by Melody Grace
Cal was taken aback, and as the rest of them joined the chorus of well-wishes, he realized it was true. This felt right—a way to honor his parents’ legacy, but doing it his way. The relief was incredible, and Cal knew he’d made the right decision.
His uncle arrived beside him. “I’m sorry,” Cal said, and meant it. “You’ve been a great mentor, and I’ve learned a lot. But I have to make my own path now.”
“Who knows what this will do to the stock price?” Arthur grumbled.
“You’ll weather it. And like you said, the Foundation is excellent PR,” Cal pointed out.
Arthur brightened a little. “True. But where am I going to find a replacement?”
“Right in front of you,” Cal said. He looked across the room to where his cousin was already schmoozing some of the board. “Give her a chance. She’s better suited to this than I ever was.”
“Hmmm.” Arthur didn’t say anything, but Cal thought he could see a hint of agreement in his uncle’s expression. “We’ll see.” He turned back to Cal. “Does this mean you’ll be moving out to the Cape? I take it this Foundation plan is something you cooked up with the Bennett girl.”
“No,” Cal said regretfully. “Eliza and I . . . aren’t together anymore.”
“Really?” His uncle looked surprised. “I would have thought this little speech had her fingerprints all over it.”
“No sir, this was all me.”
The version of himself Cal hadn’t been brave enough to reveal—until Eliza urged him on. She’d known who he was even before he had realized it for himself.
Despite all their bad first impressions and preconceptions, she’d seen the best in him. The man he wanted to be.
With her.
Was it really too late? Cal wondered as they finished up the meeting and he said his goodbyes. He was needed back at the office—an announcement like this should be broken to his team in person, coordinated with PR, all kinds of work—but Cal needed a moment to himself to think.
He set out on foot, heading downtown through the financial district with the busy streets and towering office buildings. He remembered his morning strolls through the leafy back lanes of Sweetbriar Cove, and it felt like a lifetime ago. Part of him wanted to get in the car and just hit the highway again, make it back in time for lunch at the harbor and a beer at the pub.
But everything about that place was bound up in Eliza. Fresh breeze and bright ocean. The highway into town, where she’d appeared in his life like a tempting, troublesome siren, the garden at the pub, where he’d kissed her for the very first time. Walking on the beach together; getting morning coffee at the bakery. He could still see the look in her eyes on that rain-slicked street in Provincetown, pulling him down for a kiss that had stopped his heart dead in his chest.
What was he doing without her?
Cal looked around and realized he’d wandered close to the Public Library building. He climbed the broad stone steps and ducked inside, making his way down the hushed hallways to that small courtyard in the middle of the building, where it had all fallen apart for them.
Without the lights and decorations from the gala, the space was quiet, just a couple of people snatching a lunch break by the fountain. Cal took a seat on a bench, wrestling with the emotions still fighting in his chest.
He’d taken the easy way out.
Letting her go. Walking away. He replayed the fight over in his mind, and he saw half a dozen moments where he could have done it differently and stopped her in her tracks. Apologized, admitted he was wrong, insisted that she was the only one who mattered. Maybe he could have pulled them back from the brink, or maybe, Eliza was too hurt to even listen, but he could have tried.
He didn’t try hard enough.
What had been holding him back? What was paralyzing him, even now? He’d almost called her every day since the fight. But he hadn’t. Hell, he was sitting here, going over everything for the hundredth time in his mind instead of hashing it out face to face. He’d never been a coward, never shied away from doing the right thing. But for some reason, Cal was letting the best thing that had ever happened to him slip further out of reach, while he just sat there, watching her go.
He wished his parents were still around to tell him what to do. His mom would give him a scolding over Eliza, that’s for sure. They would have got along like a house on fire. He smiled, just imagining the two of them, commanding the conversation at family dinners and driving Uncle Arthur up the wall. And his father . . .
Cal had never missed him more.
Losing them so young, Cal thought he knew about grief. What it felt like to need somebody, to have a space in his life that couldn’t be filled. After that, he’d been determined nothing would ever hurt that much again.
Was that why he’d let her go so easily?
The realization landed hard, a jolt to his system. He’d had plenty of relationships before, but none of those women had challenged him like Eliza. None of them had called him on his bullshit, defiantly demanded more—and shown him just how it felt to connect with someone on a deeper level, all their defenses stripped away, leaving nothing but the raw, messy truth. It was exhilarating and passionate.
And scary as hell.
Because if he could hurt this much from losing her now, Cal knew it would only get worse. A year together, five years, ten. God, even the thought of it filled him with awe. A love like that could be a magnificent thing. It could change a man—break him, to lose it again.
He’d already been broken once before, that terrible day he’d opened his door and found Uncle Arthur on his doorstep, his face like death. But he was learning now there was a different kind of pain from losing someone you loved: the regret that was edged with a sharp edge of guilt, knowing it could have been different.
That it still might be, if he could get up off the mat and take that risk.
Cal rose, his turmoil finally giving way to determination. He didn’t have the answers figured out just yet, but he knew he wouldn’t find them here. And there was only one place he would find them.
It was time to take a drive.
22
Eliza drove down to Sweetbriar Cove, still mulling the offer from Chambers Publishing.
She knew that just a couple of months ago, she would have leapt at the chance. A big publisher, a fast-paced office, the status of a glamorous job to show everyone at the newspaper that she’d come out ahead—it all added up to what should have been an easy yes.
But now, she didn’t feel so sure about it. The same questions she’d asked Cal echoed in her own mind. What did she want to do with her life? After her father had died, she’d thrown herself so deeply into work she didn’t want to come up for air. Late nights in the newsroom, whole weeks a blur of coffee and cheap takeout. The only break from the grind was when she made the commute out to the Cape to see her friends and work on freelance articles—and then wound up driving back late Sunday night, ready to block out her feelings and do it all again.
Was that what she wanted this time around?
Now that she’d had a chance to take a breath, that single-minded drive to work was faded. Eliza didn’t feel the same burning ambition. Yes, she wanted to write, and work, and share her stories with the world, but it wasn’t all she wanted anymore. She wanted a life, too.
So would she find that life at Chambers Publishing?
* * *
Eliza had almost reached Sweetbriar Cove when a call came through from Brooke. “Where are you?” she demanded, sounding happy. “Are you still moping in the city? Because I have big news.”
Eliza smiled. Riley had made his move, then. “I’m ten minutes away, want me to swing by?”
“Oh, crap,” Brooke laughed. “I better clean up!”
When Eliza arrived at Brooke’s place, her friend bounded down the steps to meet her in the courtyard. “Big news, huh?” Eliza asked, trying to keep a straight face.
Clearly, she failed.
“You knew!” Brooke excl
aimed, her eyes widening. “How?”
“A little bird told me.” Eliza winked. “Congratulations! Come on, let’s see it.” She beckoned for Brooke’s hand. “How did he pop the question? Was it epic and romantic?”
“Epically wet, yes.” Brooke laughed. She proudly displayed the ring. “He took me out on the boat, I guess he was planning a big gesture, but we got caught in a storm.”
“No!” Eliza exclaimed.
“Yup.” Brooke was still grinning ear to ear. “So, we put down anchor in this cove and were just hiding out below deck, wind wailing everywhere, the cabin leaking rain. Riley looked so miserable, I decided to try and make us drinks, but I found the ring box he was hiding in a coffee jar. But then he proposed,” she said, her eyes softening. “And it was perfect. There’s nobody I’d rather be stranded with.”
“Aww.” Eliza hugged her. “That’s how you know it’s real. Anyone can stick around when it’s smooth sailing. It’s how someone acts when you hit rough waters that makes all the difference.”
She thought of Cal and her, flat on the bathroom floor with food poisoning, and felt a pang.
“Oh God,” Brooke laughed as they made their way upstairs to the apartment. “I’m going to be hearing nautical puns forever now, aren’t I?”
“Just wait until I give my maid of honor speech,” Eliza said, pushing her sadness aside. “Wait, I am going to be maid of honor, right?”
“Obviously,” Brooke declared. She nodded to a stack of binders on the countertop. “I may have pulled a few ideas together about the wedding . . .”
“A few?” Eliza took in the pile. “Oh God, please don’t turn into a Bridezilla.”
“Never,” Brooke vowed. “Well, maybe a tiny one. Babyzilla. We’re thinking a winter wedding,” she confided, opening a bottle of wine. “Snow, and horse-drawn sleighs, and candlelight . . .”
“It sounds beautiful.” Eliza hugged her again. “I really am happy for you guys.”
“But what about you?” Brooke’s expression turned concerned. “I’ve only heard bits and pieces. Is it really over? I thought you and Cal were so perfect together.”
“Not perfect enough.” Eliza took a gulp of wine, but there wasn’t any alcohol in the world strong enough to make the ache in her chest subside. She told Brooke about the gala event, and how Cal had been embarrassed to have her as his date. “He made it clear I don’t belong in his world.”
“I’m sorry.” Brooke put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “I saw the way you were with him. You were . . . I don’t know, more yourself. In a good way. But if he’s too blind to see that for himself, then good riddance!”
Eliza knew she was trying to be supportive, but it didn’t feel like a lucky escape. It felt like she was the one who’d lost out. “The worst part is, I miss him so much,” she confessed. “I’ve almost called him a hundred times and asked to work it out. I always thought women were crazy going back to guys who didn’t feel the same, but now I understand. A part of you just wants to be with them, no matter what the price.” She caught Brooke’s look of concern and managed a weak smile. “Don’t worry, I didn’t. I still have my pride.”
Maybe too much. Eliza remembered her sister’s words and felt an uncomfortable itch. Was she too stubborn to try to work it out?
“You don’t think I’m . . . too judgmental, do you?” she asked Brooke suddenly. “Jumping to conclusions and not giving people a chance.”
Brooke paused. “You know your mind,” she said slowly. “But you’re loyal and supportive, too.”
“That’s not a no,” Eliza noted, her heart sinking.
Brooke gave another sympathetic smile. “Hey, don’t let this thing with Cal make you question yourself. Maybe if he was trying to fix this and you wouldn’t hear him out, that would be one thing. But you haven’t heard a word, right?”
Eliza shook her head sadly.
“There you go. What’s that you’re always telling me?” Brooke said. “Sometimes a first impression is all you need. Maybe you were right about him from the start.”
Brooke started making them lunch, chatting about wedding plans and the engagement party they were planning for the next week, but Eliza found it hard to focus; her thoughts slipping back to Cal.
Was she being too hard on him? She knew he was under pressure at the gala, and maybe it wasn’t the right time to try to talk, but still, she couldn’t forget the way he’d treated her like an embarrassment, or how quickly the shutters had come down when she’d confronted him.
If he’d cared, wouldn’t he have fought for her? Wouldn’t he have reached out or done anything to try to make this work, even if it was hard and messy and painful?
Instead, she’d had silence. No sign at all that leaving had made a dent in his heart. Maybe he’d already moved on to one of the glossy, blonde girls who seemed to flock around him. Somebody suitable, who felt at home in expensive restaurants and knew the right things to say, and who wouldn’t pick a fight and demand answers when he didn’t treat her right.
Eliza hated her already. That girl wouldn’t challenge him or know how much more he had to offer than his Prescott name, or the easy smile he wore to hide the struggle he kept beneath the surface.
She was the one who knew him. She was the one who missed him.
And she was the one who’d driven him away for good.
* * *
After lunch with Brooke, Eliza headed to the beach house. She pulled up out front and braced herself for the chaos of moving boxes and packing tape her mom had promised inside, but instead, when she stepped through the front door, she found the place spotless, untouched.
Her mom was on the back porch, drinking tea with Aunt June. “Hi, sweetie,” Linda said, smiling. “Was the drive OK?”
“Fine,” Eliza said, shrugging off her jacket. “But what happened to packing? You said to bring supplies.”
“That was before.” Her mom beamed happily, and June looked just as delighted.
“Before what?” Eliza snagged a cookie from the table.
“Before this.” June picked a slim file of papers from the table and passed it to Eliza, who skimmed over the dense contracts, confused.
“Can someone stop being cryptic and just tell me what’s going on?” she asked.
“We’re keeping the house!”
Eliza stared at her mom in shock. “What? How? I thought you were already talking to a buyer.”
“We were,” June answered for her. “They wanted a fast close, so the sale went through this morning. Signed and sealed. For a very nice price,” she added, a note of pride in her voice.
“That’s great,” Eliza said, even as she felt a pang. “But you just said we’re staying?”
“Well, we could. But I guess that’s up to the new owner,” Linda smiled. “What do you say, sweetie?”
“You’re holding the title deed,” June said helpfully. “Check the name.”
Eliza looked at the papers again, curious who the buyer was—and why her mom was talking in circles. “It says the house belongs to . . . Me?!”
She stopped. It had to be a mistake, but there it was, her name written there in neat type. Now the owner of parcel 26 of beachfront land.
Eliza sat down on the porch swing with a thump. “But . . . how?”
“The buyer decided to sign it over to you,” her mom replied, lifting her teacup with a smug smile. “I guess he changed his mind.”
Eliza frowned. It didn’t make any sense. Who would . . . ?
Oh.
“Cal,” she said, everything becoming clear.
“It’s so romantic!” Linda cooed. “Imagine being able to make that kind of gesture. Oh, Lizzie, I always knew the two of you were meant to be.”
Eliza shook her head. “No.”
“Of course, the two of you will still need somewhere else to live,” Linda chattered happily. “June, did the Greystone house come on the market yet—”
“No!” Eliza leapt to her feet. “This is crazy. W
e can’t accept this!”
“Honey—”
“No,” Eliza swore again. She grabbed the folder and glared. “If he thinks he can just buy his way back into my life, he’s wrong. Get the boxes ready, because when I get back, we’re packing. For real this time!”
She stomped back out to the car, her heart pounding. She couldn’t believe Cal’s nerve! Did he really think writing a check would make everything better, like her heart carried a million-dollar price tag and was available for the highest bidder? He’d officially gone insane! Maybe that was how they played it in his world, where an expensive gift could wipe the slate clean, but Eliza couldn’t be bought—no matter how high the bidding.
She drove the short distance to the Pink Palace in a rage, guessing that’s where he’d be if he was back in town. She hit the brakes outside, stormed up the path and pounded on the door.
It opened. Cal stood in the doorway, looking so good it took her breath away.
Focus!
Eliza struggled to contain the emotions that came rushing to the surface.
God, she’d missed him.
“Hey.” Cal smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Damnit. Why did he have to be so handsome?
“What the hell is this?” Eliza waved the papers in his face. She refused to be distracted by those gorgeous blue eyes or the tanned arms she ached to have holding her.
“You got my delivery, then.” Cal didn’t seem surprised to see her there, which only made Eliza’s temperature rise.
“I can’t believe you!” she cried. “You thought that you could just write a check, and I would come falling into your arms again?”
“No.” Cal looked amused. “I thought I would write a check, and you would come storming over to throw it in my face, and then maybe we could talk about us, and what we can do to fix this mess.”
Eliza blinked, thrown. “So, you didn’t mean to give me the house?”
“Oh no, that part’s real.” Cal grinned, infuriatingly calm. “It’s all yours. For you and your family. No strings attached.”
