Straight Up Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #2)(86)

“Let it spread.” She shrugs, but I see the worry on her face. “Don’t do that. Don’t look at me like you feel sorry for me. I don’t want your pity.”

She has it whether she wants it or not. “Let me help you.”

“You already helped when you gave me a job.”

“But surely you need more than that. Let me get you caught up on rent, or—”

She shakes her head as she laughs. “Ava’s right. You are a fixer, aren’t you?”

“I’m not offering anything she wouldn’t.”

She sighs heavily. “Not every problem is yours, Jake. This one is mine, and mine alone. I made my choices, and I’ll deal with them.”





Ava


“Florida’s nice,” Colton says. “Actually, Ellie and I looked at relocating there.”

“Really? When?”

“After Dad brought up the possibility of you moving. Ell hates the winters here, and it would be nice to be closer to Mom.”

“It would.” Two days ago, I walked out of Jake’s apartment, and yesterday, I scheduled my face-to-face interview with Seaside Community Schools. Even though I keep telling myself it’s the right move to make, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea of leaving Jackson Harbor. This has been my home forever, and I’ve passed up any chance I’ve had to leave before because . . . because I was marrying Harrison, and we wanted to raise our family here.

What would I be losing if I left now?

Jake.

I clutch my stomach where the gnawing ache has been hovering all day. I’ve already lost Jake. I lost him the moment he touched Molly, and I think he knew that. That’s why he never told me that it happened.

When my brother came over this afternoon, I decided I didn’t want to tell him any more about what was going on between me and Jake than Ellie already had. Ellie told Colton that Jake and I had decided to step back and slow down. Colton was totally on board with that. I think the rest can wait—for Jake’s protection, because Colton would go after him with fists flying, and for Colton’s, because the last thing he needs is another offense on his record.

Maybe Molly was being honest with Jake, and the baby’s not his. While I don’t want to be the woman who can’t get over her jealousy, I know Molly and Jake’s night together will never be easy to swallow. But worse, I’ve realized I’d resigned myself to a life without teaching drama classes or helping kids find themselves through theater. I’d subconsciously begun making plans to pick up more hours at Jackson Brews so I wouldn’t have to leave Jake.

When I realized that, I called Penelope and told her I wanted to schedule an interview for what appears to be my dream job. She was thrilled, but before we got off the phone, I blurted, “I might be pregnant.”

Once the words were out there, I couldn’t take them back. There was a long moment of silence, and my stomach was lodged in my throat while I waited for her to respond. Did I want her to rescind her offer? Or did I want her permission to have my cake and eat it too?

“Well, congratulations,” Penelope finally said. To her credit, she didn’t ask about the father. “We have a fantastic benefits package, and you’d have twelve weeks of maternity leave. Normally, you’d have to be with us twelve months for that benefit to apply, but perhaps that’s something we could negotiate with your contract.”

“It wouldn’t interfere with my ability to launch the summer theater program for next season,” I said, hearing the question in her voice.

“That’s wonderful to hear. We can talk more about some flextime perks when you come down, but please don’t think that we value working mothers less than any other employees.”

And just like that, all my excuses for pushing my plans to the side fizzled away.

“Let me know what you decide,” Colton says now. “If you move down there, maybe Ellie and I can do it at the same time and make it easier on all of us.”

“Colton, that’s crazy. You can’t just up and leave your team so I don’t have to move alone.”

He chuckles and refills his coffee. “It’s cute that you think I’d be doing it for you. The only reason I ever moved back here was because Dad would only pay my tuition if he could keep tabs on me. Then when I started training with Levi, it didn’t make sense to leave.” He shrugs. “I’m ready to go back to Florida. It’s cold as balls here in the winter, and I’m so over it.”

“It might not be Florida,” I admit. “I’m applying for jobs all over. I’m applying for anything that’s mostly drama and theater.”

“Good for you, sis.” He nods. “I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks.” I look down at the list of supplies I’ve been making for summer theater and shake my head. Everything seems so hard right now, but I remember how debilitated I felt after Harrison left me. If I just take it one day at a time, I’ll be okay.

Ellie’s heels click in the hall at the front of the house. “Anybody home?”

“We’re in the kitchen,” I call.

She comes around the corner and grins when she sees Colt. “Hey, you.”

He looks her over slowly—from the roots of her dark hair down to her three-inch black heels—and grins. “Damn, girl.”