Faking It with my Billionaire Grump

24. Jake

24

Jake

After Tilly left yesterday evening, I sat on the porch for a long time. Her farewell had been brief, though she hugged me goodbye and thanked me for everything. It was hard not to pull her in closer, but after our conversation, I figured it was best to let her go. Once she jumped into her dad’s truck, she gave me a final glance, a sad smile on her lips, and then I watched the dust plume form as she headed up the track to the main road.

Had I done the right thing? She had been so hard to read. Not like years ago, when I knew exactly what she was thinking. But if she wanted to stay, or more to the point, if she wanted to stay with me, surely she would have made that clear.

Joey called about an hour after that. He and the guys were at the bar playing pool. He wanted to know if my fake wife would let me come and join them.

“I’m not really in the mood, Joey. I think I’ll skip it tonight.” Even my tone was somber, which was likely the reason why Joey went silent on the other end of the line.

“What’s going on?” he said after a few seconds had passed.

I didn’t really want to get into it with him, but he was going to hear the news sooner or later. Nothing is secret in this town for more than a day.

“Tilly’s going back to the city.”

“What? Why?”

I could hear Phil and Chris in the background, mumbling to find out what was going on.

“Bryan’s left town and headed back to the city. I suppose I should be happy that our ruse worked. Besides, she got offered a big promotion, so she’s going back for that.”

“What?” Joey exclaimed, clearly surprised by my words.

“Listen. You guys have a good night. Everything’s fine.”

Half an hour later, a truck headed down the track, and Joey, Chris, and Phil piled out, each carrying six packs of beer.

“I hope one of you isn’t drinking,” I piped up.

Chris raised his hand. “That would be me.”

“Good.”

While at first, the guys were understanding and sympathetic, it soon became clear that they thought I was out of my mind and had no reservations about telling me so.

“You’re an idiot, Jake,” Phil said.

“What?” I balked.

“Don’t you get it?” he continued.

I looked at him and shrugged. “Get what? You’re going to have to be a little bit more specific.”

“You know, for a smart guy, you can be really dumb sometimes,” Chris jumped in.

“Thanks, guys,” I replied sarcastically. “Your moral support is making me feel so much better.”

Phil rolled his eyes and shook his head. “She was waiting for you to tell her to stay, you idiot.”

But I wasn’t buying that. “Nah. Tilly’s pretty upfront. Why would she hold back on something so important?”

Joey shrugged. “Maybe because you never actually told her how you feel. That you’re still in love with her after all this time.”

I looked at Joey, and then my eyes moved to Phil and Chris. All three of them were nodding at me. Was I still in love with her? Of course I was. I’ve known it for more than a week, even if I haven’t admitted it to myself.

“But she looked happy about her promotion,” I argued. “She looked like she was ready to get back in there. I couldn’t tell her.”

“Why not?” Joey pressed.

“Because I didn’t want her to stay just for me. We had a long talk the night of the hoedown. We cleared a lot of stuff up, and one of the things she specifically said was that the reason she hadn’t told me how she felt all those years ago was because she knew I would convince her to stay.”

Chris shook his head. “That was then, man. This is not the same.”

While the guys spent another hour trying to convince me otherwise, I still struggled to believe their conclusions. In the end, the subject changed naturally, and an hour later, they all headed home.

Last night was the worst night’s sleep I’ve had in years, and this morning, I woke up feeling like I haven’t slept at all. Maybe it’s all the doubt my closest friends and brother have left kicking around my head.

I head downstairs, and the place feels weird. She was only actually living here for a few days, but for the last few weeks, Tilly’s presence put some life back into this old house. I miss her soft scent, her giggly laugh, and her quick wit. But she’s gone now, and I’m going to have to get used to things going back to the way they were.

Chris’s words ring in my ear.

That was then, man. This is not the same.

I think about that for a while, and then I shake my head. Of course it’s the same. She came to me this time because she trusted me. If I’d told her how I felt, I would’ve abused that trust, wouldn’t I? My words would have swayed her or put doubt in her head. She left because she wanted to. Just like last time.

“Come on, Elsa,” I say, heading to the truck.

I’m nearly out of coffee, and the idea of waking up tomorrow morning without any doesn’t bear thinking about. Besides, I need to get out of the house for a while. Maybe the drive will do me some good.

At the store, Mrs. Windrow beams a huge smile at me from behind the counter. “Hello, Jake. And how’s our Tilly?”

“Oh, you know,” I say vaguely, hurrying past the older woman without actually engaging in conversation.

I’m going to have to tell everyone she’s gone sooner or later. It’s going to hurt a lot. There’ll be questions, no doubt. Questions I don’t want to answer. But the quicker the news spreads, the quicker I can get back to my life.

Oh, yeah. That wonderful, simple life you love so much.

I ignore the sarcasm of my conscience and head down the aisle where I know I’ll find the coffee.

“Jake?”

When I turn, I see Mel pushing her cart in my direction. Thomas is sitting in it, chewing on a soft toy.

“Hey,” I say before smiling down at the small human.

Mel’s looking at me strangely.

“What?” I say, shrugging at her weird expression.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?”

Really? Now?

I suck in a lungful of air and blow out a long breath. “Tell her what?”

“That you’re in love with her?” Mel says plainly.

“Why does everyone keep on saying that?” I hiss, finding it difficult to bite back my frustration.

Mel tilts her head and looks at me with a sad, sympathetic smile. “Because it’s true, honey. Everyone knows it but you.”

“I do know it.” The words blurt out of my mouth too fast; I have to stop myself from saying any more.

Mel’s eyebrows lift, and my shoulders slump in defeat. I’ve been bottling these feelings up for so long; I suppose they were going to leak out of me at some point. An aisle in a small-town store was not the place I imagined it would happen, though.

“She told you she was leaving yesterday, right?” Mel goes on.

“Sure. Some big promotion back in the city. She wanted to get back there.”

Mel shakes her head. “No, Jake. She didn’t. She came to see you to see if you would ask her to stay.”

I gawk at her. “How can you know that?”

She smiles. “Because she came to see me first.”

And in that second, I know it’s the truth. I think I knew it was the truth when the guys said it last night, but now, I know for sure. And like an idiot, I’ve let her go again.

I can’t lose Tilly a second time. I just can’t.

I glance at my watch. It’s 9:24. “Do you know what time her flight is?”

Mel smiles knowingly. “11:30.”

“I gotta go,” I blurt, spinning on my heels and ignoring Mrs. Windrow’s bewildered expression as I hoof it out to the parking lot.

I probably break every traffic law known to man, but I don’t care. Stopping Tilly from getting on that plane is worth getting a ticket over. I have to catch her. I just have to.

When I park the truck, I turn to Elsa. “Stay, girl. I’ll be right back.”

And then I run.

I’ll admit, cowboy boots are not the ideal running shoe, but they don’t slow me down. I dash through the bustling airport, searching the area for any sign of Tilly. Would she have gone through security yet? Would she have stopped for a coffee? Maybe she’s in the bathroom.

I have no idea. All I know is that I have to find her. With my head spinning left and right, I weave through the throngs of travelers, my eyes scanning in every direction, desperate for any sign of her. But she’s nowhere to be found.

I now have a choice. I don’t have a ticket, and without one, I can’t get through security. Well, not legally anyway. I glance at my watch again. 11:05. She’s on the other side of all those X-ray machines. She has to be. In fact, she’s probably readying to board right now.

Do it!

Picking the one with the least amount of people, I launch myself past the line, through the scanner, which screams at me as I go, and fly by the astonished security personnel.

“Hey!” a big guy bellows at me.

But I can’t stop now. I have to find her. I’m trying to run and scan the flight boards at the same time. It’s not working, and stopping for no more than a couple of seconds, I see the gate her plane is flying out of.

Behind me, three guys are heading my way, but I’m not waiting on them. I need to see Tilly, and I need to see her now.

My long legs thump down the concourse, and as I fly around the corner, I see her gate. And then, I see her.

“Tilly,” I yell.

She spins around, and her jaw drops at the sight of me. Or maybe it’s the security guys behind that are still chasing me. With a final burst of adrenaline, I sprint toward her. She’s still standing there, her mouth as wide as her eyes. The flight attendant has the same dumbfounded look on her face.

“Jake,” Tilly gasps.

When I finally reach her, I grab her hand. “I love you,” I blurt.

A few seconds later, I’m tackled to the ground and kissing the tiles on the concourse floor.