Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
GIA
The chime indicating the call was connecting should have made her stomach turn. Her spine straightened, fueled by cold fury and determination. When Jerry’s round face filled the screen, she was ready.
With a scowl etched on his face, Jerry opened his mouth, getting ready to berate her for ignoring him and his calls for the last month. She raised a finger before he could speak, and the unexpected gesture left him speechless.
“You’re fired.”
His mouth fell open, astonished at her audacity. She savored the moment of surprising the smug jerk before ending the call. Sure enough, her phone rang with an incoming call.
Jerry.
She blocked his number after sending his call to voicemail.
Following the fundraiser yesterday, she spoke with Kim, who connected her to contract lawyers. All current contracts were already being terminated.
She was done.
Done with Jerry. Done with acting. Just done living a life that no longer served her.
For now, she was happy working with her family at the restaurant. She broke the lease on her apartment. Her life in LA was being packed up and put into storage. There was hardly anything she needed, and Kim offered to take care of her plants.
It wasn’t clear where she would live long-term, but for the time being, she would plan to stay with family. Or at Jake’s. They still hadn’t talked about her moving in, but it was inevitable.
The fundraiser had been a major success.
When photos of her holding a kitten, with Jake looking down at her in affection, appeared on the internet, people worldwide started sending donations to the clinic.
Even better, so many of the pets found a new home right here in town, while many of those in the surrounding cities have inquired about the adoption process.
It really was a win-win situation, exactly like Marley had predicted.
If Marley hadn’t convinced her to help capture Tuna, which forced Gia to give Jake another chance, none of this would have been possible. She needed to repay Marley somehow.
But first, she needed to confront Jake about one more thing that still bothered her—which brought her to her current predicament.
The mud sucked at her hiking boots, making each step an act of resistance as she marched to the top. When she’d stopped by this morning to see Jake, she’d only found Marley, who told her where to find him.
It was serendipity, really, that he would be in the exact place she needed to confront him. It reminded her of the last time she’d found him at the top of the walking trail, only this time she was better prepared with a raincoat and a small backpack.
As she crested the trail, she stopped at its edge, standing in cool shade mere inches from where warm sunlight kissed the ground. Her heart clenched as she saw the familiar blond head on the bench.
The wind carried his words to her as he sat and talked. “You should have seen her, man. She looked fearless in front of those dicks.” He chuckled like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. She knew he was directing his words to an unseen presence.
Someone he’d never forgotten.
In the years since Thao died, she hadn’t thought about anyone else but herself. She lost her twin brother, but Jake lost his best friend. His brother—not by blood, but by destiny.
Grief was a curious phenomenon. When she should have been happy, sadness came over her, leaving her feeling empty without her twin. The feeling washed over her, nearly dragging her down.
It had always been this way for her, but maybe she had been looking at it all wrong. Maybe grief was love knocking on the door and not having a place to go. She hadn’t made space for it, and so it kept pulling her under.
Jake made room for it each time, no matter how big or small. Pulled by an invisible string, she stepped forward. As she got closer, she saw his shoulders tense, a sure sign he heard her.
“You know, you should have told me it was you.” She rounded the bench, facing Jake head-on.
His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he gazed up at her. “What was me?” Jake didn’t seem surprised to see her.
Gia pointed a manicured nail at the bench accusingly. “You donated the bench.”
Jake nodded, considering her words. Instead of answering, he took a bite of the apple he held in his hand.
Next to him were two sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap.
She would bet there was a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich for Thao, and another with strawberry jelly and without the crust for her.
“How did you find out?” he asked after swallowing.
So, he’s not going to deny it.
“My dad. He told me after I came home from your house after…” She didn’t finish the sentence, not wanting to bring up terrible memories.
Jake didn’t respond, only looked at her with a curious expression.
He probably expected anger. If she had found out a month ago that would have been how she responded—but now, after hearing of his tradition and how he’d kept Thao’s memory alive for years while she tried her best to forget her brother… well, it was a lot.
So instead, she took a step toward him. Jake spread his knees, making room for her between his legs. She leaned forward until they were nearly nose to nose. Looking into his eyes, blue as the sky above them and full of life, she said, “Thank you.”
He dipped his chin in a small nod of acknowledgment. “Want a sandwich?” he asked with a smile spreading across his face.
She returned his smile, sitting down on his lap and taking the proffered sandwich from him. “I brought chips and sodas.”
Jake kissed her on the cheek, curling a strand of hair behind her ear. “Smart.”
They ate in silence, gazing at the wildflowers as the wind whispered through them, carrying their scent to where they sat on a bench that bore their best friend’s name. A sight that once brought pain, but now offered peace.
“What do you think Thao would have been?” she asked Jake, head on his shoulder. Her belly was full. Jake’s arm around her shoulders tightened, tucking her impossibly closer to him.
“I think he would have tried to go to college, but eventually he would have gone after his dreams. He would have been a starving artist just to say he could do it.” Jake chuckled, making his chest shake.
She smiled at the thought of her twin brother proclaiming he was a starving artist, despite the fact their parents owned a restaurant.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Gia agreed. She stared at the retreating sun disappearing over the horizon, casting soft shades of pink, purple, and orange across all of Willowbrook.
“We should probably get going before it gets too dark.” She sighed, reluctant to give up the peaceful moment, and moved to get up off the bench.
She heard rustling behind her as she packed up.
When she turned around, Jake was kneeling in the dirt with an innocent expression and his hands behind his back.
“Jake? What are you doing?” she asked cautiously.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he said with an impish grin.
“It looks like you’re kneeling in the dirt.”
“Oh, you’re right. I forgot something.” She stared wide-eyed as he patted around his chest and back pockets before finding what he was looking for with a triumphant and exaggerated shout. “Here it is.”
With a flourish that would have made a Hallmark movie proud, Jake produced a red velvet box. Her eyes widened with shock. Jake opened the box and revealed a ring gleaming in the sunset.
Gia gasped, hands covering her face. “Jake? Is that what I think it is?”
“It’s exactly what you think it is.” Jake paused, taking in a trembling breath before looking up at her with love shining in his eyes.
“Gia, I love you. I’ve loved you since the day I met you, when I didn’t even know what love meant.
I continued to love you even while we were apart.
Now that you’re here, I want to love you for the rest of our lives. ”
“Yes.” She kneeled in front of him until they were eye to eye.
“I didn’t ask a question,” Jake huffed.
“The answer is still yes,” Gia said, gripping his face between her hands. “A million times yes.”
“I promise to always love you,” Jake said, voice hushed as the wind rustled her hair.
“I know, Jake.” Her forehead touched his. “I love you, always.”
“And you’ll be my wife.” It was not a question, but a promise for their future.
“I want nothing more than to be your wife,” she said.
As far as proposals go, she never thought about how she envisioned it, but kneeling in the dirt while the sky was alight with bright colors next to her brother could not have been more perfect.
She could feel Thao’s presence with them and hear his laughter at her surprise.
He would have wanted to be a part of it.
Leaning forward, their lips touched—the sweetest promise for a future together.