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Jane Adler sat on
the cold, wet hood of Isaac’s car. She leaned away from him, her
arms crossed. Their spot on the top of Mount Scott gave them a good
view of the city lights. The day’s light rain had turned to softly
falling snow as night fell.
She was damp, cold,
and beyond irritated with her boyfriend.
“If you keep
changing your degree, you’ll never finish school.” The vein in
Isaac’s temple throbbed, and he flexed his jaw.
“Again: I have not
changed my degree. And I’ll still graduate this spring even with
the extra classes.” Jane exhaled slowly. Isaac had only been home a
week, and they had already had this argument four times.
“You’ve changed
your degree twice since I met you.” Isaac leaned back on his
elbows. “It’s like you don’t want to finish.”
“You’re
exaggerating, and it’s not fair. I finished Bible school and I
started a bachelor’s degree in business. That is not the same thing
as changing my degree.”
“And now criminal
science.”
“Yes. I added a
couple of criminal science classes to my schedule. As well as French.
It’s more work, but I’ll get it all done.”
Isaac leaned over to
bump shoulders with Jane. “See, that’s the thing. You don’t
even speak the language. How are you going to be a detective in
Montreal?”
Jane didn’t
answer. She couldn’t say what she was really thinking—that she
hoped she wouldn’t ever be a detective in Montreal.
“Talk to me,
Jane.”
“Why? You only
hear what you want to hear.”
“Just help me
understand why you’re making it harder to finish. Are you trying to
come up with reasons to stay here? To not move to Canada with me?”
“You may not stay
there forever.”
Isaac leaned over
and brushed her cheek with his lips. “I hope I do. It’s my dream
job.” His voice was a low, sexy rumble in his throat.
She pushed him away.
“Don’t kiss me while we’re fighting.”
“I haven’t seen
you since August.” He tried to set his hand on her knee, but she
moved a little. All of his little caresses and kisses were making the
inevitable harder for her.
“You saw me
yesterday.”
“And we had this
same fight yesterday.” Isaac turned her gently by the chin and
kissed her lips.
Jane froze, a
hairsbreadth from his closed eyes and slightly parted mouth. “Then
quit bringing it up.”
Isaac pulled a small
square box out of the pocket of his ski jacket. He set it on the hood
of the car, right between them. “I keep bringing it up, because I
have something to ask you.”
Jane stared at the
box.
The box.
The box she had been
waiting to see since his last visit home. The box she had been
dreaming of since she fell for him at first sight, a year and a half
ago. The box every Christian girl hopes to get before she turns
twenty-three.
Jane stared at the
box and felt sick to her stomach.
“Jane…I want you
to marry me. Move to Montreal this spring. Be a professor’s wife.
Don’t ever worry about cleaning, or detecting, or anything ever
again. Make Montreal your mission field.” He opened the box and
held it out to her.
One large diamond,
with a swirl of smaller diamonds cascading away from it, down both
sides of the ring.
“Say yes.” He
stroked the back of her head with his strong fingers and pulled her
close, his forehead bumping hers. He went for the kiss, but
hesitated—a pause that gave Jane the chance she needed to act.
She pushed him away
and slid off of the car. “I’m not a prize—not another set of
letters to add after your name, Isaac.”
“What? What is
wrong with you this week?” Isaac held the ring out to her and
cocked an eyebrow.
“Nothing is wrong
with me. I’m doing fine. I’m working hard to
follow my dream and make a difference in the world.” She took a
deep breath. “What’s wrong with us? That’s the real
question. Neither of us seem willing to admit the obvious.” She
stopped. She had to say it, but it felt like something smashed into
her heart. “This is not meant to be.” She was too mad to cry, but
her whole body shook. Right now, at this moment, she should be
slipping that diamond ring on her finger and kissing her fiancé. The
man she loved. Not yelling at him. Not…breaking up.
“What do you mean
this isn’t meant to be?” He shoved the ring forward. “It’s
right here. I’m asking you to marry me. We’ll go have adventures
in French Canada. You can keep doing the career student thing. What
don’t you like about this?”
“That!” The word
felt like a knife in her throat. “That’s what I don’t like! I’m
not doing a ‘career student’ thing. I’ve been a key player in
successfully solving two murder investigations, and I want to do more
of it. I plan on cleaning houses and solving murders for as long as I
can, but it’s like you don’t believe me.”
“You wanted to be
a missionary too, and you’re not doing that anymore.” His cocky
voice made Jane want to punch him in the face.
“Who says I’m
not going to be a missionary?”
“You just did. You
said you’re going to be a detective.”
“Right now. I’m
going to be a detective right now.”
“And for as long
as you can. You just said that, Jane. You don’t know
yourself very well at all, do you?”
“Well, if I don’t
know myself, then I have no business getting married and moving
across the continent, do I? I say no. No. No. I’m turning down your
proposal.” She clamped her jaw shut and stared at him.
His mouth bobbed
open. He shoved the ring box into his pocket. “Fine.”
“Fine.” She eyed
the lone bus stop on top of the hill. Right next to the cemetery.
“And I’m taking the bus home.”
“Now you’re just
being stupid. Jane.”
Jane yanked her
wallet out of her purse. “Don’t call.” The bus was lumbering up
the hill, so she didn’t run for it. She didn’t want to look like
a child, but she did stomp away as fast as she could.
She waited with her
back to Isaac.
Merry Christmas
to me.
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