ska song teenage you could possibly dream of.”
“I’ve been dying to see them.”
“Well, now’s your chance. Bring Jackson, too. He used to play with those guys.”
“We’ll be there.” Elena grabbed Marley’s leash and headed for the door. “I gotta get going. I have to meet Jackson in a couple of hours.”
“Have fun,” Mae sing-songed as she sat back at her laptop to work.
“When they said romantic date, I wasn’t expecting it to start in a graveyard,” Elena commented.
Despite the bright late-afternoon sun, the overgrown Unitarian Cemetery had a mix of beauty and creep factor. Elena could smell the fragrant flowers coming from the vines, shrubs, and trees overwhelming the space. The church wanted it this way—a way to show that everything goes back to nature. Even with the cleared pathways, something about the cemetery felt forgotten. Eerie.
Jackson laughed and took her hand in his. She flushed at the feel of it, how the roughness of his palm and strong fingers contrasted with hers. Somehow, she felt safe with his hand holding hers. He could lead her anywhere—maybe straight into the fiery pits of hell with how this cemetery looked—and she’d go willingly.
Because she was with him.
She peeked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps coming from behind. The camera crew had been paired down to only two, a cameraman and boom operator. The larger crew had been split up to follow the other couples and to give a more intimate feel to the dates. Well, as intimate as it could feel with a camera and mic hovering around.
“Just trust me,” he said, leading them further into the cemetery before eventually stopping in front of an unmarked grave. “Here.”
Elena scanned it, a look of skepticism crossing her face. “Okay? Is something supposed to happen?”
Jackson rolled his eyes, his signature slow grin spreading across his face. “For someone who’s so passionate about writing, I assumed you knew your history. You know Edgar Allen Poe’s poem Annabel Lee?”
“Vaguely. Why?”
“It’s rumored that the poem was about a woman he met while stationed here in Sullivan’s Island. Apparently, her father forbade her from seeing him, so their affair was a secret. They’d often meet here. When he got transferred to Virginia, she died from yellow fever.”
“That’s so sad.”
He shook his head. “Gets worse. The father was so spiteful that he didn’t even want Edgar to see her in death. He ‘buried’ her in several unmarked graves throughout Charleston—here being one of them—so Poe never knew which was hers. But he came here anyway, to this unmarked grave because it was their spot, and grieved her. It’s rumored that she haunts this place.”
Elena raised her eyebrows, feeling unsure. “I’m all for ghost stories. But remind me how a story about heartbreak, death, and ghosts are supposed to be romantic.”
Jackson squeezed her hand. “So impatient.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She did everything she could to not reach out and trace where his lips had been like a love-sick teen. “Like I said, trust me. This is just one stop on our tour.”
“Tour? So, there will be more graveyards and ghosts?”
He smirked and pulled her along without answering.
Over the next couple of hours, Jackson had taken her around to several places in Charleston. Tradd Street, which was the setting for a book by Karen White. The American Theater on King Street, which was one of the locations used in the movie version of Nicholas Sparks’ book The Notebook, followed by a stop at Boone Hall Plantation, which was Ally’s house in that same movie.
“Everything okay?” Jackson asked after they wandered the grounds, taking in the beautiful Avenue of Oaks and views of the marshes.
They had stopped in the Cotton Dock building, one of Boone Hall’s buildings used for weddings, to get out of the sun. Despite it only being mid-June, the cloudless sky allowed the strong rays to penetrate her skin, making it feel much hotter than it was.
She took a sip of water from the bottle she had bought at the cafe and nodded, shooting her eyes towards the camera crew. “Fine, yeah.” She shook her head slightly to i
ndicate she didn’t want to talk in front of the cameras.
Eyeing a door to a bathroom in the corner, she addressed the crew. “Hey, guys. I need a break. I’m feeling a little woozy from the sun. Why don’t you take ten and grab yourself a drink or something? I’m sure you’re dying in all that black clothing.”
“Stephanie said you can’t leave our sight. Doesn’t want us to miss anything,” the boom operator said.
Crap.
“Trust me, you’re not going to miss anything. I’m just going to take a second.” She pointed out the window. “Plus, there’s a stand right there to get water and stuff. You won’t technically be out of sight.”
“I could use a drink,” the cameraman commented as he dropped the camera from his shoulder and shook out his arms, sweat darkening his shirt.
“Alright. I guess,” the boom guy conceded and made his way for the door, the camera guy in tow.
“What was that about?” Jackson asked, confusion crossing his face.
When Elena saw the coast was clear, she grabbed Jackson’s hand and dragged him into the bathroom. She closed the door behind them and flicked a switch. Light showered them from above the vanity mirror. Her body was pressed firmly against his. She tried to inch away, but the bathroom space was tight.
How did brides fit their dresses in here?
“I didn’t want to talk about it in front of the camera crew.”
“Okay…” he trailed off. “So, why are we stuffed in this closet pretending to be a bathroom?”
“Just in case their magical boom could hear us from yards away.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think that’s how it works—”
“Sh. Do you want to hear what’s wrong or not?”
His face turned more serious. “Yeah. What’s up? You seem a little more tense than usual today.”
Elena bit her bottom lip. “It’s my coworker, Brittany.” She gave him a condensed version of their confrontation earlier this morning, leaving out some of the hurtful things Brittany had said.
