by Melody Grace
Well, screw negotiation. She’d been waiting twenty years to say those things!
And it had been Chase’s voice in her head, giving her the confidence to finally speak her mind.
Letitia exhaled. She drove back to the beach house, her elation fading now – leaving nothing but her heartache, still beating in her chest.
He was right.
Chase was the one who’d warned her that she was begging after her parents’ approval. He’d said she was jumping through hoops to try and make them happy; that she was worth more than they were willing to see. He’d been able to see what she couldn’t, even when it was staring her in the face. She wasn’t used to somebody believing in her like that.
The men she’d known came from the same world as her parents – they saw her ambition as some kind of novelty. Something to be tolerated, not to celebrate. Deep down, she’d known her real job was to be flawless and polished; to make introductions, and keep the conversation light. To make them look good. But Chase was different. Sure, he didn’t want his own life to be about million-dollar deals and high-pressured pitches, but he’d understood, it’s what made her buzz. She could still remember the quiet intensity in his eyes, that day out sailing on the boat when he’d told her that the way her father overlooked her was his problem, not hers. That she shouldn’t have to prove herself to anyone.
Looking back now, Letitia wondered if that was the moment she’d started falling in love with him.
She glanced around, wishing his RV could just materialize right in front of her. She would go to him, and tell him everything that had happened, all the painful details of that conference call. He would crack a joke, and find a way to make her laugh; tell her she was better than all of this. Then they would tumble into bed together, talking and laughing until there was no time for talking anymore, just the feel of his mouth on hers; his body taking her to heaven and back.
But that was just a fantasy, already out of reach. Chase was probably a hundred miles away by now, moving on to his next adventure – without even glancing in the rear-view mirror.
Moving on to his next woman.
She just had to face the fact, he was out of her life for good.
18
Chase wasn’t going anywhere.
He’d made it all of ten miles out of town before his engine made a strange rattling noise, let out a cough, and then died right there in the middle of the King’s Highway. Now, five hours and a hefty towing bill later, he was back at the garage in Sweetbriar Cove, hoping that Bill was about to give him some good news and let him be on his way.
But the grizzled mechanic took one look under the hood and laughed. “You’re not going anywhere soon, I can tell you that,” he said. “The engine needs replacing, and the carburetor… Well, I don’t know what you’ve been doing to this thing, but sand and oil don’t mix.”
Dammit.
Chase sighed. He’d been hoping to put some serious distance between him and this place. Before the guilt and regret whispering in his mind turned into a full-on chorus.
Before he had to face the fact he might have just made the biggest mistake of his life.
“Isn’t there some temporary fix you can do?” he asked desperately. “Enough to get me as far as Rhode Island, at least.”
Bill snorted. “You aren’t making it as far as Wellfleet in this thing,” he said. “I’ll give you a call when the parts come in. Monday, maybe. Or later.” He gave a shrug, unhurried. Because of course, why would he rush?
He wasn’t the one trying to run away from his own bad decisions.
“Fine,” Chase exhaled. “Let me give you my number. And if you can find a way to fix it sooner…”
“Sure, I’ll call. But I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Bill advised.
Chase left his details at the garage, and then wandered back to the town square. It was a relaxed summer’s day, but his stomach was tied up in knots. He kept scanning the crowd, wondering if he was going to run into Letitia again. He was bracing himself for battle – but hoping to catch a glance, all the same.
He missed her.
Chase felt the ache slicing clean through his chest, and tried to remind himself, he’d done the right thing. She was moving way too fast, too soon – heading down a one-way street he knew would only end in heartbreak for them both. He wasn’t the guy she was looking for, he’d known that from the start. They’d just gotten tangled up in the reckless passion of it all, pretended like the future didn’t exist. But there was no avoiding it in the end.
“There you are.” Cassie planted herself in front of him. “You missed breakfast at the diner. Earl did, too. He’s up to something,” she said, looking thoughtful. “That’s the second time he’s sneaked away this week. He’s either running a secret crime ring, or he’s got a fancy lady somewhere.”
“A fancy lady?” Chase repeated. “What is this, Victorian England?”
Cassie laughed. “So, where were you?” she prodded again. “Or shouldn’t I ask?”
Chase coughed. He hadn’t exactly broken the news that he was moving on. He’d figured he would call them from the road, and not have to face the inevitable questions.
Coward.
Letitia’s voice echoed in his mind. That’s what she’d called him, and he’d said it wasn’t true. But which one of them was sneaking out of town at dawn, without even saying goodbye?
“Yoohoo!” Cassie snapped her fingers, bringing him back to reality. “I won’t take three guesses over who you’re daydreaming about,” she added, looking amused. “Because I only need one. How is the lovely Letitia?”
Chase’s heart clenched. “Fine, I think,” he replied, trying to sound casual. “I wouldn’t know.”
“You can drop the act.” Cassie grinned. “Your secret affair isn’t so secret anymore. Aunt June quizzed me for all the hot gossip at the bakery this morning.”
Chase winced. “Really, there’s nothing to tell. We were seeing each other,” he admitted. “But it didn’t work out.”
Understatement.
He braced himself for Hurricane Cassie; for his twin sister to unleash a torrent of disappointment with a side helping of judgement, but to his surprise, Cassie just gave a shrug.
“Oh. Does this mean you’re free? Because I have about five million tile samples to haul right now.” She hooked her arm through Chase’s and steered him over to her car. “Wes’s friend Nick just hired me to decorate his new beach house, and I’m thinking a rugged, industrial look...”
Cassie kept chattering about furnishings and fabric all the way up the coast, and Chase was too confused to object. He’d expected her to have an opinion about Letitia. Hell, he’d expected her to take him to task for letting a woman like that slip through his fingers. But instead, Cassie hadn’t skipped a beat.
“…It’s all about the light,” she was saying as they pulled up outside a gleaming new construction, a concrete and glass box nestled in the dunes. “Personally, I think he’s crazy, having all these windows, with the sea spray. But hey, I won’t be the one washing them! Can you grab those samples, in the back?”
Chase hoisted the heavy boxes, and followed her inside. Cassie had already covered every inch of the foyer in half-unpacked furniture and tile. “Where do you want them?” he asked.
She gestured vaguely. “Anywhere you like.”
He put them down beside an abstract sculpture that reminded him of the one he’d seen at the art night up in Provincetown. Had that really only been a month ago? It felt like a hundred years. Back when he was still playing around, riling up Letitia just to see her cheeks flush red with irritation.
Back before he knew how she looked flushed for a very different reason, moaning in his arms.
Would he have kept his distance if he’d known just where they were heading? Chase could only wonder. That night on the beach when they’d shared s’mores, and he’d decided to play wingman in her big plans to find a match... He could have grabbed his bottle of whiskey, and gone to bed alone
, instead. He could have taken that cute redhead back to her place for a night of simple, uncomplicated fun.
He could have made a hundred other choices, taken a dozen different paths. Maybe then, he wouldn’t have wound up here, carrying around this dull pain in his chest, weighed down with self-loathing and regret.
Cassie snapped her fingers. “Earth to Chase?”
He looked at her blankly.
“Wow, you really are on a different planet today.” Cassie raised an eyebrow, looking curious. “Already scrolling through your little black book?”
Chase frowned. “I thought you liked Letitia,” he couldn’t help saying.
“I do.” Cassie replied, breezy. “She’s great. But I knew you two weren’t a good match. I mean, anyone could have told you that.” She smiled. “What happened, did she dare to make plans for dinner next week? Or did she just take one look at that chemical toilet in your van, and decide she’d be better off with a man who had running water?”
Her tone was teasing, but it cut Chase to the core.
“Maybe it wasn’t my fault, did you think about that for a second?” he snapped.
Cassie raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised. “Hey, I was just joking around.”
“Yeah, well sometimes it isn’t funny.” Chase said, feeling tense. “I’m not always the one to blame when things don’t work out. She wanted some stuffed suit to parade around at fancy events. What was I supposed to do, change my whole damn life for the woman?”
His question echoed for a moment, and he tried to ignore that voice in the back of his mind.
The one saying, ‘yes’.
But that was crazy. Letitia was the one making unreasonable demands, trying to switch the rules on him out of nowhere. They were only supposed to be a summer fling, nothing more.
Cassie gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry.” she apologized. “I didn’t realize it was a big breakup.”
“It wasn’t.” Chase denied quickly, but his sister knew him too well.
“Of course not,” she agreed, with a knowing smirk. “How about you come by the pub later, and we drown all those sorrows that you’re definitely not feeling? Luke and Jackson will come. Family night.”
He exhaled. He wasn’t in the mood for company, but on the other hand…
“A drink sounds good,” he agreed.
Because one thing was for certain: he’d need all the whisky in Sweetbriar Cove if he stood a chance of getting Letitia off his mind.
Letitia needed to get drunk. Or eat herself into a food coma. Anything to make her forget this ache in her chest, just for a little while. Luckily, there were a dozen other women gathered in the town square that evening with the exact same plans in mind.
“Here’s the bachelorette!” Brooke whooped, as Eliza arrived. She was dressed to the nines in a cute dress, and did a little spin, greeting them all.
“Aren’t you missing something?” Paige said, grinning.
“Nooo…” Eliza winced. “Don’t tell me you’ve got one of those cheesy sashes, and a crown for me to wear?”
“Would I do that to you?” Paige laughed. Instead, she reached into a massive tote bag, and pulled out an armful of pink satin bomber jackets. Eliza lit up.
“The Pink Ladies!” she squealed. “I loved ‘Grease’,” she explained to the group. “I would play it over and over when we were kids, until the video tape was almost worn through. I can’t believe you remembered,” she added, giving Paige a hug.
“How could I forget?” Paige asked wryly. “We shared a bedroom. I could have sung you ‘Summer Lovin’ in my sleep. In fact, I probably did.”
Everyone pulled on their matching jackets, and Letitia was glad she’d dressed down, in jeans and a cute blue blouse. “Well, they’ll definitely see us coming,” Brooke remarked with a grin, striking a pose for what was sure to be the first of many photographs.
Letitia smiled. The whole group was out tonight: Poppy, Mackenzie, Jenny, and Summer, too – looking surprisingly empty-handed for someone who ran the best bakery in town. “What’s this?” Letitia asked, teasing. “No supplies? Unless you’re hiding a dozen cupcakes in your back pockets…”
Summer smiled. “Oh, don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of cake,” she reassured her. “In fact, this whole evening is a food crawl.”
“Like a pub crawl, but with way more calories,” Paige explained, joining them.
“And way fewer drunken karaoke numbers,” Brooke added.
“Speak for yourself!” Paige said with a laugh. “I’ve planned a whole tour through Eliza’s favorite foods… starting with lobster rolls down at the harbor. Let’s go!” she called, and they headed for the street, a flock of pink flamingos, with Letitia right there in the center.
It was good, she told herself. Fun. Exactly the distraction she needed. But as their tour through the culinary delights of Sweetbriar Cove got underway, it turned out not to be so easy, forgetting her heartbreak. Because there was only one thing people wanted to talk about.
Chase.
“But wait, I thought you were all happy and loved-up?” Paige asked, over crab cakes and hush puppies. Letitia forced a smile.
“It just didn’t work out.”
“Are you OK, or should we spike that lemonade with something stronger?” Summer pitched in, as they gorged on homemade pizza at the bakery.
“I’m fine,” she repeated, stuffing a slice of double pepperoni in her mouth. She batted away concern as they decorated their own cupcakes, pretended like she didn’t care over chocolate soufflés, but by the time they arrived at the pub, her cheeks hurt from smiling so widely, so long.
She was definitely in need of a drink.
They made their way across the room, drawing smiles and greetings from the locals. “Now, I don’t want any trouble,” Riley teased, already setting out a line of tequila shots. “So if the T-Birds and the Scorpions want to rumble…”
“We can take them.” Brooke declared, leaning over the bar to give him a kiss.
“To Eliza!” They all toasted, knocking back the shots. Paige subtly slipped hers to Letitia, who didn’t complain. The sooner she could dull the hollow ache in her chest, the better.
“Another round?” Brooke asked, as if reading her mind. “Coming right up.”
Letitia nodded, happy to just find a seat in the corner booth and catch her breath, as the other women commandeered the karaoke machine. Eliza slid in beside her, with an extra-large bucket of fries.
“How do you even have room for that?” Letitia asked, smiling. “I won’t be eating for a week.”
“Years of practice,” Eliza grinned. Then her smile softened. “Are you sure you’re OK?” she asked quietly. “I know you probably don’t want to be out, celebrating. So, if you want to bail, and just go wallow at home in sweatpants--”
“No.” Letitia cut her off. “I want to be here. This is your big night! And I’m fine. Really.”
Eliza gave her a look.
“OK, I’m not fine,” Letitia admitted. “But I will be. Eventually.”
Somehow.
“Okay…” Eliza didn’t look convinced, but luckily, Lila and Alice came by to drag her off for an enthusiastic Kelly Clarkson rendition, and Letitia was left alone. With the fries. And a fresh round of margaritas.
She took another drink. The burn of tequila didn’t completely mask the sting of heartbreak, but it sure did help. She couldn’t help looking around the room, thinking how Chase would have loved the party. This was his kind of scene, rowdy and fun, and she could just imagine him as part of the group: belting out an old Springsteen song with Mackenzie, or challenging Jenny to a round of darts.
Snuggled up with her here in the corner, trading kisses and jokes…
Letitia’s heart ached at the thought of him, out there in the world without her. But that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? She’d offered up her heart on a silver platter… And he’d still walked away. He wanted freedom, the open road. Nothing tying him down or holding h
im back.
Nobody to love.
But she’d be alright, she told herself, with another gulp of margarita. She’d make a new plan, and move on; figure out how to fix things up and face the future again.
So why did she have this voice in the back of her mind, telling her that moving on was the last thing she should be doing.
Why did it feel like all the planning in the world wouldn’t mend her broken heart?
“You’re missing the fun!” Paige interrupted her wallowing. “Come sing something.”
“I don’t know…” Letitia shook her head, but Mackenzie materialized too, and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
“It’ll be fun!” she promised, as the first chords of ‘I Will Survive’ played out. “You know you want to!”
They pulled her over to the corner, and handed her a microphone. And maybe it was the three tequila shots – OK, four – but Letitia was finally able to lose herself in the moment, just singing along with her friends. Perhaps the song was right. She would survive. She’d been doing fine before Chase backed up his Airstream, right over her heart. So, she was still single, and her career was hovering over the precipice thanks to her outburst this morning, but Letitia was capable. She was independent. She was—
Staring straight at him.
Letitia gulped, the song fading on her lips as she took in the sight of Chase, over by the bar. He was with his brothers, looking as casually irresistible as ever in worn jeans and a faded blue T-shirt. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, but he’d definitely noticed her, judging by the tense look on his face.
How could anyone not notice her, after all? She was the one in a lurid pink jacket, tunelessly singing her heart out for everyone to see.
Oh God.
Letitia stumbled back, knocking into Paige. “Sorry!” She blurted, quickly ducking in the other direction. She half-hopped, half-tumbled off the stage, almost losing her footing entirely in her haste to get away.
