by Gerri Hill
Chapter Forty-One
Jordan stared out the window, surprised at how claustrophobic she felt surrounded by high-rises in every direction. She tugged at the collar of her blouse, then shrugged out of her jacket and casually tossed it over the back of her office chair. She never thought she’d miss wearing shorts and Fat Larry T-shirts to work, but she did.
She again turned her gaze out the window, slowly shaking her head.
What the hell are you doing here?
Four days back, and she had a terrible ache in her heart. She was back in her old routine, she just never realized how empty it had been. There was a void in her life now, without Annie around. How had she lived so long without her? How had she lived so long without love?
“The New York office called,” Peter said as he walked into her office. “Said you did a great job negotiating on the Dunbar contract.”
Jordan turned from the window and shrugged. “Good.”
“Good? That’s it? You know they’ve wanted to move you there for some time now.”
“Not going to happen,” she said as she moved back to her desk.
Peter sat down across from her in one of her plush visitor’s chairs. He folded his hands together, then tapped them on his thigh.
“What’s going on with you, Jordan?”
She raised her eyebrows. “What?”
“It’s like you’re only going through the motions. You’re getting results, but I don’t see the same drive. Being away like you were…did you lose something?”
Jordan met his gaze. “No. I think…I found something.”
“Are you burnt out? I know you put in an obscene amount of hours over the years. That takes its toll. I know. I did the same thing when I was your age.”
She decided to be honest with him. Because, yes, she was just going through the motions with her job. Her mind wasn’t here. Her spirit wasn’t here. Her soul wasn’t here. No, she seemed to have left that all behind in Rockport…with Annie.
“Being away as long as I was let me put things in perspective,” she said. “And it made me realize how much I’d missed out on. Not only with my family, but with a personal life too. My focus was solely on this job, twenty-four hours a day.” She leaned back in her chair. “I didn’t realize how tired I was until I got away. Tired, both mentally and physically.”
“So you’ve had a break,” he said. “A nice long one. Is it going to take you a while to get back into the swing of things? I can shift some things around.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know if I can get back into the swing of things,” she said. “My heart’s not in it anymore, Peter. Like you said, I’m just going through the motions.”
His eyes widened. “What are you saying? Are you thinking of leaving the company? My God, Jordan, do you know how many years you’ve invested in this? How many years we’ve invested in you?”
“I’m well aware of the hours I’ve put in, as are you,” she said. “And leaving something that I’ve worked so hard for…that’s not an easy decision.”
“You’d really walk away from this? For what? To run a souvenir shop?” He laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m not happy here, Peter.”
“No? You seemed to be happy enough when you left. What changed? You want more money?” He shrugged. “I can probably arrange that.”
“It’s not about money.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s about…it’s about life. And it’s very short.”
He sighed. “So your brother’s death really had an effect on you.”
“Did you think it wouldn’t?”
“I thought you’d be over it by now and ready to get back to work.” He stood up and glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting that I can’t miss. But you need to let me know what you plan to do. I’ve got your schedule lined up for the next month already.” He paused at the door. “Don’t rush into anything, Jordan. We all go through stages of burnout. Hell, I’ve threatened to leave before myself.”
She nodded. No, she wouldn’t make an impulsive or hasty decision. She wouldn’t have to. She’d been mulling it over ever since she stepped off the plane at O’Hare. She knew in her heart, the decision was already made. She knew before she’d even come back to Chicago, which made her question why she’d bothered to come back in the first place.
She picked up the phone before she could change her mind. It was her mother who answered her father’s cell.
“Hey, Mom. Are you already getting ready for the dinner crowd?”
“We’re still at the house. About to leave, though. Did you need to talk to him?”
Jordan hesitated. Was she being hasty? No. She kept seeing Annie’s face, seeing the tears she had been trying to hide. No, she wasn’t being hasty. She couldn’t wait to get back home.
“Let me talk to him for a second,” she said.
“Okay.” Then, “Have you settled back in yet?”
“No,” she said honestly. “I miss it there.”
“We miss you too. Annie misses you.”
Jordan laughed. “How do you know?”
“I talked to her this morning. She said you have only called once. She’s afraid you’re…well, that you’re not coming back.”
“I called and we talked for over an hour. And it made me miss her more so I haven’t called again. Because…well, because if I call, I’ll want to be there. Which is why I’m calling now.”
“Oh?”
She smiled. “Let me talk to Dad.”
“Okay, here he is.”
“We’re about to head to the restaurant, Jordan. What’s up?” he said in a hurried voice.
“Remember when I told you that we’d need to hire a manager for Fat Larry’s by January?”
“Yes.”
“Well, cancel that. I’ll be your manager.” That statement was met with silence. “Dad?”
“You’re going to come back? To stay this time?”
“If you’ll have me,” she said.
He laughed. “Pack your bags.”
She couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “You sure? You’ll let me run the store?”
“Honey, I’ll give you the store if it means you’ll come back home.”
She frowned. “Is that singing I hear?”
“Your mother is doing the happy dance and singing. Off-key, as you can tell.”
She laughed. “Tell her not a word to Annie. I want to surprise her.”
“I will. We love you, Jordan.”
“Love you too.”
Jordan spun around in her chair, taking in the view outside her windows again. She was smiling and she couldn’t stop. Was it a hasty decision? Didn’t matter. It was the right one.
She turned back to her desk and pulled her laptop closer. She pulled up her email, addressing one to Peter. Her fingers drummed the keys as she tried to decide what to write.
“It is with regret that I resign my position…blah, blah, blah,” she muttered.
She deleted that as soon as she’d typed it out. No. No need to bullshit.
“I quit,” she typed instead and sent it without a second thought.
She closed up her laptop and looked around the office. She had nothing personal here, not really. A few mementos she’d picked up on business trips but nothing that she couldn’t live without. Well, there was the Petoskey stone she’d found in Michigan. She never had it polished, preferring to keep it in its natural state. She did on occasion dunk it in water to view the pattern on it. She picked it up and folded it in her hand, deciding it was something she wanted to take.
She looped her briefcase over her shoulder and headed to the door without looking back. She passed by Antonio’s office and didn’t bother to look inside. She did stop at Michelle’s door, however. They’d worked together for years now, and they had a mutual respect for each other.
“Hey.”
“Hi, Jordan. What’s up?”
She smiled. “I wanted to say goodbye. It was
a pleasure working with you.”
She frowned. “You’re leaving? You just got back,” she said.
“Yes. I decided that I…well, that I need to be at home. With my family.”
Michelle stood up and walked over to her. “So you’re leaving me with Antonio for good, huh?”
“Sorry about that.”
Michelle stuck her hand out, and Jordan shook it. “Well, I enjoyed working with you too. I’ll miss you.” She paused. “Giving notice or just up and leaving?”
“Up and leaving,” she said.
“Don’t you own a condo?”
“I do. It’s in the Loop, Michigan Avenue. I shouldn’t have a hard time getting rid of it.”
“No, probably not.”
Jordan nodded. “Well, good luck,” she said and turned to go.
Perhaps it was rude not to say goodbye to the rest of her team, but she simply wanted to get out of there. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited by the elevator. She wanted to get out of the city and go home.
Back to Rockport. Back to Annie.
And she couldn’t get there fast enough.
Chapter Forty-Two
Annie leaned on the deck railing, watching the colors as they bounced across the water. It had been another gorgeous sunset, another one she’d viewed alone. She sighed and moved to where the ceiling fan was stirring the breeze. She couldn’t decide when she missed Jordan the most. Was it now, sitting out here? Jordan loved the deck, loved sitting out and watching the water, watching the sunset. Or was it at night, in bed? Yes, she especially missed her there…missed sleeping with her, missed touching her, missed being with her. And she missed her at the store. Fat Larry’s seemed empty without her there.
Her whole life seemed empty without Jordan around. How had that happened? How could Jordan come into her life so unexpectedly—so thoroughly—and disrupt her entire being? How could she have fallen so hopelessly in love with her in such a short time? But was it really that short? As she’d told Suzanne, from the first day they met, way back in early May, she’d felt something. She had been falling in love with her and she hadn’t even realized it.
Her phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket, smiling. Jordan had perfect timing.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Hi. What are you doing?”
“Leaning on the railing, thinking about you,” she said.
“Oh, yeah? I wish I was there.”
“God, I do too,” she said. “I miss you so much, Jordan.”
There was only a slight pause as Jordan cleared her throat. “All this, Annie…it’s been a mistake. A huge mistake. I’m sorry.”
Annie felt her throat close up. “A mistake? Jordan…no. Please don’t,” she whispered. “I…I need you.”
“Oh, honey, no,” Jordan said hurriedly. “No. Not you. Not us. I meant here…Chicago. It was a mistake to come back.”
Annie sank down into a chair. “Jesus, Jordan, you scared the crap out of me. I thought you meant—”
“I’m sorry. No. What I meant was…well, I miss you too. I’m coming home.”
Annie gasped. “Home? You’re coming home? Seriously?”
“Yes.”
Annie squeezed her eyes shut. “For good?”
“For good.”
Annie let out a relieved laugh. “You’re coming home.”
“You want me to, right?”
“God, yes. But what about your job?”
“I kinda quit.”
“You quit?”
“Yeah. I heard there’s an opening for a manager at Fat Larry’s.”
Annie laughed with delight. “I bet you have a good chance of getting it.” She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “I can’t believe you’re coming back.”
“Happy?”
“So happy. It’s not the same here without you.”
“No?”
“No. Empty.” She paused. “And I missed you so much.”
“Annie…I love you. I want to come back and make a life with you and the baby.”
Tears filled Annie’s eyes as she nodded. “I love you too.”
“Is that a yes?”
Annie smiled through her tears. “Yes. Yes.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Jordan paused at the door to Fat Larry’s. She could have gone in the back, but…well, she wanted to see it, feel it and absorb it. Her store now.
She opened the door, smiling as the bell chimed her arrival. Brandon turned, a grin forming as soon as he saw her.
“Boss? What are you doing here?”
She smiled back at him. “What can I say? I missed you.”
“Missed Annie, more likely,” he said. “She’s been moping around here lovesick since you left.”
She raised an eyebrow. Were they that bad at hiding it?
He laughed. “Oh, come on. We’re not blind.”
“Does Annie know you know?”
He shook his head. “Don’t think so.”
She leaned closer. “Molly knows too?”
“Everyone knows.”
She smiled. “Well, then I won’t pretend that she’s not the reason I came back.” She glanced to the back. “Is she in the office?”
“No. Lunch. Suzanne came by.” He looked at his watch. “Forty-five minutes ago, so she should be back soon.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll go see how messy my office is then.”
He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Glad you’re back. Gonna stay a while?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to stay.”
“Good. Because I didn’t like having to get on Jessica for being late to work.”
Jordan laughed. “You better let her know I’m back then. I’d hate to have to fire her.”
She stopped at the popcorn machine and filled a sack, then grabbed a water bottle before heading into the office. It was neat and tidy, and she sat down, still smiling as she nibbled on popcorn.
Her flight hadn’t been until later, but she’d gotten to the airport early, hoping to fly standby. She lucked out and got on the next plane out. It was a direct flight to Houston and she’d only had to wait a little over an hour before taking a commuter plane to Corpus. She’d left Chicago in a rush and had only briefly spoken with a real estate agent. He’d wanted her to hang around a few more days so they could meet and discuss the condo. No, hanging around wasn’t an option. She’d have to make a trip back to settle things there and to make arrangements for moving her things down here. But that would have to wait. She simply couldn’t stay there another minute.
Really, she didn’t know how much of her stuff she wanted to keep, anyway. Her bed, for sure. She had a couple of pieces of furniture that she wanted to keep too. Her clothes? No. She would have no use for them here.
The back door burst open, and Annie stood there, staring at her, a smile on her face. Then she walked slowly into the office, pausing to close the door and lock it.
“You’re early,” she accused.
Jordan shrugged. “A little.”
“A lot.”
Jordan stood, smiling too. “I got here as fast as I could.”
Annie finally came closer, falling into her arms. They kissed, hard, then softer, slower. Jordan pulled her as close to her body as she could, feeling the baby between them. She closed her eyes as Annie buried her face against her neck.
“I missed you so much,” Annie murmured. “Please don’t leave me again.”
“I won’t. I couldn’t stand being away from you,” she admitted. “I shouldn’t have even tried.”
Annie pulled back, meeting her eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Annie nodded and smiled. “Can we go home?”
“I thought it was your night to close.”
“I’m fairly certain Brandon can be bribed to stay late.”
Jordan kissed her quickly. “He knows about us, by the way.”
Annie tilted her head. “Really? Good. Then I can quit
trying to hide it.”
Jordan kissed her again. “Apparently, you haven’t been doing a very good job of it. Even Molly knows.”
Annie’s expression turned serious. “I’m glad they all know, Jordan. It feels so…so real, so special. I don’t want to hide it. Not from anyone. I hope that’s okay with you.”
Jordan nodded. “Yes. Whatever you’re comfortable with, I’m okay. But your mother may find out,” she warned.
Annie nodded. “And I’m okay with that too. I love you. I don’t care who knows.”
Jordan pulled her into a tight hug, feeling as…well, as happy as she could ever remember. Annie made her feel whole and complete, made her entire existence on this earth meaningful. Finally, she felt at peace…and at home.
“Let’s go home. I kinda missed Pelican’s Landing too.”
Chapter Forty-Four
“It’s a boy!”
Jordan went to her mother and hugged her. “It’s a boy,” she said again. “And he’s beautiful.”
Her mother started crying immediately, like Jordan knew she would. Even though her mother had not voiced her preference, Jordan knew she would be pleased if it was a boy. She glanced over at her father, who was beaming, and she went to hug him too.
“How is Annie?” her mother asked as she wiped at the corner of her eye. “She wasn’t in labor too long. I hope she—”
“She did great,” Jordan said. “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed.” Then she laughed. “And now I know that I don’t ever, ever, want to give birth.”
Her mother laughed. “No, honey, I can’t see you pregnant.”
“Let me get back in there,” she said. “I’ll come get you as soon as Annie is ready for visitors.”
Her mother stopped her. “Jordan…what about Annie’s mother?”
Jordan shrugged. “I called her as soon as we got here.”
Her mother shook her head. “I just don’t understand her. That’s her grandbaby.”
“I know, Mom.”
“I feel so sorry for Annie.”
“Me too. But she has you. That means a lot to her,” Jordan said. “I’ll be right back.”
When she went back into the delivery room, Annie was still holding the baby and a nurse was supporting his head.