Unlikely Venture (The Venture Series Book 1) by Kristen Luciani Page A

yet?”
    Jessica tilted her head. “No, you haven’t scared me off. And no, I’m really not okay with roughing it, but being with you makes it bearable.”
    “Awesome. Because I have to admit I was nervous.” He took a sip of his water. “In all seriousness, since I haven’t really dated that much lately, I guess I’m a little out of practice. Maybe I should have taken you to a really fancy dinner to make a better impression.”
    “Listen, let’s not talk about making impressions. I’m sure you could have done without the first one I left.”
    “Yeah, but here we are…”
    Their eyes locked. Oh Lord…
    “Here we are. So that tells me you’re either a glutton for punishment or you really are desperate for dates.” She winked.
    “Or maybe I just knew you were worth the risk.” James grinned as he moved the paddles aside. “So, how long have you lived in New York? Do you like it there?”
    “Oh yeah, I l ove it. I moved there right after graduation when I started working at DMC. It’s such an amazing city. Ever been?”
    “Only a couple of times to meet with investors for LazerShark. But it’s never really been my speed. I guess I got used to a slower pace living in Cambridge for four years.”
    “It’s nice,” Jessica mused. “To sit back and relax a little, not get so caught up in the whole rat race. The quality of life is just better out here, but I don’t know. I think I’m too tightly wound. Maybe I thrive on the stress.”
    “Life’s too short. I get it now, after all this time. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching lately and I don’t want to miss out on living anymore. I want to enjoy as much as I can without having to be bogged down with worries. You never know when your time’s up.” He snapped his fingers. “It can happen just like that.”
    “You’re right, the small stuff really isn’t that important.” She hesitated, not knowing what to say next.
    He stroked her hand. “I decided I’d rather take a chance on something…or someone …then wonder if things might have been different if I wasn’t afraid to try.”
    Jessica’s heart pounded as he stared at her. She saw the hope alive in his eyes. He says that now. But will he still feel that strongly once he finds out I’m sick? Will he still want me then? I don’t want to find out, it’s better if we keep this light. But she couldn’t ignore the unmistakable connection between them. It was almost strong enough to trump her fears and insecurities, at least for the short-term.
    “I know the long-distance thing isn’t appealing, especially since we don’t really know each other.” It was almost as if he was reading her exact thoughts. “I’m just asking you to give this a fair shot, to see if it’s even worth pursuing. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week or even next month. But I’m okay with that.” He sat back on his elbows, flashing her a dimpled smile. “It took me a long time to reach that conclusion.”
    Jessica looked down for a few seconds, remembering how much pain she’d experienced in recent months. She picked the wrong guy and was ready to live the rest of her life with him. But now I have a second chance with someone who’s confident that he made the right choice with me. “Things don’t always happen the way we want. I think the best-case scenario is finding someone who shares your goals for the future and wants to grow together as a unit, no matter what challenges and obstacles get thrown in the way. And if that happens, shouldn’t we just go for it?”
    James smiled. “You’re pretty insightful.”
    “Interesting observation, since most times I feel like I can’t see past my nose.” She let out small laugh with her admission.
    “Did you have some big enlightening experience?”
    “Isn’t that how all great pearls of wisdom are formed?” She snickered. “But yes, I was engaged before. I met him in New York at an alumni event and we dated for a couple of years. We