Love Finds You in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

by Annalisa Daughety

  “That’s awesome.” And he meant it. He’d always thought Jenny could go far. Maybe someday she’d be doing the marketing for a huge company. Or even a political figure, depending on where she ended up. “I think you can do whatever you put your mind to.” He grinned. “You know I’ve always been a big proponent of following your dreams.”

  She chuckled. “I remember.” Her eyes went to the paperwork on his desk. “Wow. Speaking of following your dreams. Is that an offer letter from the Washington Daily Journal?” she hissed.

  “Shh.” He put his finger to his lips. “It isn’t a big deal. At all.”

  She raised her brows. “Not a big deal? Isn’t that where you always said you wanted to end up?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. But that was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then.”

  “Like her?” She fingered the picture of Michael and Caroline taped to his computer screen.

  “Caroline isn’t the only reason I’m turning it down. I mean, I just got back here. It’s been nice to be reunited with my family.” He waved an arm around. “And I like it here.”

  She stood, still shaking her head. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to turn down this opportunity.” She paused at the entrance of the cubicle. “Because I guarantee that someday you’re going to wake up and regret it.”

  Jenny walked off without another word.

  Michael’s gaze landed on the Daily Journal paperwork, Jenny’s words ringing in his ears.

  A petite woman burst into the bookstore just before closing, a determined look on her face.

  Caroline looked up from where she was sweeping behind the counter. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, leaning the broom against the wall.

  “You sure can.” The woman glared at Caroline. “I came to see you.”

  “I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Caroline asked.

  The woman stuck out her hand. “I’m Jenny. Michael’s ex.”

  Caroline shook Jenny’s icy hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Jenny jerked her head toward the tables in the coffee bar. “Mind if we have a chat?”

  Caroline followed Jenny to one of the tables. Michael had mentioned Jenny a few times in passing but had given no indication that she might ever want to visit the bookstore. “What can I do for you?”

  Jenny primly crossed her legs and regarded Caroline coolly. “It’s what you can do for Michael that I’m here to talk about.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “I know who you are.”

  Caroline wrinkled her forehead. “I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

  Jenny gave her a sinister grin. “Look. Most of the people you’ve been in contact with are either dairy farmers or Amish. They aren’t exactly up on their pop culture. But I have been a People subscriber since I was in high school. As soon as I saw pictures of you with Michael, I put two and two together.” She chuckled. “I mean, Caroline from Georgia who happens to arrive in town soon after Lance DeMarco’s death? It didn’t take a rocket scientist.” She smirked. “A couple of phone calls to a friend of mine at the DMV, and my suspicions were confirmed.”

  Caroline swallowed. “What do you want?” She tried to keep her face a mask of calm but knew her trembling voice gave her away.

  “I get that your privacy is important to you. Sorry about your husband, by the way. Truly tragic.” Jenny shook her head. “I’m sure you’d have a lot of chaos on your hands if the media found out where you are. They’d make your life miserable.”

  Caroline locked eyes with Jenny. “Okay. So I get that you want something in exchange for keeping quiet. What is it?” She had a sinking suspicion that she knew what the answer would be.

  “I’m not trying to be mean or unreasonable.” Jenny twirled a lock of hair. “But I’ve known Michael a lot longer than you have. Since we were kids, in fact.” She smiled. “I’ve loved him since fourth-grade science class when he kicked Billy Parker for chasing me with a big toad frog.” She leveled her gaze at Caroline. “And Michael’s biggest dream has always been to work for a big publication like the Daily Journal. When we were in college, he tried to get an internship there and didn’t get it. Ever since then, that’s been like the brass ring for him.”

  Caroline crossed her arms. “I didn’t ask him to turn the job down.” It was true. If he’d told her he was going to accept the position, she would’ve dealt with it. Maybe not very well, but she would have.

  “No, I’m sure you didn’t. But I’ll bet you didn’t encourage him to take it, either.”

  Jenny might have a point there. “He’s happy here.”

  “Do you want him to wake up one day with regret? And resent that you were the reason he didn’t follow his dream?” Jenny widened her eyes in question. “If you really care about him, don’t you think the thing to do is to encourage him to go after it?”

  Caroline chewed on her lip. She wanted to hate this woman…but it almost seemed as if her concern for Michael was coming from an honest place. “I really care about him. And he cares about me.”

  Jenny’s eyes flashed. “If that’s the truth, your relationship should be able to withstand him taking his dream job. You’ve followed your dreams. Why shouldn’t he get that same chance?”

  Caroline swallowed hard. Had she been selfish by allowing Michael to wave away the job offer like it was nothing? She’d been on the opposite end of that kind of behavior before and had always vowed that she would never act that way. She couldn’t help but remember all the times Lance had expected her to sacrifice her own happiness for him. Was that what she was doing to Michael? “What do you want from me?” she asked.

  “It’s simple, really. I’ll keep your secret. No one else needs to know who you really are.” Jenny’s lips formed a thin line. “But in exchange, you need to convince Michael to take the job.” She shrugged. “If your relationship is strong, it shouldn’t matter if it has to be long-distance for a while.” Jenny rose. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. DeMarco. I trust that you’ll do the right thing here.”

  Caroline sat in shock.

  Even though Jenny had basically blackmailed her, Caroline couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. If the Daily Journal had always been Michael’s brass ring, should he let a new relationship keep him from reaching for it? She’d have a hard time living with herself, knowing that she’d kept him from true happiness.

  Caroline knew something about dashed dreams. They always came back to haunt a person. And she didn’t want that for Michael.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Caroline pulled into the long driveway that led to the Landis farmhouse. She’d spent the afternoon thinking about her visit with Jenny and fighting the urge to call Michael straightaway and tell him what happened.

  Except that the more she thought about it, the more she realized Jenny had a point. It wasn’t just that Caroline wanted to retain her privacy. That was important, yes.

  But it wasn’t as important as Michael taking the opportunity he’d been given. She knew how hard it had been for Michael to come back to Lancaster County in the first place. When he’d accepted the job at the magazine, he’d told her it was temporary, until something came open more along the lines of what he was really looking for.

  Like a position at the Washington Daily Journal.

  She sat in her SUV and prayed that the Lord would give her the right words.

  A tap on her window startled her.

  Phillip peered into the vehicle, a grin on his face.

  “Hey there,” she said, opening the door. “I’m looking for Michael. He isn’t expecting me.”

  He motioned toward the barn. “He’s out there talking to Simon.”

  She hoped he was talking some sense into his friend. When she’d asked Michael earlier in the week what Simon was thinking, he’d been evasive. “Maybe there are things going on that we don’t know about,” he’d said. Except she got the distinct impression that he knew exactly what the deal was and
just didn’t want to tell her.

  And watching Lydia Ann’s pain made it difficult to give Simon the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t get it. She knew he cared for Lydia Ann. It was plain to see whenever they were together. Something must’ve made him afraid.

  Caroline hurried into the barn.

  Michael and Simon were locked in a conversation. It looked so serious, she hated to interrupt. But she was there on a serious mission too.

  Simon looked up. “Caroline,” he said. “How is Lydia Ann doing?”

  She glowered. “She’s been better. But she’ll be fine.”

  The pain on his face was so obvious, she almost felt bad. Almost.

  “Please give her my regards,” he said. He nodded at Michael. “I’ll just leave the two of you alone.” Simon cast a pleading glance at Caroline as he left.

  Once she and Michael were alone, she shook her head. “I still don’t get it. He’s crazy about her.”

  “Sometimes things are more complicated than they seem.”

  Wasn’t that the truth? She’d been trying to figure out what to say to Michael all afternoon, ever since Jenny had effectively made her case.

  “What’s up?” Michael asked. “I didn’t expect to see you until later tonight.”

  They were supposed to catch a movie together, but Caroline didn’t feel much like it. “I thought you might like to go out to one of the bridges. Maybe the one with the little park next to it.”

  He grinned. “Sure.” He jerked his head toward the farmhouse. “Let me just change out of my work clothes, though.”

  She nodded. “I should’ve called.”

  Michael pulled her to him and kissed her on the forehead. “Nope. I like the spontaneity.” He grabbed her hand. “You can wait downstairs while I change.”

  They walked into the sunny kitchen.

  “Caroline,” Mrs. Landis exclaimed. “Are you planning on staying for dinner?” She grinned.

  “I’ll be right back,” Michael whispered, racing toward the stairs.

  “No. We’re going for a drive. I think we’ll probably just grab some dinner while we’re out.”

  “Some other time, then.” Mrs. Landis patted her on the back. “We’ve missed you around here. I keep meaning to get over to the bookstore to visit, but things have been so busy.”

  “That’s fine.” Caroline smiled.

  “We’ve been booked solid for the past couple of weeks. And it isn’t slowing down anytime soon. People are trying to cram in last-minute vacations before school starts.”

  Caroline nodded. “I can’t believe it’s almost August.” Time had flown so quickly since she first arrived in Lancaster County.

  “I know, dear. But I think you’ll enjoy fall here. The leaves are beautiful, and the weather is perfect.” Mrs. Landis peered at her. “You are planning to stay, aren’t you?”

  Caroline bit her lip. If only she knew for sure what her plans were. “Probably.”

  “You ready?” Michael asked, coming into the room. He’d changed into khaki shorts and a faded green T-shirt that advertised a long-ago 5K.

  “Let’s go.” Caroline smiled at Mrs. Landis. “See you later.”

  Michael pressed a quick kiss to Mrs. Landis’s cheek on the way out the door.

  “You want me to drive?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Twenty minutes later, Michael pulled into a parking space. He glanced over at her. “I don’t think you’ve heard a word I said since we left. Is everything okay?”

  She opened the car door. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  He furrowed his brow but didn’t respond.

  They walked hand in hand toward the bridge.

  “Have you talked to the man at the DC news outlet?” Caroline finally asked.

  Michael stopped walking. “No. He said he’d give me a few days and then call to discuss it.” He glanced down at her. “Why?”

  She sighed. “I’ve been thinking.” Her heart pounded. What if this was a huge mistake? “I think you should accept the offer.”

  He drew back as if he’d been slapped. “What?”

  “I think you should accept it.” She shook her head. “Michael, I know that you want more than to work for a tourist magazine. You’ve always wanted to cover stories that matter. And this is an amazing opportunity to do that.”

  “I’m not sure where this is coming from,” he said. “Are you having second thoughts about us?”

  She bit her lip. “No. I’m not. But I am having second thoughts about your staying in Lancaster County and ending up bitter and resentful that you let your dream pass you by.”

  He reached out and stroked her cheek. “What if you’re my dream?”

  She grabbed his hand. “It doesn’t work like that. We both know that my future here is uncertain. I’m just renting the store. I have a house back in Atlanta. And a foundation to manage.” She shrugged. “I guess I just realized that if you stay here, I’m going to feel obligated to stay here too.” She hated herself for saying it. But she knew that he wouldn’t choose the job unless she gave him a reason to. So she’d have to convince him that her feelings weren’t as strong as they really were. Sometimes love meant making sacrifices. And in this case, she was willing to sacrifice her happiness if it meant Michael reached his dreams.

  “But what about us?”

  “We can have a long-distance relationship. I’ll come visit you in DC. You can come visit me—either here or in Atlanta.” She shrugged. “There is no reason for you to give up your dream on the off chance that I decide to stay here.”

  His jaw hardened. “So what you’re saying is that you don’t know if there really is a future for us. Is that what I’m understanding?”

  She knew it was for his own good. He deserved a shot at his dreams. A shot at the career he’d wanted for so long. And he couldn’t have it as long as he hung around Lancaster County with her. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  His long silence killed her. “Let’s go.” He motioned at the bridge where they’d shared their first kiss. “I don’t want to be here any longer.”

  She walked next to him back to the car. For the first time in weeks, they didn’t hold hands. Just walked side by side like two strangers hurrying down a sidewalk.

  Unconnected.

  Jenny would keep her identity a secret. And Michael would have his chance at a dream career.

  She hoped she’d made the right decision.

  Michael hadn’t been able to sleep all night. Caroline’s revelation had taken him by surprise. In fact, this morning he’d almost convinced himself it had been a bad dream.

  Almost.

  When he got to the office, he numbly poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk. He opened the top drawer, and Mr. Blaze’s offer letter stared back at him.

  Michael put his head in his hands and said a silent prayer that God would show him the way.

  “You busy?” Jenny asked behind him.

  He turned to face her.

  “It looks like somebody didn’t get much sleep last night.” She smiled and sat down in the guest chair. “Want to talk about it?”

  Michael shook his head. “No,” he grunted.

  “Come on. What are friends for?”

  He motioned at the offer letter in front of him. “I guess I’m rethinking this job offer.”

  Jenny’s face brightened. “No kidding? Do you want to hear an amazing coincidence?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What’s that?”

  “I’m on the verge of accepting a job in DC too.” She pulled her chair next to his. “Wouldn’t it be great if we were both in DC?”

  Michael rubbed his temples. “Congratulations on your job offer. But I’m not at all sure I want to go back to DC.”

  Jenny drew back in surprise. “Don’t be stupid, Michael. This is your dream. It’s always been your dream.”

  He shook his head. “It was my dream. But things have changed.”

  She narrowe
d her eyes. “You’re just confused right now. I’m sure it has to do with Caroline.” She gazed at him. “Doesn’t it?”

  Michael raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Jenny put her hand on his arm. “Michael, she isn’t worth it. You deserve to follow your dream and take this job.” She smiled. “And this time, I’ll be there. You and I can have another chance.”

  He pulled his arm away. “Jenny, I’m happy to be your friend, but you and I aren’t going to get back together. Even if we both end up in DC at the same time.”

  She wrinkled her forehead. “But, Michael, don’t you see? This time it will be different. All the things that didn’t work out between us before will work out now.”

  He shook his head. “We’re still the same people. The same incompatible people. That hasn’t changed.” He leveled his gaze on her. “But I have. Maybe my dream was that I wanted to be a hot-shot journalist who was in the know on the political scene. But not anymore.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t mean that. You can’t possibly think that you’ll be happy here.” She motioned around the cubicle.

  “I do. Now what I want more than anything is to be close to my family. To spend my life with the woman I love. And to serve the God who blesses me every day.” He shrugged. “When I first came back, I thought it meant I was a failure. But now I realize what a blessing it was that I had a place to come back to. I’ve finally learned that life is more than a job title.” He picked up Mr. Blaze’s offer letter and ripped it in two. “And that is why I’m turning down the offer.”

  Jenny’s eyes flashed. She stood and put her hands on her hips. “You’re going to regret this decision. And so is your precious Caroline.” She stormed off.

  Michael tossed the ripped pages into the trash without giving Jenny another thought. The only thing he cared about now was Caroline. He had to make her see that what he wanted, what he needed, what he dreamed about—was right here in Lancaster County.