She shook her head, wondering what on earth he could possibly be talking about.
“Everything you said about the radio ad,” he told her. “You changed my perspective. And it’s not just about doing voiceovers. It’s about how to look at it. And it’s about how to feel more like I’m part of this place again.”
He sat down across from her and placed his hands on the table.
“I came home years ago,” he told her. “And I told myself I could lose myself in my work in the city, and in Lara. I figured no one would notice that I’d lost a piece of myself to the military.”
She nodded slowly. She knew what he meant. The transition was hard. She suspected that the hardest part wouldn’t hit her until she’d been home a little longer. And she felt like Jensen had been through more in his time away than she had.
“Then when I wound up back here, people made allowances,” he went on. “They knew I had lost my wife and I had this tiny baby. It made sense that I wasn’t out in the community like before.”
The truth of what he was saying began to occur to herand she had to swallow over the lump in her throat at the thought of this wonderful man drowning in his own loneliness.
“But the honest truth is that I holed myself up here with Henry,” he said. “I took care of him, and worked on the house, and ran trainings online, and left home as little as possible.”
He frowned and looked down at his hands, and all she wanted was to tell him it was okay. But it felt like he needed space to put together his thoughts.
“The center asking for our help with projects has been a real help for me,” he said at last, glancing up at her.
“For me too,” she agreed. “It’s easier to get out there when you have something concrete to do.”
“That’s right,” he said, nodding. “And then after you said what you did the other night, I got to thinking about what else I can do.”
She smiled at that, and wondered if he was about to tell her he had been over at the firehouse again to sign up as a volunteer.
“I got in touch with my agent,” he said. “And I told her to book me any jobs she wants. I don’t care anymore if people hear me acting silly on the radio. It’s honest work and I actually enjoy it.”
“You’re good at it,” Willow told him honestly. “It wouldn’t have been half so funny if you weren’t. And that voice…”
She trailed off, hoping he didn’t notice the blush she felt heating her cheeks.
“I also let her know I would do any local non-profitwork for free,” he added. “That way I can keep giving our friends and neighbors something to brighten their day and maybe help out a little at the same time.”
“Wow,Jensen,” Willow said, blown away. “Just… wow.”
“I’ll still be working from home,” he said. “I set up a soundproof space in my office. But when I go out, I’ll have a pretty good conversation starter with people, I figure.”
“Definitely,” Willow said, smiling.
“It’s a good gig for a single dad with a toddler,” he said. “And it’s all because of you.”
His humble smile made her heart melt like chocolate and marshmallow over a campfire.
“What do you think?” he asked her, his expression so tender.
“I think it’s wonderful,” she told him honestly. “And it’s not because of me. But I’m glad our talk helped you decide to do it.”
“You inspired me, Willow,” he said, his voice growing husky. “After I lost Lara, I was afraid to put myself out there, in any way. I didn’t want to get hurt again. But you’ve made me realize that putting myself out there is the only way I’m ever going to be truly happy. I was living in a shadow, and you pulled me back into the sun.”
She felt her cheeks burning now, but she kept gazing into his beautiful gray eyes.
“What do you think about me talking to Ransom?” he asked.
She knew she should say no, but when she looked around for reasons, she found that they were falling by the wayside faster than she could think of them.
“We can’t sneak around anymore,” she said softly.
“That’s why I’ll talk to him,” he agreed, his eyes solemn.
