“I can see where it might be a hard decision.Leaving the place you grew up, the town you love, it can be a huge choice.And one that’s been kind of sprung on you without any warning.”Jill reached for her coffee and took a long sip, watching Nica over the rim of her cup.
“Everything’s happening so fast, and I keep thinking about all I’d be leaving behind.My family, the clinic, this place.”She gestured vaguely at the diner, but they both knew she meant the whole town.“Shiloh Springs is all I’ve ever known.Other than college, this has been my sanctuary, my haven.How am I supposed to simply give it up and walk away?”
“Change is scary,” Jill acknowledged.“But it can also be the best thing that ever happens to you.”
“Did I tell you I’ve never even been on a plane?”Nica laughed nervously.“And now I’m supposed to move across the ocean?”
Jill reached across the table, stilling Nica’s fidgeting hands.“Let me ask you something.When you picture your life in five years, where are you?Who are you with?”
Nica closed her eyes briefly.“With Gabe,” she answered without hesitation.“But I always pictured us here, not living in some foreign city where I don’t even speak the language.”
“You know,” Jill said carefully, “when I decided to open the bakery here in Shiloh Springs, I was terrified.I was leaving behind a crappy job, sure, but I was following my dream.It felt like I was jumping off a cliff, and it was a long way to the bottom.I needed to make a decision, take a chance.I could leap and everything would be roses, or I could fail and go down in flames.Life is all about taking chances, big ones and small ones.I took mine, and it’s working, both with the bakery and with Lucas.”A tiny smile curved the edges of Jill’s lips at the mention of her fiancé’s name.“It turned out to be the best decision I ever made.Now it’s your turn to have to make the hard choices.I know you’ll do what’s right for you…and for Gabe.”
“But that’s different.Opening a bakery here in Shiloh Springs, where it’s your home, the only place you’ve ever lived.Switzerland is a whole other world.”
“The distance is farther, yes.But the feeling isn’t.”Jill squeezed Nica’s hand.“You grew up here.Your roots go deep.But Nica, you’ve spent years taking care of everyone else.Being there for your brothers and their wives and girlfriends.Babysitting Jamie when Brody and Bess needed some alone time.All of that on top of getting two degrees.Maybe it’s time to build something that’s just for you and Gabe.”
Nica’s eyes filled with tears.“What if I can’t do it?What if I get there and I hate it, and I’ve ruined everything?”
“Then you come home,” Jill said simply.“But I don’t think that’s going to happen.You’re braver than you give yourself credit for.Remember when you stood up to old Mr.Henshaw when he tried to get Harper’s art show banned from the sidewalk fair?Or when you organized that vaccine drive last year despite all the pushback?”
A small smile tugged at Nica’s lips.“That’s different.”
“No, it wasn’t.That was you, being exactly who you are, someone who faces challenges head-on.Someone who doesn’t back down when something matters.”Jill paused.“Does Gabe matter?”
“More than anything,” Nica whispered.
“Then you’ll find a way to make it work.Both of you will.”
Nica took a deep breath.“So, you think I should go?”
“I think that’s a decision only you can make.You should follow your heart.And I think you already know what your heart is telling you.”Jill smiled.“As for telling your family—rip the Band-Aid off.They love you.They’ll be shocked, maybe even hurt that you kept it secret, but they’ll forgive you and they’ll support you.”
“Even Momma?”
“Especially your momma.Though I’d make sure she’s sitting down when you tell her,” Jill added with a chuckle.
For the first time that morning, Nica laughed genuinely.“You’re right.I need to tell them all of it.And I will tonight.”She finally cut into her pancakes, taking a bite.“And for what it’s worth, Jill…I’m glad I told you.About everything.”
“That’s what big sisters are for, even honorary ones.”Jill raised her coffee mug.“To new adventures?”
Nica clinked her mug against Jill’s.“To new adventures.”
The weight that had been pressing on her chest for days began to lift.Outside the diner window, Shiloh Springs was waking up—shop owners unlocking doors, the mail carrier making early rounds, high school kids walking to school in clusters.It would always be home.But maybe home could be more than one place.
“Hey Jill?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think you might visit us?In Geneva?”
Jill grinned.“Try and stop me.I’ve always wanted to eat authentic Swiss chocolate.And you know what else?I have a feeling that whatever clinic or hospital is lucky enough to get you and Gabe over there, they have no idea what’s coming their way.”
Nica smiled, taking another bite of her pancakes, which suddenly tasted much better.“Maybe you’re right.”
“I usually am,” Jill winked.“Now eat up.You’ve got a big evening ahead of you, Mrs.Boudreau-Summers.”
The sound of her married name still gave Nica butterflies, and for the first time, the butterflies felt like excitement rather than anxiety.Mrs.Boudreau-Summers.Maybe it was time for the whole world to know who she really was.
