[Complete] [18+]
In the picturesque lakeside town, the calm waters mask the storm within Juniper Jenkins' heart. Betrayed and broken by her cheating boyfriend, she flees to the sanctuary of her friend's lakeside house, to work remotely for the summe...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Wells Hansen,
We at The New York Times are impressed with your candidacy for the journalist position. We'd love to proceed with a second in-person interview. Could you please provide your availability for the upcoming weeks?
Best,
Anna Jacobson The New York Times
"What are you looking at?" Nora's voice startles me from behind, and I slam my laptop closed.
"Shit, Nora," I reply quickly, shaking my head as I glance over at her. "Are you always looking over my shoulder?"
She squints at me, giving me a discerning look. "You're not really thinking about going back to New York, are you?"
I reopen my laptop, offering a nonchalant shrug. The plan was always to return to New York. I came back to Seattle to help my mom with my dad until he recovered. But, when they informed us that his cancer had spread, I made the decision to stay until things changed, got better. But they never did. That was four years ago.
"Wells," she says, and I lift my gaze up to her. "You can't go back. Things are different now. You have a job you like. You've built a life here."
I study her as she busily wipes down the espresso machine. "Why does it matter to you? I hardly see you eight months out of the year. Only ever when I come to help you for the summers and holidays."
She pauses, locking her brown eyes with mine. "Well, what do you have in New York anyway?" Her tone sharpens as she wipes the steam arm more aggressively. "It's not like you have a fiancé waiting for you there," she mumbles quietly.
I shoot her a sidelong glance. "That's nice of you."
"Sorry. You know what I mean," she says, pausing. "There's nothing there for you anymore."
I exhale, fully turning towards her. "Nora, it was always the plan to go back to New York. You know this."
"Whatever," She sighs, tossing the rag on the counter. Her gaze drifts through the coffee shop window, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. I refocus on my computer screen. "How much longer do you think she's going to pace back and forth before she comes in?"
"What?" I respond, confused.
"Juniper," she says, and it feels like my body heats up by about ten degrees. I snap my head up at Nora. "She's been pacing back and forth for the last twenty minutes, like she's pumping herself up to come inside."
I quickly turn my head towards the window. Juniper's on the other side of the street, alternating between walking in one direction and then turning to walk the other.
It's been almost two days since the rodeo, since the kiss. After we went back in, her friends whisked her away without even really seeing me. She glanced back at me before disappearing into the crowd with them, and since then, I haven't seen or heard from her. I've thought about texting or calling, but I don't know. I'm not sure how this works.
