***The next day***
Jennifer worked on the film fest article all day and then got ready for dinner with Elliott.
She had just gotten out of the bath when there was a knock at the door.
She went to open it and found 3 ladies.
"Hi. Elliott sent us to help you get ready. We are going to do your hair and makeup. Also he sent this box to you".
"Hi, come on in".
She took the box and took it to the bedroom and opened it to find the most gorgeous pink dress. It was strapless, with a pointed hem, in a soft pink.
The ladies gave her a facial and then did her hair and makeup, and then left her to slip her dress on.
She decided to wear nude strappy heels, and quickly switched to a nude colored purse.
She was downstairs precisely at 6, and found Elliott waiting for her with a bouquet of Irises.
"Hi, you look sensational".
"Hi, thank you. And thank you for the massage and the ladies you sent, that was incredibly kind".
He took her hand and they walked over to the front desk.
"Please put these in water and hold them for Miss Edwards' return".
He led her to the door and then to his private Jeep.
He opened the door for her and helped her inside.
He came around and slid into the driver's seat, and then opened up a console.
"Here, you might need these".
He handed her a pair of sunglasses.
"Oh, thank you".
She put them on as he put on his own pair of sunglasses.
They drove through downtown, and he pointed out a few things to her as they drove.
They ended up at a house set back off the road.
"Where are we?"
"This is my house. I had my private chef whip us up a gourmet meal. I figured it would be more private this way".
"How nice".
He helped her out of the car and they walked up to his house.
"What a lovely home".
"Thank you".
He gave her a grand tour, and then they went out to the back patio.
He turned on some string lights, and some soft music.
"May I have this dance?"
"Certainly".
They danced on the patio, and then the chef brought them their dinner.
"Grilled shrimp over a salad and a baked sweet potato with truffle butter".
"This looks wonderful, thank you".
"So, tell me about yourself. Where did you grow up?"
"I was born in Hill Haven, Maryland. I lived there till high school, and then I went to a private school in Massachusetts, Gresham Hall".
"I have heard of that, it's a wonderful place".
"I left there and went to Vassar and Smith, and then Stanford for college. I got my first job working at a small town newspaper, and then I got hired at the London Chronicle, and then after that, I was hired on to work at the New York Times. Now, I'm still working for the Times, but I'm on an international assignment, so it's like they lent me to the Golden Coast Chronicle, and I'm here for a few months and then I'll go back to New York".
"Fascinating".
"So what about you? What's your claim to fame?"
"Well, I own a lot of businesses, and I have my hat in different areas. I like animal conservation, I like real estate, I like marina and boat building companies".
"So, how is it that you are always in the hotel?"
"I own it. Actually I own all of the hotels in the downtown area".
"I see".
After they finished dinner, he went and got the golf cart and took her around the property.
"This property is absolutely beautiful".
"Thank you. It's my pride and joy. I'm always redecorating, rebuilding, making it better".
"I can tell".
"Well, shall we head back to the hotel?"
She nodded.
They headed back to the hotel and he walked her inside.
They got her irises from the front desk, and then he accompanied her to the elevator.
She handed him her room key and he opened the door for her and they came inside.
"Thank you for a lovely evening".
"Thank you for a wonderful evening".
He stepped forward and grabbed her face with his hands and kissed her.
She enjoyed the kiss, but there were certainly no bells or whistles.
"I hope you will let me see you again".
"I'd like that".
He kissed her again before he left, and then she closed the door behind him and headed to bed.
She kept going over and over the date in her mind. She kept coming back to the same conclusion.
"He's not Jonathan".
***A month later***
Jennifer and Elliott were officially a couple, but it wasn't going like she hoped. All the sparks that were missing, that she had told herself would come in time, hadn't. And she was tired of waiting. She was also noticing somethings that were concerning. Elliott had a temper, and it was very short. He also didn't have the ability to compromise, which sometimes was a good thing and sometimes it was totally infuriating. Romance wise, he was a smooth talker, very charming. The sex was good, but it wasn't magnificent. Elliott was extremely selfish in bed, and only seemed to care about his own pleasure.
Jennifer was preparing to tell him that she was for sure going back to New York when her assignment ended. She decided to tell him at dinner that night.
She got off the elevator and found him in the lobby.
"Hi baby".
"Hi".
She leaned up and kissed him and they headed to the car.
"What are you in the mood for?"
"You".
"Elliott, I'm serious".
"I am too. You are the only thing I want, the only thing I'll ever want".
He helped her into the car and they headed to a sushi place.
As they ate, she looked at him.
"So, I've made a decision".
"Yeah, I have too. I bought the Golden Coast Chronicle. And they are going to keep you on here full time. So, you are no longer going to be a temp employee, you will be a full time one".
"Elliott, I am not interested in staying here in Australia. I want to travel and go back to the states".
"Why? You have everything you need right here".
"No, I don't. My father is in Maryland. My friends are in New York. I have an apartment, in New York".
"You have everything you need right here. There is simply no reason for you to go back to the states full time. You can go visit your dad whenever you want, for a short visit, but you don't have to stay there forever."
She chose to drop the subject and not press it at the moment.
Try as she might, there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't get to go away.
***Jonathan***
Jonathan was miserable. Absolutely miserable.
He missed Jennifer so fiercely, and nothing he did was making it any better.
He finally decided to take the bull by the horns. He permanently promoted Tashi, and hired 4 other people to help him out. He packed up his things and headed to the airport, and flew to New York.
He landed at the airport at 10 a.m. on Monday morning.
He called a florist and had them deliver 2 very large bouquets of flowers to the Times, one to Ava and one to Cassie.
The cards simply said "Please meet me for lunch at Redfin, it's important, my treat. 12 p.m.-Jonathan Hart".
They both agreed to go, and they showed up right on time.
"Hi, thanks for coming".
"Hi, thanks for asking us".
"So, I'll get right to the point. I screwed things up with Jennifer, and now we aren't together and I will do anything, absolutely anything, to get her back. I know that she's in Australia. What I don't know is where her head is at. You two know her best, do you think it would be worth it for me to go get her and bring her back?"
"I spoke with her a couple days ago. She's happy, but she's not 100% happy. She misses you, she misses New York, and she's feeling stuck. I say go talk to her, you have nothing to lose".
"I second that. Go talk to her".
"Ok, thank you ladies".
He threw a hundred dollar bill on the table.
"Order whatever you want, on me. Thank you for meeting me."
He got up and headed to the airport.
Jack told him he could fly him to Australia in 2 hours, so he went through a drive thru and then boarded his plane.
He was too anxious to eat. All he wanted was Jennifer.
***Two days later***
Jonathan landed in Australia and started trying to track her down.
Meanwhile, Jennifer was at a business dinner with Elliott, at a nearby hotel. He had basically ignored her all evening.
She finally found a moment to tell Elliott she was leaving.
"Elliott, I'm going to go now."
"Where?"
"Back to the hotel for starters. Back to New York, after that. I think I will stay on permanently when I go back next week for the hearing".
"Why?"
"This relationship is not working. My work here is stalled. I'm not being challenged, it's just not working out. I need to go".
"Jennifer, you can't do this to me. I need you. Skip the hearing".
"I am not skipping the hearing".
"Yes, you are".
"You will be just fine, Elliott. I know it".
"How dare you embarrass me like this! I forbid you to leave".
"Watch me".
He grabbed her arm to try and hold her back, and she struggled for a moment, but he eventually let go, and let her go.
She hurriedly walked through the lobby and was headed for the doors.
As soon as she got outside, her heel caught in a crack in the sidewalk and she stumbled a bit, hitting her wrist on the ground. Her bracelet that Ava had given her, that she wore every single day, broke. The beads spilled all over the place. Jennifer sank to the ground, in tears.
Jonathan was in the car and saw her and immediately got out and ran to her.
He knelt down next to her.
"Hey, what's the matter?"
"I made a horrible, horrible choice".
She looked up at him and threw her arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder.
"Come on, I have a car right over here".
She nodded.
She salvaged what she could of the bracelet, and then let him lead her to the car.
In the car, she didn't say anything, she just curled up on his shoulder and let him hold her.
"Why don't we go get your things and you can bring them to my hotel and we can just talk?"
She nodded.
He helped her pack her things. While she was in the bathroom, he pulled the sheet off the mattress and found the brand name and wrote it down. He carried her bags to the lobby and she checked out of the hotel. Jonathan insisted on paying the bill, and she finally just let him do it.
They went to his hotel, which was down the street. Jennifer recognized it as the only hotel that Elliott didn't own.
She immediately felt safe.
He loaded her bags onto a hotel cart, and pulled it as they headed to the elevator.
She hugged him in the elevator but didn't say anything.
They went into his hotel room, and he ordered them room service.
She kicked her heels off and pulled the cart to the bedroom and unloaded it.
She emerged in pajama shorts and a tank top, pulling the empty cart.
He took it from her and put it outside in the hallway.
"How about a drink? There are bottles of white wine in the fridge".
"Please".
He handed her a bottle of wine and came and sat down next to her.
"Want to talk about it?"
"I don't want to upset you".
"Jennifer, you can tell me anything. You know that".
She took a deep breath.
"For the past month or so, I have been dating Elliott Manning. And tonight, I decided that I no longer wanted to date him, and that I was going to go back to work in New York when my assignment ended. So, I told him so, and he didn't take it well. He forbade me to leave."
"He forbade you?"
She nodded.
"I'm not happy here. I'm not being challenged in my work, I'm not happy with him, and I just need to go".
She leaned forward and cried harder.
"I've messed everything up".
"What have you messed up?"
"You and me, my career, all of it. None of it is like it should be".
He held her for a few minutes until she calmed down.
"Jennifer, you are forgetting something. You are the only one who can change all of this. Nothing is keeping you here in Australia".
"You're right".
She opened up her laptop and started making travel reservations.
"Jennifer, if you want to fly back to America under the radar, don't buy a ticket. Fly back with me, on my plane".
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Mind? Jennifer, why do you think I'm here in Australia?"
"I haven't thought about it, really".
"I didn't come here for a business venture or a business meeting. I came here for you. I love you, and I finally did what you told me to. I am putting you and me first. I permanently promoted Tashi, and I hired him a crew to help him out, and I have left Tokyo in his hands. No more flying back and forth, no more leaving you for months at a time. You are what is most important to me".
She leaned forward and hugged him, and let him hold her.
"I feel horrible about how I ran out on you that night. I just needed some air. I should have stayed so we could work it out".
"You don't owe me any apologies, darling. This was all me. I should have never committed to a 6 month stay without talking to you first".
He pulled her into his lap and held her close.
"I have missed you so much".
She leaned her head on his shoulder and ran her fingernails across his chest a few times.
"I missed you too".
"Jennifer, I don't want to get into the details and I would never make you tell me anything you didn't want to tell me. But let me ask you this-did he treat you right? Did he hurt you?"
"He was a smooth talker in the beginning, and very charming. But over time, he became more and more selfish, and less and less…accommodating. But he never physically hurt me. He never touched me in anger until tonight".
Their room service arrived and they decided to eat in bed, while they watched Tv.
"So, what was she like?"
"You saw that, huh?"
"Yes, I did".
"She wasn't you. She and I have known each other a long time, but she's just not you".
"I see".
After they were finished, he took their plates to the cart and pushed it into the hallway.
"Jonathan, can you grab me a water bottle from the cart, please?"
"Certainly".
He brought her the water and looked at her.
"I think I'm going to change, do you mind?"
"Not at all".
He changed into his pajamas and then came and climbed in bed with her.
"Jonathan, I never intended to impose on you tonight. I can stay on the couch if you would be more comfortable".
"Jennifer, I didn't come to Australia to find you and then make you sleep on the couch. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but I would never make you sleep anywhere else".
"My emotions are all over the place, Jonathan. All I know is I'm so thankful you were outside the hotel when you were, because who knows what would have happened. And I'm glad we got my things out of the hotel before Elliott had a chance to stop that, since he owns the place. And the one thing that I realized more than anything throughout this whole process, is he's just not you".
"So, if I'm the only me there is, and you are the only you there is, and we both realize that nobody else is going to be me or you, then why don't we make it official? My me wants to be with your you all the time".
She chuckled.
"My me feels the same, but only if your you meant what you said about no more moving to Tokyo".
"My me meant every single word".
She leaned over and kissed him and instantly saw rocket ships and fireworks. Everything that had been missing with Elliott, she had it and then some with Jonathan.
He cradled her in his arms, and rested his forehead against hers.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Absolutely".
"I know that you think I wasn't ready to put us first, before. And you're right. I wasn't. But it's not that I wasn't almost ready, because I was. I had a plan for that dinner, but it didn't go like I had planned."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I had planned for us to do the long-distance thing, but in a more permanent fashion. I just didn't get to the part where I asked you to marry me".
She teared up.
"I feel horrible".
"Don't feel horrible. You ending things with me that night made me take a long hard look at what was really important to me. And it made me really see how much my priorities were all screwed up. I'm grateful that you ended things with me, because if you hadn't, things might have never changed".
"Jonathan, I think we need some time together without any issues before we take that step".
"I agree."
"So what's the plan?"
"Well, Jack will need 8 hours before he can fly us back home. So, what if we just lay low tomorrow and then fly back to New York?"
She nodded.
He held her till she fell asleep, and then kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight darling".