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  “I had the prettiest zinnias all summer long. They went to town when they were where they belonged.”

  She got the analogy, but it hurt. Merrilee, of all people… “And you think I don’t belong here.”

  “Honey, I love you as if you were my own. You’re like the daughter I was never blessed with and I wanted you to thrive here, but you were a forced transplant and you’ve survived but it’s the wrong conditions for you. Nick knew it from the beginning. I want you to thrive, Gus. I want to see you bloom and grow to your fullest potential. Troy uprooted you, now it’s up to you to transplant yourself back where you belong.”

  “It’s not just that, Merrilee. The whole thing with Nick… How can I trust it? How can I really feel this way about a man I’ve known for just a little more than a week?”

  “I fell in love with Bull the minute I saw him. Then I spent the next twenty-five years waiting for him to prove he wasn’t the man I thought he was. He is. Take it from an old woman, good men are hard to find in this world and when you find one, honey, you better hang on to him. Nick’s a good man.”

  She wanted to trust it but she couldn’t. She’d already made one huge, life-altering mistake. “But I thought Troy was a good man, too. And look what happened there.”

  “Did you really? Or were you a little blindsided by the fact that he was a Wenham? And weren’t you lonely still with no family and missing your mama? You aren’t in the same place emotionally now that you were then, Gus. You’ve had some hard seasoning. You’re wiser, more discerning, and you have a whole bunch of people who care for you. Trust yourself.”

  “Merrilee, it’s been sort of crazy and I’ve been distracted but I never did ask you, why’d you finally decide to marry Bull? What changed your mind?”

  “I figured out I was still letting Tad Weatherspoon yank my strings and control me.”

  Gus didn’t get it. “But—”

  “Because Tad left me with such a sour taste in my mouth on marriage, I wouldn’t marry Bull. I decided I wasn’t letting that man drive any more of my decisions.”

  Nodding slowly, Gus said, thinking aloud as much as anything, “Troy drove me here and I’m still letting him keep me here. This isn’t just about Nick, it’s about me. I can’t be part of his life until I’ve worked out who I am and where I belong.”

  “That’s why he wouldn’t move here. Not because he doesn’t love you and not because he’s being selfish about his family and his job. If he moved here, he’d just be enabling you to continue to cripple yourself.”

  “How’d you get so smart?”

  “It’s the same school you’re attending, honey, the school of life and hard knocks.”

  IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON on New Year’s Eve, Nick paced the limited space in his apartment one more time, wishing he’d just stayed in Good Riddance through the end of the year. Maybe if he had and they’d started the new year together, that would have sent Gus a message. Maybe if he’d stayed a little longer she’d have gotten past those fears that held her back.

  Hell, he’d even thought about hauling his butt back across the continent to show up for the occasion. He’d checked the flights and been one click away, but then he’d reconsidered. She needed space and time. He couldn’t force her, he couldn’t rush her, and he sure as hell didn’t want her to think she had another stalker on her hands.

  He’d plopped onto the couch and reached for his laptop when there was a knock on his door. No one ever dropped by his apartment but his younger sister Lisa had said earlier she might stop by. Why she needed to come by when he’d see her tonight at Mom and Pop’s was beyond him, but whatever.

  He hauled himself off the couch, threw the locks on the door and flung it open. No Lisa. Gus. “Gus?”

  “Hi.” Her smile was tentative, as if unsure of her reception. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by. The office said you were working from home today.” He was still dumbstruck. “Um, do you think I could come in?”

  “Of course.” Did this mean what he hoped it meant? “I’m just…yeah, come on in.” He stepped aside. And then he saw it. The ring. She was wearing his ring on her right hand. He wasn’t sure exactly what the hell was going on, but they were going to be okay because Gus was wearing his ring.

  She twisted the ring on her finger. “I figured some stuff out. One biggie was that I do love you.”

  That was it. That was all he needed to hear. He scooped her into his arms and kissed her, welcoming her home, welcoming her into his life.

  “What else did you figure out?” he asked when he finally came up for air.

  Smiling, her arms linked around his neck, she said, “I want us to take it slow.”

  “Not twenty-five years slow?” He grinned.

  “A little faster than that, but I don’t want us to rush into anything.”

  Nick led her to the couch and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. He traced the curve of her cheek with his finger. “I told you before. I’ll wait for you because you’re worth the wait.”

  Her eyes echoed her earlier declaration of love. “I’m going to look for an apartment here in New York.” He didn’t offer for her to move in with him. She had this figured out and she had to move forward on her own terms. “Mavis and Lucky are going to run Gus’s with the understanding that it may be Lucky’s at the end of a year. In that year, I’ll continue to have a share of the profits, which will mean some income while I look at putting my own place together here. And I always have the option of going back to Good Riddance in the meantime.”

  “A safety net? An escape valve?” It wasn’t a criticism. Given her past, he totally understood her need, her rationale.

  “Exactly. It was my escape once before.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  She laughed. “A whole bunch of stuff about seasons and plants and everybody and their brother all but pushing me out the door. But ultimately it was me figuring out that I no longer belonged there. It just took me a little longer to see what everyone else did.”

  “I’m glad you did. It’s an understatement to say how glad I am that you’re here. I can’t tell you how many times I thought about going back to bring in the new year and hopefully a new start with you.”

  She shook her head and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I had to do this on my own.”

  “I know. That’s why I’m still here.” He grinned evilly. “You know you have to go with me to my parents’ tonight and meet everyone.”

  “How will they feel about a stranger coming in to a family gathering?”

  “You’re not a stranger. They’ve heard all about you. They already love you.”

  Her shy, sweet smile tugged at his heart. She shifted on his lap, linking her arms around his neck. Nuzzling his collarbone, she said, “What time do we need to head over there?”

  “Hours yet,” he said, following her train of thought. “Can you think of anything to do in the meantime? We could go shopping for another ring.”

  She looked at him askance. “Are you kidding? This ring has a great story and history behind it.” She smiled. “I’m never giving it up, just like I’m never giving you up.”

  He grinned, happy that she liked the story that would become their story. “In that case, I’ve got an idea or two. I was thinking we could maybe go swimming together.”

  “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather go swimming with,” she said, sealing it with a kiss.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-7582-3

  NORTHERN ESCAPE

  Copyright © 2010 by Jennifer LaBrecque

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