“She’s only been gone for six hours, and I’m sick to my stomach,” I blurted. I took a breath and continued, “I’m happy for her, and I think it’s good she’s hearing her boss out, but the thought of her leaving Golden Falls? I can’t… I can’t even begin to think about it. I just got her. I can’t lose her.”
I could handle three days without Juliette if it meant I would get forever with her. It was the other outcome that had my mind spiraling. I had spent all of yesterday and this morning replaying our conversation—or, more so, the things I didn’t say. Telling Juliette I loved her was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t get myself to say it. Not because I didn’t want to. But because I didn’t want to hold her back.
I saw how she’d been struggling, and I knew that would carry into today. I wanted her to have a clear head going into her meeting with Cheryl, because at the end of the day, I wanted what was best for Juliette.
Hal hummed. He gestured for me to pull up one of the nearby chairs. I listened, rolling it over and sitting. I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees.
“Is the issue her leaving Golden Falls or leaving you?”
“Well, leaving me.” I paused. “But… I live here. I’ve grown up here. Lake Ridge…” I trailed off, shaking my head. It didn’t feel right sayingmy whole life was here. Because that wasn’t true. If Juliette wasn’t here, none of that mattered.
Hal watched me come to the realization. “Parts of your life are here, Wes,” he said with a nod. “They always will be. And when you get to be my age, you might think about the bar, and the town you grew up in from time to time, but the one thing that will constantly be on your mind?” With a fond smile, Hal looked over at a photo he had hanging up of Vera, his late wife. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about her. About our time together. About her smile, her laugh. And while I miss her immensely, I have decades of memories with her to look back on. I will always wish we had more time together, but I know, deep in my heart, that we made the most of every moment together.”
“Damn it, Hal,” I said with a chuckle, getting choked up over how fondly Hal spoke about Vera. Vera was loved around Golden Falls. It rocked everyone when she passed away, but especially Hal. They were together for decades.
“I’ve seen the way you look at her, Wes. From the very first moment I saw you two together, I knew she was exactly what you needed. That’s exactly how it was when I saw my Vera. I was lucky that she’d moved to Golden Falls, but we had our own challenges over the years and both made our sacrifices. But we always put each other first, because we knew what we had was once in a lifetime.”
“I think that’s what we could have. I’m in love with her, Hal, and I didn’t get the chance to tell her.”
“Well,” Hal said slowly, eyes twinkling. “You’ll get a chance to tell her when she’s back. You haven’t lost her, Wes. Don’t give up so easily.”
I was about to respond when my phone vibrated in my jean pocket. It was a text from Juliette.
Juliette
Hey! I made it to Chicago. I’m getting ready for my meeting. I thought I’d see my brother tonight, but he has to work late, so I’m going to see him tomorrow. Then make the drive back the next morning.
I miss you.
I quickly typed back a reply.
Me
I miss you, too. Good luck today. You’re going to kick ass.
She immediately sent back three heart emojis.
I stared at the screen, particularly the contact photo I had added for Juliette. It was a photo of her from the Fourth of July in my Lake Ridge cap, her green eyes sparkling and her smile bright. I remembered taking the photo. She was reaching for my phone, laughing how she didn’t want me taking a picture because shedidn’t look good. Yeah, right. She always looked stunning.
My eyes lingered on the Lake Ridge cap. Apart from my family, the bar was one of the main reasons keeping me in Golden Falls. I loved this place—I had big dreams for it—but plans changed. As my mom often reminded us:The only constant thing in life is change.
I tapped my fingers against my jeans, slipping my phone back into my pocket. Hal was right—as always. I couldn’t give up. I had to go big.
“I’m not giving up, Hal,” I assured him. “I have an idea, and I think this just might work.”
The next day, I’d gotten updates here and there from Juliette, but I was itching to talk with her in person once she was back. I was spending the day at Cooper’s house. He lived on the outskirts of town, making for an easier commute to the surrounding state parks. He suggested we play a game of pool, and I appreciated having something to do with my hands and mind. I was feeling better than I had yesterday. Because now I had a plan. After wrapping up my conversation with Hal, I’d spent the rest of the day looking through paperwork and figuring out the best way to put my plan into motion.
“I’d like to sell the bar.” I watched as Cooper missed his shot by a mile, likely caught off guard by my words.
His jaw dropped. “W-what?” he asked. “I think I fucking misheard you. You want tosell the bar? Get to talking, Wes, because I’m not following.”
I focused on lining up my shot. “Juliette gets back from Chicago tomorrow. If the way she feels about me is the same as I feel about her, I want to make this relationship work, but I don’t want her to feel pressure to move here if she doesn’t want to. She has worked so damn hard on building her design portfolio and has talked with such excitement about her career. I know for a fact she has big dreams, and I can’t stand in the way of that.” I made my first shot then moved to line up my second. “Yes, my family is here, but it’s really Lake Ridge that’s tying me down. I can open a bar anywhere, but there’s only one Juliette Campbell.” I set my pool cue down when I missed my third shot.
Cooper shook his head slowly, and I saw something pass over his expression. Something nostalgic.
“I’ll support you no matter what, man.” He lifted his head to look at me. “If this is what feels right… I wouldn’t want you to live with the type of regret that comes with not following her. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.”
Cooper sounded like he was speaking from experience, but I couldn’t remember him being in a relationship with someone who would leave that kind of impact. I remember him being out of it when Jade left after her college graduation, but…no—there was no way. Shaking the thoughts out of my mind, I said, “A woman like that is one in a million. I’m not missing my chance.”
