Scattered Seeds

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“Sorry to interrupt,” Luke said to the costume fitter.

The portly young man with thick, black-rimmed glasses ignored him and continued to tug and pin the material around the leading actor’s lithe frame. Luke set his jaw, and then elbowed past him without a second apology.

“Tom’s been waiting for this,” Luke told the fitter with a hard glare.

He looked over to see his friend’s brow raise and his eyes go wide with hope.

“Is it…?” Tom breathed.

Luke nodded with a large grin, and then handed Tom his cell phone.

“Hello?” Tom spoke into the receiver.

He was on edge all morning, anxious for Jess to return his call. Now that he knew she was on the other end of the line, Tom’s muscles tightened all the more.

He almost didn’t want to know if she’d made her decision yet….

“Hey there,” Jess greeted.

Tom relaxed at the sound of her smooth voice and its endearing drawl. A part of him felt as if he’d come home again just from hearing her.

“Oh, Darling,” Tom released as he stepped away from the three-way mirror.

The costume fitter frowned and was about to demand that they continue to work, but another dirty look from Luke kept him quiet.

“Where were you last night?” Tom questioned. “I was worried when you didn’t pick up. I miss you so much, Jess.”

Jess smiled into the phone at the apparent concern in Tom’s voice.

He missed her….

“It’s weird being here without you,” Jess confessed.

Tom tensed again.

Did that mean she wasn’t going to remain in London?

Before he could ask, Jess went on to explain that she spent some time with Gail after he’d left. She told him that they had a good chat, and that Harry’s wife helped put some things into perspective for her.

“I’ve made up my mind about a few things,” Jess said.

Tom took in one final gulp of air as he teetered on the edge of his future.

He’d already decided that if Jess returned to America he was going to mandate a hiatus and go after her. But Tom wanted Jess to stay, to wait for him.

“And…?” he choked out.

There was silence on the other end, and Tom thought he might jump out of his skin if Jess didn’t answer him soon.

“I called Pauline this morning and accepted the position with UNICEF,” Jess announced in a rush.

Tom exhaled into the receiver, and the sound of his heavy pant sparked a longing fever in Jess.

“But,” she added, after clearing her mind of risqué images of them entwined between bedsheets. “I want things to remain open between us, Tom.”

He didn’t quite understand what Jess was saying, but the beaming smile Tom displayed from knowing that she was staying in London was bright enough to cast away all concerns.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to me, Tom,” Jess told him. “I don’t want to hold you back. Do what you need to do in Madrid. Please don’t miss out on anything on my account.”

Tom still had no idea what experiences Jess could be alluding to, but at the moment he did not care.

She was staying.