Fiona meandered down the street, feeling bored. She wasn't used to being out of a job. It was the middle of the afternoon and she had nothing to do. She felt a little aimless. There were only so many books a girl could read before she needed something else to occupy her time. No one in town seemed to be hiring. She had tried the mercantile, the dress shop, and the cafe. They all said the same thing; they wished they could help, but there was nothing open right now.
Not that she had been looking long. Fiona had taken some time to relax after she was fired from the telephone company, and she had only started looking for a job yesterday. With a wry smile she acknowledged to herself that finding a job would be a process. She just had to be patient.
Unfortunately, patience wasn't her strong suit. She preferred results.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten lunch. Since she was passing the saloon, she decided to stop in for a bite.
The saloon was mostly empty. The lunch rush was over and most people were still working at this hour. Fiona sat at her favorite table, drumming her fingers unconsciously on the wood, trying to come up with a plan for finding work.
"Something on your mind?" Lucas asked, appearing next to her.
She jumped and looked up at him. "Lucas! You startled me."
He laughed. "Sorry, didn't mean to. You looked like you were thinking pretty hard."
Fiona smiled, shaking her head. "It's that obvious, is it?" She rested her chin in her hand, elbow on the table. "I'm just trying to figure out my next step for finding a job. I've decided I don't like being unemployed."
"I heard about that," Lucas said, empathy in his eyes. "I'm sorry you lost your job. Though according to Carson, you're well rid of your boss."
"True," Fiona said. "I won't miss him in the least. But actually working, doing something I love? I miss that." She sighed. "I've never been so bored in my life."
Something flashed in Lucas's eyes, something Fiona couldn't decipher. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. His smooth demeanor returned, and he asked, "What can I get for you today?"
Blinking at the abrupt change in topic, Fiona collected herself quickly. "I'll have the goulash, please, and a glass of water."
"Coming right up," he said, heading for the bar.
Fiona's brow wrinkled in confusion. What in the world? She watched as Lucas gave her order to Gustav, and then he disappeared into the back room. She shrugged and returned to drumming her fingers on the table, humming lightly to herself. Gustav brought over her food and water, and she thanked him with a smile. Taking a bite, she savored the flavors. "Oh so good!" she murmured to herself.
"Glad to hear it," Lucas said, sitting in the chair next to her. For the second time in five minutes, Fiona jumped.
"Lucas!" She grabbed her water, taking a sip to compose herself. "You need to warn a girl before you pop up out of nowhere!"
"Sorry," he said, looking unapologetic. His eyes held excitement. "I have a proposition for you."
"Um...okay," she said slowly, suddenly noticing the file he'd placed in front of him on the table. "What kind of proposition?"
"A business one," he said, opening the file. "I bought Gowen Petroleum from Henry. I was hoping to keep him on, but he told me it was all or nothing. Now I own an oil company and I know nothing about the oil industry." He looked at her, eyebrow cocked. "You need a job, right?"
"Right," she said, still not sure where this was going.
"I need someone to help me run this company," Lucas said. "You're smart and business savvy, so why don't we join forces and figure out the oil industry?"
Fiona's mouth fell open. "You're serious?"
"Quite serious."
"Lucas, I know nothing about oil either! We'd be two blind people trying to find our way."
"Maybe," Lucas said with a nod. "But I have a sense about this. I can't explain it, but I think this could work. It would be a 50-50 partnership. I have no desire to lord it over anyone, but I also don't want decisions made without being talked to about them first." He frowned. "That's where Henry and I ran into trouble." He leaned back in his chair, eyeing her. "We can make this a month-long trial run. At the end of the month, if either of us thinks it won't work, we can end the agreement, no questions asked. What do you say?"
"I...I don't know what to say!" Fiona exclaimed. "It would be something so different from anything I've done before."
"It would be a challenge," Lucas affirmed. "But you seem like the kind of woman who loves a good challenge." His eyes held a challenge of their own.
Fiona raised her brows and straightened in her chair. "You're right, I do." In a split second, she made her decision. "Alright, Mr. Bouchard, I accept. When do we start?"
He grinned, relief written all over his face. "Does tomorrow work?"
Fiona gave one firm nod. "Yes it does."
"Excellent," Lucas said, rising from his chair. He handed her the file. "Look this over. I'll see you tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp."
"I'll be there," Fiona said. She took a moment to absorb everything that had just happened. She'd gone from jobless to being an oil entrepreneur within minutes. This was going to take some getting used to.
She smiled. Lucas was right. She loved a challenge. Her excitement began to build, and she explored the pages in the file as she ate her goulash.
New beginnings. This was not where she thought her life would go, but she couldn't wait to get started.
Elizabeth hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. She ran her hands down her skirt, observing her reflection in the mirror. She wore her pink skirt and her favorite white blouse. Running a brush through her hair, she placed some combs on either side of her head to hold the hair back.
She and Nathan hadn't spoken in the past week. This time it had been her decision. She wanted him to have the time he needed to think. And she believed he had done some thinking. Allie had happily informed her that Uncle Nathan was talking again, which gave Elizabeth hope.
Satisfied with her appearance, she was about to leave the room when something flashed at her. Blinking, she looked down. Jack's ring sparkled on her finger, catching the light from the lamp.
She paused, staring at the ring, various emotions swirling inside of her. She had told Nathan he was the answer to what was in her heart, and that held true. But the ring she still wore spoke loudly that she hadn't fully allowed the past to remain in the past. How could she hope for something more with Nathan when she wore Jack's ring? That wasn't fair to him.
Nathan already thought it was a risk for her to take a chance on him because of his job. How could she argue that if she couldn't let go of her past?
Slowly, she twisted the ring until it slid off her finger. She waited for the pain to come, but it never did. Smiling, she pressed the ring to her lips. "I'll always love you, Jack," she said softly. "But I know you wanted me to find happiness again. Thank you for that." Opening a drawer on her nightstand, she pulled out a small jewelry box and gently placed the ring inside. She closed the drawer and stood for a moment taking in the significance of what she'd just done. With a little smile, she left her room and walked down the stairs.
"Oh, Elizabeth, you look beautiful!" Rosemary exclaimed, holding little Jack on her hip. "Doesn't Mama look pretty, Jack?"
Jack grinned and nodded, his head on Rosemary's shoulder. "Thank you," Elizabeth said, giving little Jack a nuzzle. "You be a good boy for Auntie Rosemary, okay?"
He nodded again, looking sleepy. "We'll be just fine." Rosemary grinned. "Are you ready for your date?"
Elizabeth sighed. "I'm not entirely sure it's a date, Rosemary. When he first asked me, I knew he meant it as one, but after I accepted I don't know if he still wants it to be, or if we're just two friends needing to have a conversation over dinner."
"It's a date," Rosemary said firmly. "I've seen how that man looks at you, Elizabeth. He's going to realize soon enough that he's been acting like a nincompoop and do everything he can to sweep you off your feet."
Elizabeth laughed. "What that might look like is anyone's guess!"
Rosemary rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Nathan has some kind of romantic bone in his body. And if he doesn't, I'll be happy to give him pointers."
"I'm sure you would," Elizabeth said, trying to hide her smile. She took a deep breath, her nerves suddenly fluttering again. "I'm so nervous, Rosemary!"
Rosemary smiled. "That simply means you're excited." She squeezed Elizabeth's arm. "You have deep feelings for Nathan. I take that as a good sign."
"Hopefully he agrees," Elizabeth said. "He seems to think I'm only feeling this way because he could have died. Two weeks would be enough time to cool those emotions if it had been simple relief that he was alive."
"Men," Rosemary muttered. "Can't see what's right before their eyes sometimes! You just go convince him that you're ready to pursue a relationship." She led Elizabeth to the door and waved. "Tell me all about it when you get home!"
Elizabeth walked to the cafe, wondering how the dinner would go. She pushed the cafe door open and glanced around, her heart jumping when her eyes landed on Nathan. He stood, giving her a smile. "Hello, Elizabeth." He held her chair for her, pushing it in gently as she sat.
"Thank you," she said, watching as he took his seat across from her. They looked at each other for a few moments, neither quite sure what to say. Elizabeth broke the silence first. "Is this a date, Nathan?"
He took a sip of his water. "When I originally asked you to dinner, I meant for it to be a date. But considering how things have been between us, I think this is more of a way to find out where we stand."
"Fair enough," Elizabeth said, though she felt the disappointment running through her keenly. "But Nathan, you already know where I stand."
Before Nathan could answer, they were interrupted by Clara, who took their order and then disappeared discreetly into the kitchen. Nathan looked at Elizabeth, his eyes meeting hers and remaining there. "You're right, I do."
"You...do?" That was unexpected.
His lips lifted into a smile. "Yes. I've been thinking a lot this past week, Elizabeth, and you were right. I was letting my own fears dictate my actions towards you. I want to apologize for that. It wasn't fair to you. If you tell me you know your own heart, then I believe you."
Elizabeth could feel a slow smile forming. "So...you're saying you've finally figured it out?"
He laughed. "I have. I want to explore whatever this is between us." He studied her. "But only if you're sure."
"I'm sure, Nathan." She smiled, hoping he could see the sincerity in her eyes. "And you know what? I'm glad I thought I'd lost you for that brief moment."
Nathan's brow wrinkled. "You are?"
"Yes. Because if I hadn't, it might have taken me longer to figure out my own heart. I think I had been protecting myself by not choosing between you and Lucas. It felt too real to actually make a decision, and I didn't know if I was ready. But in that moment, when I thought you were the one who had died, I saw my heart clearly. And there you were." She reached across the table, placing her hand gently over his. "I think you've been there for quite some time. I was just too afraid to admit it."
Nathan was quiet for a moment as Elizabeth let go of his hand. "You've been in my heart for quite some time too, Elizabeth," he said finally. "I'm sorry it took me so long to admit that."
She laughed gently. "Nathan, I don't think I would have been ready if you'd said anything before you did. Your timing was perfect."
"It certainly took me long enough to ask you out," Nathan said ruefully as Clara placed their food in front of them. They smiled at her, then Nathan continued. "I tried so many times and either got interrupted or lost my nerve." He shook his head. "It's a wonder you accepted this one."
"Oh, so now this is a date?" Elizabeth asked, brow raised.
Nathan laughed. "I guess it is. Is that okay with you?"
A contented smile crossed Elizabeth's face. "Yes, Nathan, that's perfectly okay with me."
Nathan and Elizabeth walked back to the rowhouses, enjoying the walk after their meal. Nathan could hardly believe the evening had turned out the way it did. They had just had their first date, and both of them wanted to see where it could go from here. He just had to figure out what that would look like.
Doubts still nagged him, but he tried to push them away. If Elizabeth said she was ready, he believed her. His lack of experience in the romance department didn't help. He didn't know the first thing about romancing a woman. Maybe he could ask Rosemary or Bill for tips. The flowers he had given to Elizabeth had been the first time he'd done something like that.
They stopped in front of her house, and Elizabeth turned to face him. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Nathan. I enjoyed it."
"So did I," he said, smiling back at her. He looked down, shuffling his feet a little. "Elizabeth…I was wondering if...if maybe…"
She raised a brow. "Yes?" she said, sounding a lot like she had in the stables when he'd tried to ask her out then.
He swallowed. "Do you mind if...we take this...slowly for now? Since we both have children involved and you're a widow and I'm...me."
Elizabeth laughed. "You're you? That's a reason I haven't heard before." The amusement faded from her eyes, and she looked at him seriously. "That's fine, Nathan...for now. You should know that Jack and I took the slow route, and I don't fancy going that slow again. We thought we had all the time in the world, until we didn't."
"I understand," Nathan said softly. "Thank you for being willing to start that way."
"Of course," she said, pushing her hair back from her shoulder. Nathan noticed something different and took her left hand in his. Her ring was gone. Mouth dropping, he looked up at her. "When did this happen?"
"Before our dinner," Elizabeth said matter-of-factly. "I realized if I told you that you were the one in my heart, it wasn't fair to you if I kept wearing that ring."
Nathan felt elation sweep through him. That did more to convince him of her readiness to move on than anything else. He smiled, gazing into her eyes. "I'm glad you were ready to take that step," he said, bringing her hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss there. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."
"Goodnight," she said, her voice slightly breathless. He waited until she was safely inside, then turned and walked to his rowhouse a few doors down, his heart full.