Second Look (A New Beginning Book 3) by Connie Stephany Page A

offered me a job.”
    His eyes narrowed and her stomach dropped to the floor. “And?”
    “I took the job.”
    Adam’s smile faded and he stared at her in silence.
    When she first accepted the position, she had never been so excited. She wanted to call Adam, but the second she thought of telling him, her excitement turned to dread.
    It even made her second-guess her decision.
    Was she doing the right thing, taking this job? What would it mean for her and Adam? Their relationship had suffered from distance and they both were looking forward to being together again. But she absolutely loved working at that clinic and often thought it would be her ideal first job as a nurse.
    “You took it? A job in California?”
    She nodded at him, not trusting her voice.
    He opened his mouth and then closed it again.
    Several seconds of stunned silence were followed by his soft reply. “But you’re supposed to be coming home.”
    “I know,” she whispered. “I applied for the job but didn’t really think I’d get it.”
    Adam looked upset before, but the hurt that passed his features told her he was even more crushed. He was still holding her hand but his grip relaxed. She held on tighter.
    Shit. Why did I tell him that?
    “You applied for it?”
    “Yeah, I mean, it’s going to take me time to get all the tests done in Minnesota to be able to be a nurse there, and I figured I’d just take the time to learn in an environment I’m used to for now while I prepare to do all that.”
    “But, what about us?” His voice was shaky. “Are we supposed to just keep doing what we’ve been doing? Phone calls and texts and rarely getting to see each other?”
    Jennifer tried to figure that out ever since she accepted the position. It wasn’t fair to ask him to hang on any longer, when they’d always agreed on her coming home right after graduation.
    Now she was changing the plan.
    “I don’t know. I mean, we’ve come this far, right?”
    “I can’t believe you took the job without talking to me.”
    “Since when do I need to clear things with you? You took your job without telling me. How’s this any different?”
    She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.
    Of course it’s different.
    “I…what?” Adam shook his head and his eyes widened. “You knew I was applying for the job and you were the first to know when I got the offer. We’ve always planned to live in Minnesota together and you’ve never once mentioned you even applied. Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I don’t know. I just, I really like working at this clinic and I love working for the doctor. It’s just a really good fit for me to start my career.”
    “That doesn’t explain why you didn’t bother to tell me.”
    “You’re right. I should have told you sooner. I just wasn’t sure how.”
    “So, what now? We just keep going on this way? Rarely seeing each other?”
    She looked down at the ring on her finger. The promise ring Adam gave her on one of his trips to visit her used to make her heart happy, but it had become a source of pressure and guilt.
    The last few weeks had been hell as she tried to find the right way to tell Adam she was staying in California. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she’d already made up her mind.
    She wasn’t going to pass up her dream job.
    And if that was more important than going back home to Adam, what did that say about their relationship? That thought had popped into her head more often than any other.
    Jennifer’s stomach dropped and her heart raced. “No, I don’t think that’s fair to you.”
    Adam narrowed his eyes. “What are you saying?”
    “Maybe it’s time to break up.”
    He backed up in the booth. “What?”
    She nodded, her eyes filling up. “I can’t expect you to stay in a long-distance relationship. It’s been really hard for a long time, on both of us.”
    Adam’s jaw hardened and a determine look crossed his handsome face. “No, I don’t want to break up, Jenn.