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toward a cupboard at the other side of
the room. I rummaged on the top shelf until my hand felt what I was looking
for, and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet on the other side of the cupboard
before making my way back to the counter.
    I caught him looking at me when I turned, though he didn’t
even try to make his stare inconspicuous. He wasn’t looking at my face this
time, and for the second time that night, I was reminded that I was wearing a
tighter skirt than I normally did. But this time, strangely enough, I wasn’t
upset. I was flattered. He noticed me, enough to come back here, though I had
no idea why.
    When I got back to the counter, I poured the bourbon from the
bottle into each of the glasses.
    “Am I allowed to stop?” he asked me seriously as I handed him
a glass with the amber-colored liquid in it.
    I allowed myself to smile again at that one, then took a sip
from my own glass and nodded. “Sorry, it isn’t the best bourbon in the world. I
usually just use it for baking, when I need it.”
    We stayed quiet for a few more moments, both taking in the
strong flavor of the bourbon and watching each other carefully.
    Finally, I put my glass down and leaned against the counter.
“Really, Jackson, what are you doing here?” I asked, not entirely sure if I
actually wanted to hear the answer.
    He took a long step toward me, taking a draw from his
bourbon. “I just wanted to see you again.”
    I tipped my head to one side, trying to understand. “But,
why?” I couldn’t hold it back this time. I needed to know.
    If he was nervous, like I was, he didn’t show it. His look
was assertive, but in no way arrogant. He looked like he knew what he wanted,
and from the way his eyes bore into my own, I was the one that he wanted.
    “I wanted to see you again from the moment you left on
Saturday, and from the second we had to say good-bye on Monday. I hoped,
desperately, that you would call, but you never did. You’re just so . . .” he
said, apparently trying to find the words. “You’re just so beautiful and introspective
and confident, but so sad. I saw it as soon as I saw you. But you can’t see it,
or believe it. You’re so unsure of yourself, but you have a confidence that
I’ve never seen before. It’s fascinating and heartbreaking, all at the same
time. I just wanted to see you again. I want to see if you were the same.”
    I felt a ghost of a smile make its way across my face, though
I knew my eyes were sad. It was impossible to act in front of him. I avoided
looking in his direction and instead focused my gaze on the rack of aprons
behind him. It wasn’t until then that I realized I had never put on an apron
that night. I looked down at my skirt and sighed, the dark fabric covered in
blotches of white. It was a new skirt too.
    “You could have picked a better night to surprise me. I’m not
really in the mood to deal with anyone else tonight,” I said finally, too tired
to fight what he had just confessed.
    “I’m sure I could have. I noticed from the second I walked in
here that something was wrong. But I couldn’t stay away, Mellie.”
    My heart felt so full at what he just said. Collin hadn’t
really broken it earlier that night; it wasn’t his to break. But with Jackson,
I felt that small muscle contract and expand in a way that I just didn’t think
possible. I’d never given myself the opportunity to believe in chemistry or
attraction or lust, or whatever this was. It was too impractical, but here I
was. Jackson was standing in front of me, and I felt the pull, like nothing I’d
ever felt before. I always thought that if I ever did feel anything like it, I
could resist. I could ignore those feelings in my heart and my head, because
they didn’t really mean anything. But this, this was different. This didn’t
feel like what I thought it would, and I knew, right then, that I didn’t have
the strength to ignore it.
    I saw the step stool, still next to Jackson, at his feet.
Before