In Other Words, Love

by Shirley Jump

  “Hey.” She got to her feet, praying he wouldn’t see how much she was shaking. Kate stood ten feet away from him, but it felt like ten thousand. “I saw the article.”

  From behind Trent, Angie looked at Kate with a question on her face. When Kate nodded, Angie sent her a thumbs-up, then slipped out of her office, leaving Kate and Trent alone for the first time in weeks.

  The space seemed too small and too big at the same time, and Kate wanted to both dash from the room and stay right where she was. She elected to stay, because she wasn’t sure her legs could carry her if she moved.

  “Before you say anything, I want to share something with you,” Trent said.

  “Okay.” She hoped it wasn’t another article or social media post. She couldn’t handle any more of those.

  He took a step forward. “Did you know that Ridley sea turtles, both the Kemp and the Olive Ridley, are the only turtle species that do mass synchronized nestings?”

  She stared at him. Was he really talking about sea turtles? Where was this going? “Um yes. I think so.”

  “The larger populations of Olive Ridleys in places like India have always done this, researchers think,” Trent went on as he closed the distance between them a little more. A smile played at the edges of his lips. “In French Guiana, the populations of the Olive Ridleys began to drop drastically, like, by ninety percent, so low that researchers considered putting them on a watch list. Until ten years ago.”

  She took another step closer. She was captivated, utterly captivated, by the story. “What happened ten years ago?”

  “The researchers had attached those things to their backs—”

  “Transponders.”

  “—and had been watching them for years.” Now Trent was inches away from her, so close she could feel the warmth of his body between them. “All of a sudden, they realized the French Guiana turtles began doing the same thing, as if some of the other ones had migrated and spread the word, or there was some kind of survival instinct that made them band together. They started synchronizing their nesting, all coming out of the sea on the same night to lay their eggs. Within ten years, the population of Olive Ridleys in French Guiana had tripled.”

  The scent of his cologne lured her even closer. He was a few inches taller than her, just enough that she had to look up to see the amusement in his eyes, the slight shadow of stubble on his chin. All the things she loved about his face were so close. “What do Olive Ridley turtles have to do with anything?”

  “Without each other, they wouldn’t have survived.” He took Kate’s hands in his larger, warm grip, and her heart did a little leap. His thumbs skated over the ridges of her knuckles. “I wouldn’t have made it through that book or the last few weeks without you, Kate.”

  “All I did was write the words.”

  “You helped me focus, to find what was important, and most of all, you helped bring me home.” His blue eyes met hers, as deep and dark as the ocean. “I’d forgotten what was important until you came back into my life and reminded me.”

  She didn’t dare ask the question, but if she didn’t, she’d die of curiosity. “And what is that?”

  “Love,” Trent said softly, and hope exploded inside Kate. “That’s what’s important. Love for my company, the work that I do.”

  The hope in her chest shriveled. She managed to eke out a few words. “Oh, yeah, that’s important.”

  “Love for my family.”

  “That’s important too.” Why was he torturing her like this? Just to talk about the company? She wanted to leave, to end this painful moment right now. “Trent, I should go—”

  But he held on to her hands, held on to her gaze. “And love for the people who bring out the best in me.” He smiled that crooked smile she had fallen in love with in the hallway of the English building. “Or rather, person.”

  She didn’t dare ask who he meant. Too much of her heart was counting on the answer to hear someone else’s name. “That’s good, Trent.”

  He craned his neck until she was looking into his eyes again. “You stopped answering my calls.”

  “I thought you were mad at me.” She shrugged, and cursed the tears that burned at the back of her eyes. Why had he come here? Why was he holding her hands and talking about love and turtles and the book? “For the blog post and for all those clues Loretta put together.”

  He brushed away a tendril of hair that had fallen against her cheek. “You were being true to your nature, and just being you. Who could be mad at that?”

  “Well…some people.”

  “I’m not one of those people.” The fleecy edge of the jacket tickled along her fingers and tempted her to curve into the softness. “I read the book you wrote three times. No, four.”

  “You did? Why?”

  “Because I kept looking for what was missing.”

  She thought back over the pages she’d written, the notes she’d taken, the stories he had told her. “I think I got everything, Trent. Your childhood, the nursery, the hike—”

  “What was missing was you, KitKat. Our history. Your impact on me. And your name on the cover.”

  Why did he have to keep mentioning that? Her name and her involvement in this book was what had started all the problems in the first place. She shook her head and broke away. “That’s not how it works, Trent.”

  “Says who?” He came around her, standing between her and the view outside Angie’s window. “I called the publisher and told them I wasn’t going to publish the book, not the way it was.”

  “Is there something wrong with the text? I can change—”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the text, Kate. The book is perfect. It’s the cover that needs to be changed. In fact”—he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper—“I had them send me a mockup of the new cover.”

  Trent’s image was gone. In place of his face, the photo she’d taken that day was there, with Trent’s silhouette on one side and the mountains and the waterfall and the beauty of Washington State on the other. And at the bottom of the cover, the words By Kate Winslow and Trent MacMillan.

  “I figured your name should be first, since you did all the hard work. All I did was talk your head off.” He grinned.

  “Where did you get my picture? I never posted that anywhere.”

  “You showed it to my mom when we were visiting. You were telling her and Marla about our hike to the falls, and my mom asked you for a copy of the picture. She showed it to me last week and I realized that was the perfect image for the cover. Because it was yours.”

  Kate had forgotten all about that. She’d been flipping through the pictures with them after dinner, talking about the hike, and his mom had asked for a copy. “I had no idea she showed it to you. That is so sweet of you to use it on the cover, Trent, and my name… I’m…” She let out a little laugh. “Speechless.”

  Now that photo, a quick snap she’d taken because she didn’t want to forget that day with Trent, was going to be immortalized on the cover of the book, right above her name. The gesture touched her heart and made tears rush to her eyes.

  “It’s a small thing to try to begin to make up for the big things, KitKat. When we were young, I broke up with you because you were scared to do the things I wanted to do. But I was the one who was truly scared of how hard I fell for you, and how much you meant to me so quickly. I was too dumb and stupid to know what to do with a love like that, so I let you go.”

  She understood that, because she’d been afraid of so many things for so long. Maybe Grandma Wanda had been right, and college simply hadn’t been the time for Trent and Kate to be a forever couple. “My grandmother said that maybe our hearts needed a little more time to mature. Like a plant in the greenhouse.” Kate laughed. “Then again, she compares everything in life to plants.”

  “I know I needed more time to mature and
figure out what’s important. Like my family, and you.” He cupped her jaw with his hands, so gentle, so easy, she thought she might melt right there. “I loved you then, Kate, and I love you now.”

  Her heart soared, and every cloud that had loomed in her thoughts over the last few weeks disappeared. “Because of you, I took risks, Trent. Did things I never imagined I’d do. Like…fall in love again. Oh, Trent, I love you too.”

  A smile burst across his face, lighting his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, a slow, sweet kiss that was like a melody, skating across her lips, treasuring every moment. She curved into his chest, into the softness of the jacket and the strength that had always been Trent. She didn’t say anything, because there were no words that could possibly be as sweet as that moment.

  Epilogue

  The party was in full swing, with dozens of guests filling the newly redesigned space behind Trent’s house. In the space of a few weeks, the plain grassy lawn had been transformed into an oasis with several seating areas, a cozy firepit, and dozens of flowering plants. The sun was just starting to set, and tiny white lights strung between the trellis and the stone patio blinked on, casting a gauzy light over the festivities.

  “It looks beautiful, as do you, KitKat.” Trent’s arm stole around Kate’s waist. She had on a pale yellow dress that offset the green in her eyes and long brunette curls that cascaded down her back. For the millionth time, Trent thought he was a very, very lucky man to have such an incredible woman in his life. “You and my sister came up with a fantastic design.”

  “Marla’s so talented. All my grandma and I did was plant.” Kate waved at her grandmother, who was holding up a small pot of primroses and explaining the plant to Trent’s father. “Thanks for including her. She loved being a part of the gardening.”

  “Your grandma is awesome.” He’d always loved Kate’s grandmother, and in the last few weeks, he’d spent a lot of time helping her with her garden and having long talks about the future. “She said she’s glad I smartened up.”

  Kate laughed. “You did indeed. Oh, look, my parents are here! I didn’t even know they were coming. I’m going to go say hello.”

  Trent waved at the older couple, who’d actually been in Seattle for a couple of days. He’d flown them in early, and put them up in a hotel close to Kate’s apartment. The whole surprise had been orchestrated without a hitch. “Before you go,” he said, “can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “On the hike, you said you wore your lucky shirt on purpose. Why?” That dark blue shirt from the cookie shop that she’d worn every time she had a momentous occasion. He was darned glad she’d worn it the day he’d woken up and realized he would be a fool to let her go.

  “Well, one because I was half afraid I would break my neck climbing up a mountain, and two…” Her cheeks flushed. “I was hoping you’d fall in love with me again. And you did, so it worked. See? Lucky.”

  “I’d say I’m far luckier than that shirt.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Go say hi to your folks. I’ll be over in a minute.”

  Kate dashed across the lawn. Her father swept her up into a hug and the three of them started chatting, clearly overjoyed to be together. Across the way, Kate’s grandmother waved to her daughter and son-in-law while she was chatting with Trent’s parents and sister. His family had closed the nursery for a couple of days to come down to Seattle, stay with Trent, and help him put the finishing touches on the yard. He and his father had been outside until late last night, weeding and trimming and talking. The long, quiet moments with his father had been as wonderful as that sunset all those years ago.

  Sarah was sitting at one of the tables, her sleepy baby in her lap. She’d been out on maternity leave for the past few weeks, and seeing her now, so happy and in her element as a mom, made Trent glad he’d worked out a work-at-home option for Sarah to stay at GOA and still be home with her new daughter.

  Jeremy ambled over. “Those new employees are working out great, boss.”

  Trent had hired a couple of managers to fill the gaps, which meant Trent didn’t have to work weekends or miss his daily run with Greg. That part was both good and bad, because Greg always pushed him to run faster, a healthy competition Trent secretly enjoyed. There’d be time now to hike and bike, and take Kate on trips. “I’m glad. Are the employees happy with the new schedules?”

  “Yup. That new flex-time plan means everyone gets to get outdoors more often,” Jeremy said. “It’s making for some very motivated and productive employees. The last employee survey didn’t have a single complaint.”

  “Great. Profits are up, the IPO is looking good, and my life is finally in order.” Trent glanced around the yard. Huge posters of the book cover were mounted on poles in the corners of the yard, and dozens of copies were stacked on the tables as gifts for everyone he’d invited. The party was meant to be for the book’s unveiling, but Trent had one more thing he wanted to reveal, now that all his employees were here.

  “I’ve got to go give a quick speech,” he said to Jeremy. “Go enjoy the party. You work hard, and you deserve more time off.”

  Jeremy laughed. “I’m not going to argue with that.”

  Trent crossed to the makeshift stage he’d had workers install beside the patio. He flipped on the microphone, and conversation ebbed to a stop. “Thank you everyone for being here. It means so much to me to celebrate the success of Get Outdoors Apparel as well as the fabulous book Kate wrote, with the people who mean the most to me.”

  Kate stood on the edge of the patio, beaming at him with so much love in her eyes, it made his heart ache, in a good way. She clapped and whooped. Their families cheered.

  “Profits are up fifteen percent this quarter, and Jeremy is predicting a really strong holiday season. I owe it all to you, my loyal and wonderful team. Which is why we’re changing the company slogan to…” Trent did a little drum roll against the mike, then he pulled a small cord and a banner unfurled across the stone wall. True to Our Nature was written beneath the company logo. “We’re changing the your to our because it’s only because of all of us, working together, building on each other’s successes and strengths, that we are here today.”

  There was a large swell of applause and cheers. The photographers Sarah had invited snapped some pictures. Trent didn’t pay attention to any of that. He had one more important thing to do tonight, something that had waited far too long.

  “The most important member of my team, the one who made all of this possible because of her wisdom and patience and amazingness, is Kate.” He crossed the patio and took her hand, hauling her up to the front of the group with him. “She is the rock I stand on, the one I can count on to always be honest and true. Because she loves me, and I love her.”

  There were more whoops and applause. Kate blushed and whispered, “I do love you.”

  Every time she said those words, his heart filled so much, he was sure it would burst with joy. “And because I want you to always be prepared for anything, Kate, I’ve filled this backpack with everything you need for survival.” He handed her a branded bright-pink bag he’d special-ordered just for Kate. “In there, you’ll find granola bars and water bottles and flashlight.”

  She laughed. “I don’t plan on taking off to parts unknown by myself. I’ve gotten more adventurous, but not that adventurous.”

  “We’re going to have lots of adventures together in our future too.” He gave her a quick, sweet kiss. “There’s no custom backpack for me, because I have everything I need for my survival right here.” Then Trent pulled a velvet box out of his pocket, dropped to one knee and flipped the lid back. “That’s you, Kate. Will you marry me?”

  Kate gasped. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she nodded. “Yes, Trent, yes.”

  “Those are the only words I wanted to hear.” He slipped the round-cut diamond on her left hand, then pulled her to him. As Trent kissed his wife
-to-be, there were champagne bottles being uncorked and congratulations being shouted, but the only thing he could see was the woman he loved and the long, happy life that lay on the trail ahead of them.

  The End

  Guacamole Grilled Chicken Club

  Kate, the heroine of In Other Words, Love, has to work long hours to finish ghostwriting Trent’s memoir. To show his appreciation and support, he promises to bring her unlimited takeout from their favorite restaurant, Chick and Cheese. She especially loves their Guacamole Grilled Chicken Club sandwich. Our version is perfect for a busy day. Make it for yourself, or someone you love!

  Prep Time: 5 minutes

  Cook Time: 15 minutes

  Serves: 4

  Ingredients

  4 boneless, skinless chicken breast filets (about 1 pound total)

  Salt and black pepper, to taste

  4 Ciabatta rolls, sliced horizontally, buttered and toasted

  1/4 cup Chipotle mayonnaise, recipe below

  4 green leaf lettuce leaves

  8 slices bacon, cooked crisp

  1 cup guacamole

  1/4 cup Cojita Mexican cheese, crumbled

  CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

  1/4 cup mayonnaise

  1/2 teaspoon peppers in adobo, pureed

  Preparation

  Preheat grill.

  Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill over medium for 5 to 8 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

  Spread chipotle mayonnaise on bottom half of each roll and top with lettuce, chicken breast, bacon, guacamole and crumbled cheese.

  Close each sandwich with top half of roll and serve.

  Thanks so much for reading

  In Other Words, Love. We hope you enjoyed it!