Free The Groom Wanted Seconds: A Novella by Shirley Jump Page A

the perfect day for such a trip, breezy and sunny, and still warm enough to enjoy the Charles without a jacket. His gaze dropped to the blue-green water below him. “Did you know Harry Houdini once jumped off this bridge?”
    “He did?”
    Jeremy nodded. “It was April of 1908 and the water was colder than hell. He had that straightjacket on, got it all locked up and secure, then jumped. Something like ten thousand people were here, watching it. He went under the water and it’s so dark and cold, no one can see him. No one knows if he’s drowning or working a key into those locks. Five seconds go by, ten, thirty, more. People start to panic, sure that he’s dying. Women start to cry, men offer to rescue him, and then he just rises to the surface, out of his shackles. He went on to perform a show that night in Boston, too.” Jeremy smoothed a hand across the railing, then turned to Rebecca. “Someone asked him before he jumped if he was afraid and he just laughed and said, ‘What do I have to fear?’”
    “A lot.” She shuddered. “I can’t imagine jumping in this water like he did.”
    “I used to think he was crazy. You know, in the Charles it was still winter. He could have died of shock, hypothermia, a hundred other things. But then I realized why I like that story. He might have said he didn’t have anything to fear, but he had to be scared. Looking down into that dark, cold water, praying he’d undo the locks fast enough. And he did it anyway.” Jeremy took a step closer to Rebecca, and took both her hands in his. “I used to think that taking the safe way out was the best way to lead my life. No jumping off perfectly good bridges, no daring escapes, no risks. Be as predictable and practical as a design for a water system. But where did that get me?” He let out a gust. “Alone and miserable. I got that job at Griffin the other day—”
    Her features brightened, and a smile winged its way across his face. “That’s awesome, Jeremy. I know you wanted that for a long time.”
    “The only person I wanted to tell, the only person I wanted to share that news with, wasn’t with me anymore, and I realized that no job, no award, no achievement matters if the people you love aren’t there to share it with you. I let you go, Rebecca, because I was afraid of taking a risk with my heart. It was the same reason I couldn’t tell you I loved you, even though I wanted to marry you. What kind of sense does that make? I was afraid that I would lose my concentration and focus if I had you, too. But you know what? I can’t concentrate or focus on anything but you. You are the one who makes me want to jump off bridges,” he laughed when he realized how that sounded, “in a good way. And you’re the only one I want to see when I come back to the surface.”
    “Oh, Jeremy. I—”
    He put a finger on her lips. “Don’t say it. I don’t want you and me to get back together because of a moment during a sunset. I want us both to be sure that this is what we want forever. I want you to jump off that bridge and be okay with it. Something’s scaring you, but you’re not telling me what that is.”
    She looked away. “Jeremy, I…I can’t.”
    “Don’t you understand?” He lifted her chin until her gaze met his. “I’m playing for keeps, Rebecca. I love you and I want to marry you. I wanted to marry you the minute I saw you trying to fix that flat on your own. You’re smart and strong and everything I could ever want in a woman. But I don’t want someone who is still afraid of the unknown.” He stepped back, releasing the contact, and thought it had to be the hardest thing he’d ever done. “Enjoy the sunset.”
    Then he headed down the bridge and back to his car. Wishing he was Houdini and could magically undo the chains on Rebecca’s heart.

 
     
    1 pound spaghetti, cooked
    3/4 32-ounce jar spaghetti sauce or equivalent of fresh sauce
    1 10-ounce container Italian herb flavored cream cheese (or