Lana: We need to talk. Can you come over tonight?

Jack: Sure, I'll be over around 7 pm if that works? Can you send me your address?

Lana realized Jack had never actually been to her place. She quickly texted him back and headed in to work.

As soon as she walked through the sliding doors, she pulled her manager aside. "Harry, can we talk for a sec in the back?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Harry asked as he placed a pen behind his ear. He led her to the back room, away from the noise of bustling shoppers.

"So, um, I was wondering if I could maybe take a week off of work sometime soon? Have to take care of some personal stuff."

Harry looked at Lana like someone just died. "Lana, is everything okay? I won't press, but just know that we're all here for you for whatever you need."

"Yeah, sorry, it's not that serious. Just, um, need like a week to go travel."

Harry breathed out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, okay! Of course, you can. You deserve some time off after how hard you've worked! Please, take whatever time you need! Go travel the world!"

Lana smiled. "Thanks, Harry. I was thinking just a week, maybe next week if that works?"

"Of course! I'll make sure your shifts are covered, and you just please take time to relax—with your boyfriend, I assume?" Harry said with a huge grin on his face.

She quickly shook her head and scrunched her nose.

Well, it's technically with a boy who's a friend. But it's strictly for business, not pleasure.

Harry laughed and added, "No need to answer. I'm proud of you for taking time off. Go have fun!"

Lana was hearing that phrase a lot lately, that people were proud of her. Chloe, her mom, and now Harry. She wasn't sure how she felt about it but figured she must've been doing something right recently.

When Lana got home, she cleaned up a bit to prepare for Jack's arrival. She decided to bake some brownies and felt a sense of accomplishment when the first thing Jack said when he arrived was, "Wow, it smells amazing in here!" She was thankful that he didn't comment on the size of her place or how much stuff she had around. He looked as handsome as ever. He had a button-down white shirt on and navy blue slacks, likely what he wore to work.

"Yeah, thanks. I made some brownies. They're just cooling now, so we can eat them after dinner."

Jack walked two steps toward the couch with a laptop in hand.

"Do you need to get some work done? I don't have Wifi, unfortunately, but I occasionally use the Wifi from the shop downstairs." A tinge of pink swept Lana's cheeks.

Jack shook his head. "Nope. I have a surprise for you!"

"For me?" Lana smiled, giddy as a little schoolgirl.

"Yes. Let me order us some dinner, and then I can show you?"

Lana didn't object to dinner, because all she had to offer was ramen noodles in a cup.

"Sure. That sounds great. There's this really good Chinese restaurant we can order from."

They both settled on dim sum, orange chicken, noodles, and rice to share. Once the food was ordered, Jack looked up at Lana, with an eager grin.

"Lana, so you know how we agreed that I would help you with some financial advice?" He paused just a moment, eyes sparkling. "Well, I was able to put together a packet for you that outlines the key steps. I figured we could go over it together tonight and come up with some financial goals for you to track against."

His excitement was more evident the more he spoke. The thought of him taking time out of his day to do extra work for her made Lana's heart swell.

He continued, "What do you say? Should we go over things now or wait until after dinner? I'm excited for you to see it, so hopefully you say now."

Lana didn't say a word but instead went over to the couch and hugged Jack. He returned it, and they sat in each other's embrace for a few seconds. The warmth he gave off made it difficult for Lana to break it, but she needed to stay on task. "Jack, that is sweet. Thank you for taking the time to do that for me. How about we go over it on the plane ride to Morocco instead? I hear it's a long flight."

Jack furrowed his brow. It seemed to be the last thing he expected Lana to say. "Wait, what?" he said as he stood up.

Lana started to nod her head. "About that text, Jack—"

"Is this because I pressured you? Lana, I am so sorry about that. You don't have to go. I really can go on my own. It's okay."

"No, Jack. I wanted to say I'm sorry for being super dismissive about it. I've thought a lot about it, and I think it's important for me to go even though it scares me to pieces. I need to get out of this literal shell once in a while, and I might as well start now."

Jack put a hand on his chin, seeming to think critically about what Lana was saying. A smile gradually formed on his face. "Are you sure? I mean, this means you will be going to a very different country that has a different culture. One that you're not at all used to."

Lana knew Jack was trying to test her but simply replied, "Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure about this decision. This is why I wanted you to come over tonight, to talk through the plans."

"What made you change your mind?" Jack asked.

Lana thought about it. Her mom was the one that convinced her to go, but that wasn't all. "I think I know what's in the box." Jack's eyes grew wide. He waited for Lana to continue.

"My grandmother was pretty wealthy. She always hid her money and never really shared it with my mom. They had a bit of a rocky relationship when my mom ran away with my dad and even after when they both were raising me. Well anyways. Back to the point. It turns out my grandmother would keep her valuables in some boxes in her room that could only be unlocked with her key. My mom thinks she put some jewelry or diamonds in the box that could potentially be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Jack looked stunned. "Shit, Lana, what have I done? Here I was thinking I took something worth pennies when in actuality, I stole what could have turned your life around." Jack started pacing the room and breathing heavily like he was about to have a panic attack. He put his hands on his head and kept shaking it in disbelief.

"Jack, please. It's okay. I didn't know, and I wasn't expecting anything too big. Please calm down. We don't know if it's for sure that, and I appreciate you trying to make it right. Just take a deep breath."

Jack's breathing slowed as he started to take deep breaths in. He looked at Lana, who was still seated on the couch with a blanket draped over her lap. "I don't deserve to have you in my life."

"Jack, I'm not perfect. I make mistakes sometimes too. I mean, maybe not to the extent of robbing a Goodwill, but for sure subtler ones over time have added up."

Jack sat back down next to Lana and said, "Okay, if you're sure—"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then what the hell, let's do this. Let's plan our trip to Morocco."

His smile widened, and he picked Lana up off the couch in a big bear hug. She let out a small yelp but quickly succumbed to the embrace.

Wow, are his arms always this strong?

Although she was still terrified, the thought of being with Jack on the trip made her feel warm and, dare she even say it, a little bit safer.

***

Thanks for reading!! Any predictions for what's going to happen next? Thanks for voting and commenting! ♥️