Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House)

“Does that mean you don’t want a relationship?”

“I’ve been burned before, and that’s made it a challenge for me to invest in a relationship.” He cringes. “That sounds transactional. What I mean is that I’m not sure it’s fair to my prospective partner if I’m not all in and they are.”

I nod, settling into my seat, intrigued by the turn in this conversation. I can’t decide if this is a warning to change the topic or an invitation to ask more questions. But if I can keep him talking, it means I won’t stick my foot in my mouth. “That was why I ended my last relationship. I realized he was far more invested. He’d started talking about moving in together and asking how I felt about a family and kids, and I realized that we were in two very different headspaces.”

“So you ended it before he could get in any deeper?”

And before he got locked into a life that would never make him happy, but I keep that to myself. I don’t want to end up alone, but I also don’t want to settle. “I did. I felt horrible.”

“How long were you two together?”

“Um … maybe a little less than a year?” We’d been approaching the one-year anniversary, and I knew I had to end it before that milestone.

“What was your longest relationship?” Jackson reaches for his coffee, gaze shifting briefly to my hands clasped in my lap before returning to the road.

“I had a boyfriend in college for almost two years, but he went to med school out of state and I stayed here. Harley was just starting college, and I was finishing up, and I didn’t want to leave her. What about you? What’s your longest relationship?”

He taps on the steering wheel. “I had a girlfriend in college. And a friend with benefits thing over the years.”

“Were either of them serious?”

“I proposed once.” His smile holds strain.

“What happened?” These are the pieces of Jackson I want to know. The parts of him that he gives me little glimpses of. Layers of humanity and humility under the refined businessman who seems unstoppable and unflappable most of the time.

“She said no.”

“Well, clearly she’s an idiot. What the hell is wrong with her?” I slap a palm over my mouth. “I’m sorry, that was so rude.”

Jackson barks out a laugh. “I appreciate your vote of confidence, but she was right to say no. Especially since we weren’t even dating at the time.”

“What?” I don’t even understand how that would happen.

His expression shifts to chagrin. “Well, in my defense, my parents had only passed six months earlier, and I’d been asking for all the wrong reasons. Marrying someone for stability is not the same as marrying someone for love. She saved us a world of grief.”

“Oh, that must have been so hard.”

“It was more embarrassing than anything.” He glances at me. “Why do I always find myself baring my soul to you, London?”

“We’re just talking about life, and it seems we’ve both had curveballs thrown at us. Like recognizes like sometimes, I think.”

“Hmm, I suppose that’s true. You’re very easy to talk to.”

“So are you, when you’re not busy being intimidating and all business.” Or decimating my ego with rejection.

He chuckles again. “I’m sure you would be unsurprised to hear that you’re not the first person to say that about me.”

The car GPS dings, signaling that we need to turn off the winding country road and down a long, equally winding driveway.

“Holy wow, this is unbelievable,” I murmur when the sprawling mansion comes into view. It’s rustic, yet elegant, with thick wood beams, smooth stone, and floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a stunning view of the front yard. Cobblestone paths snake through the gardens, all in full, lush bloom. Archways covered in flowering vines and a water feature make it feel like a magical wonderland. I half expect to see a deer drinking at a babbling brook or Snow White and Cinderella to sashay past us, singing to the birds and cooing to the mice.

Set back away from the road with the mountains as the backdrop, it has an elegant, yet cottagelike feel, but on a much larger scale. Peaked roofs and floor-to-ceiling windows highlight the warm glow coming from the interior. It’s an interesting mix of modern and classic styles. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“An entire village could live here. It actually probably takes that many people to maintain this place. Do you know why they’re having an estate sale? It didn’t say in the advertisement. I hope it’s not because they have to.” I reach for my coffee, even though it’s basically empty. If I don’t have something to keep my hands busy, I’ll start biting at my nails. I have star strips in my purse, but I didn’t think pulling them out while we’re in the car seemed like a good idea.