Chapter 34

Being back in Chicago felt weird. The weather was much cooler than San Diego. Not once since moving to Chicago had she longed for the snow and harsh winters when summer rolled around. This year, she was looking forward to having sun and sand at Christmas. It would be nice to hang out with Jesse and his friends and not be locked inside because of a storm.

Once in her apartment, she started unloading cabinets and packing away everything she wanted to keep. She’d made her life here, well, kind of. She’d slept here less than half the year. Over the last few years, she’d spent at least six months traveling, working on stories, getting to the bottom of reporting so there were no questions left. But Chicago had been home, or she’d said it was.

Now, this was nothing more than a place that she wouldn’t really miss. She’d had a few friends, but most of them she hadn’t seen in person for almost a year. It was hard to call someone her friend if they never really saw each other. They were more like acquaintances who kept up on major news. She’d watched them from afar as they married and had babies, slipping into different stages of life she’d never really understood. Now with Jesse in her life, she understood the desire to be totally and completely connected to someone.

Her buzzer rang, surprising her. She hadn’t expected anyone to stop by. She pulled out her phone and checked the application that showed the camera feed. It was her editor stopping by.

Nichole clicked on the button that would allow her to speak to the person at the door. “Hey, you stopped by.” She buzzed her in, happy to see her editor.

On her way to the door, she checked her image in the mirror, wiping away the dust on her face. How had that gotten there?

She could hear footsteps on the stairs when she opened the door. Happiness filled her as she stepped out into the hall. Months had passed, along with a whole lot of other crap, since she’d seen the woman she worked with.

“Hey, you look good.”

“Lana, it’s good to see you.” Nichole couldn’t help the rise of emotions as Lana held her close. They’d known each other for years and developed a great working relationship. They’d never been close friends, but almost dying when she’d been captured by terrorists had changed how she felt about life.

After a long minute, Nichole stepped back. Lana chuckled as she squeezed Nichole’s arm.

“I’m glad you came back alive. I was worried there for a moment.”

“Yeah. It sucked.”

“Well, your article certainly didn’t. Talk about amazing writing. You really got the heart of the matter, describing what you were feeling and how it affected you. It was so good.”

“Thank you. I’m proud of that work.”

“You should be. It’s provocative and forced people to see deeper.”

“Come in.” Nichole stepped back as she ushered Lana inside. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Once I knew when you were landing, I forced an opening in my schedule to come see you. I should have flown out to New York, but life was busy.”

“Hey, I get it. It’s good to see you now.”

Land nodded. “So you’re really moving to San Diego.”

A thrill slid through Nichole. “I am.”

“He must be very special.”

“Oh, he is. He’s the best person I’ve ever met.”

“He’s the one you met at that resort, right?”

Heat crept up Nichole’s neck to her face. “Yes.”

Lana chuckled. “I remembered how you were after coming back from that trip. You were energized like no one I’ve ever seen.”

She chuckled, unsure what to say about how she’d reacted to meeting Jesse. He certainly had changed everything for her back then. That one week had helped her focus, making her really see the effects of her reporting.

Maybe not meeting Jesse would have still made her see everything just as clearly. Or maybe not. After leaving the resort, she’d just seen everything more deeply, clearer. It was like she’d woken up to the possibilities.

Her work on exposing corporate corruption had been great, but after that vacation, her writing became better. She wasn’t sure what had made it all click. Meeting Jesse could have had something to do with it, or it could have been something else. Whatever the reason, she’d changed, and Lana had seen it.

“Do you think being with Jesse will make your writing even better?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I am happy.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re happy. I liked that last piece you wrote.”

“Thank you.”

“I know you’ll be writing for more papers, maybe some in California, but I hope we can keep working together.”

Nichole met Lana’s gaze. “I know. I love working with you. If I hadn’t found Jesse again, I wouldn’t leave, but I can’t stay away from him.”

“So he’s that good for you?”

Her lips spread into a wide smile. “I’ve never met anyone like him before. He’s special.”

“I’m happy for you even though I will miss you.”

“At least you have a reason to go to California now.”

Lana chuckled. “I hate California.”

Nichole nodded. “I thought I did. I think I love it now. Maybe it’s just being with Jesse. But yeah, it’s great.”

Lana laughed out loud. “I’d think you’d joined a cult if I didn’t know you better. But I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I am. I like being with him. It’s good.”

“Well, I hope it’s good for you. You took a chance moving here instead of staying in New York.”

“It was a good move. And this will be a great move for me.”

“Good. I always want what’s best for my writers.” Lana glanced around. “I’ll let you get back to packing. I’m looking forward to our lunch at the end of the week. I’m glad you’re still willing to write for us, though I know it will be more limited.”

She nodded. “I’m thinking about doing a book. I spoke with a publisher, and it seems like a good deal. I just need to decide what I want to do.”

“Well, investigative journalism is a lot like researching for a book.”

Nichole’s lips screwed up to the side. “I’m not sure I’m ready to head back into the field where something bad could happen again.”

“I get that. I wouldn’t want you in danger again. That was scary.”

She nodded. “It was. And thank you for stopping by.”

“Sure. I’ll see you later in the week.”

They hugged and Nichole went back to packing up her life. Living here, if she could call what she did living here, had been an interesting time in her life. She hadn’t wanted to settle down, hadn’t given anyone time enough to get close. If she had, she would have missed this opportunity with Jesse.

Close to eight that evening she headed out to find food. The weather was so different from what she experienced in California. The cold wind cut right through her clothes. She’d grown used to the sun and warmth. It was weird being here and not with Jesse. She missed his smile and his love. He had changed her for the better.

After grabbing food, she texted Jesse, hoping he was available to talk. She hadn’t heard from him yet, and worry filled her. What if they didn’t work out? She was closing up her life here, and if he rejected her, she would have nowhere to go. Would he decide she wasn’t worth it once he got to know her better?