by Sonia Parin
“I know.”
“You’ve been very patient.”
Nothing but a regular chump. Eddie cringed.
“I’ll call you again when I can.”
She didn’t have it in her to say goodbye, so she disconnected the call and then turned to pull the plug from the bathtub. She sat there watching the water draining away and then, as uncomfortable as it was to sit on the floor, she continued to sit there until she lost track of time. Eventually, she went through the motions of dressing and running her fingers through her hair as a token effort to make herself look somewhat presentable.
“Just get on with it, Eddie,” she said as she made her way down to the bar to start her shift. She was on the stairs before she thought to check if she’d put on her boots. Her mind felt as if it had abandoned her. She usually had something to eat before her shift, but the thought of food made her stomach shudder.
It must have been near closing time when she finally checked her phone for messages. There were several. Helena had sent her an update on Sophie. They’d spent the day out riding and rounding up some stray cattle. Joyce was brainstorming ideas to keep Sophie busy during the evenings since the first few days would be the hardest. And then there was a message from Theo.
Catching first available flight back to the States. Will call soon.
“Eddie.”
She looked up, distracted by the message, all the thoughts that had piled up inside her head, and by everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours. She did a double take. “Adam. Adam?”
Except for a few stragglers, most people had already left for the night.
He looked different. Serious. And… “Where’s your hair? Have you joined the army?”
He managed a small chuckle. “I’m going for the low maintenance look. A cut this short means I don’t have to visit a barber for a while.” He looked around the bar. “Is it too late for a drink?” he asked.
Eddie shook her head. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand how she’d ever mistaken Theo for Adam. Same height? The day she’d missed her dart throw seemed like an eternity ago... “You’re still in time. Last call’s a half hour away.”
“I’ll have—”
He seemed undecided. Eddie turned and reached for a shot glass. “Whisky?”
“That’ll do.” He wrapped his fingers around the glass, and then looked at her.
“Adam.” She drew in a big breath. “I stuffed up and made things awkward between us.”
“Yeah, I didn’t help.”
“Are we okay?” she asked.
“We’re okay.”
“Good.” At least that was something. She had friends, she had family. The rest would sort itself out.
He lifted the shot glass and then set it down again. “Um... I actually heard about Sophie. How is she? I asked Joyce earlier on but she suggested I needed to clear things up with you first. Of course, she was right. We’ve got too much history... we were friends and I hated losing that.”
“Yeah, me too.” She wiped the counter.
“I would have come sooner, but—” His gaze strayed over to Mitch.
“Yeah, I know. They warned you off.” She took a swig of her water. “Sophie’s going to need a few days to let the dust settle. Maybe longer.” She smiled as her sluggish brain made the connection. Adam and Sophie? They’d known each other since... always.
“Okay.”
She shrugged. “She didn’t see it coming. No one did.”
“I’m not...” He shifted. “I’m not trying to make a move on her.”
“It’ll be bad timing if you do.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
She didn’t think she had it in her, but she smiled. “See you around, Adam.”
Later that night, after the pub had closed and she’d tucked herself into bed, she dealt with all the messages except the one from Theo. Switching the light off, she plumped up her pillow and turned toward the window to look out at the night sky. Half an hour later, tired of counting stars, she reached for her phone and typed a text message.
I’m getting a puppy.
After pressing send, she switched her phone off and, easing back onto the pillow, she closed her eyes.
“Tomorrow will come soon enough and when it does, I’ll be ready.”
* * *
The next morning, it was close to midday before she checked her messages.
A puppy? What sort?
One with floppy ears and big soulful eyes.
A puppy to soak up all her attention and take her mind off—
“Flowers for you,” Mitch said as he handed her the colorful bunch. “Where do you want them?”
“Hand them over.” She pushed the words past the hard lump in her throat. Was this Theo’s way of letting her down easy? Eddie called the florist. “Hi, Grace. Is there any way of stopping this?” she asked.
“It’s a standing order,” Grace said.
“How long for?”
“Theo sent a message asking me to extend it. I’ve had to place a special order for more tulips.”
Eddie knew Grace was the major supplier of flower arrangements for the hotels up in the ski resort, but this was the offseason, so business wouldn’t be as brisk. “Okay. They’re… lovely. Let’s spread the joy around. Can you redirect the next lot to the hospital?”
“Sure. But… you know the town funds a display of flowers for the hospital…”
“All right. Never mind. Keep them coming.” Maybe this was Theo’s way of weaning himself off her, of appearing to do the right thing by her.
Her phone beeped.
I’ve been meaning to ask, do you like soufflés?
She could do this. Play along. Pretend. She willed her fingers to move.
Sure, I’m easy. Thanks for the flowers.
I’d rather talk to you in person. Can’t do this via text. Or phone call.
Okay.
She waited a few more minutes for a response and when it didn’t come, she switched her phone off.
Over the next couple of days, most of the messages came through while she slept, so Eddie assumed he’d already left the country and was now on the other side of the world. Just because he was out of sight didn’t get him out of her mind. Especially not as the flowers continued to arrive right on schedule.
Eddie looked around the bar, her gaze skipping and skating from one end to the other, and then she gave a firm nod. “We should set up a beer garden.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mitch grab his phone and head out. Markus sunk lower in his chair by the fireplace and Matthew squeezed her shoulder.
“That sounds like a plan,” he said. “Start crunching numbers.”
“I’ll do that.” It would keep her busy. And then it hit her. When she’d broken up with Roy, she’d thrown herself into giving The Gloriana a complete facelift. But Theo hadn’t broken up with her. How could he? They’d only had one night together. That didn’t make them a couple. He hadn’t made any promises. None that she could think of. He hadn’t misled her. He didn’t owe her anything. No excuses or explanations.
She gave another firm nod. Collecting that day’s delivery of flowers, Eddie strode up to her apartment. When she’d split up with Roy, the bullet point list of events she’d drawn up had gone a long way toward helping her put everything into perspective. He’d gone away on holidays. He’d met an ex-girlfriend. She’d fallen pregnant. End of story.
Perhaps she could do the same with Theo.
He’d turned up from out of the blue. He’d pillaged her heart and then he tried to smooth everything over with flowers.
That would have to do, at least for the time being.
Chapter Seventeen
Theo was about to put half a world’s distance between himself and the place where he wanted to be and he only had himself to blame. Bottom line, he took his job seriously. Job. Duty. Obligations. Responsibilities that tied him to other people’s lives.
“Do they think you’ve kidnapped me?” Ben asked.<
br />
“It’s their job to check passports. They want to make sure we have all the right paperwork.”
“Mom said you had to jump through hoops to organize this.”
“It’s what I do.” He drew his cell phone out of his pocket and got busy keying in a message.
Have you found a puppy yet?
“You know you can’t use your phone on the plane. Not all the time...” Ben said. “I read that online.”
Theo rested one hand on Ben’s shoulder. He was jumpy, in an excited sort of way. This would be his first time on a plane. Once onboard, there’d be plenty of gadgets to keep him entertained as well as his choice of movies and games. Theo, on the other hand, had nothing but introspection to look forward to. A fifteen-hour flight could prove to be his undoing. Theo’s heart jolted in response. He ran his fingers along his collar, pulling at it as if it suddenly felt too tight. He could only go forward from here. No turning back. Or dwelling on regrets. His gaze dropped to his phone.
I’m working on a beer garden.
He tried to decipher the words. To find some sort of meaning. Eddie was moving on. She was throwing herself into a new project. As a coping mechanism? Or simply because life went on?
It had only been a few days, but he missed chatting with her. Theo knew there were important issues to discuss, but not over the phone.
What about a Beagle?
She’d mentioned wanting to get a dog, but hadn’t said anything else about it. Had it been a whimsical idea? Had she changed her mind? And if she’d changed her mind about that, would she change her mind about other things...
Beagle?
Fits your requirements. Floppy ears, soulful eyes...
Just looked it up. Yes. Cute.
Theo pushed out a hard breath. He’d give anything to look into her eyes and say… nothing. It would be enough to be near her, to watch her smile.
Why had he had a one-night stand with a woman he wanted to spend more time with? And, at the moment, that’s all it amounted to. A lousy one night...
If life hadn’t intervened, if he hadn’t had to fly out…
All these days spent in Melbourne organizing the necessary paperwork for Ben—
He could have asked Eddie to join him. It would have been a messy few days, snatching moments together, but at least she would have known he wanted more, and maybe then she might have changed her mind. Why settle for a brief fling—a heartbreak—when there were other choices to consider?
He could call her now, before they boarded their flight, but what would he say to her? What did he think she wanted to hear him say? What did Eddie really want? That brief conversation he’d had with her a few days ago had felt stilted, the gaps filled with indecision. Everything he wanted to say to her didn’t make sense because they’d known each other for only a short time. Nevertheless, he wanted to think of that time as a beginning of something, but he was about to board a plane…
“Theo, the lady’s talking to you.”
“Your boarding passes, sir.”
Theo slipped his phone inside his pocket. “Thank you.”
“Now what?” Ben asked.
“Now we head toward the departure lounge. We can grab a bite to eat there.”
“Cool.”
“You’re easily pleased.”
“I’m young. My needs are basic. It’s no fun when things get weird and complicated.”
Out of the mouths of babes. How many mistakes and wrong decisions did it take to bring a man to his senses?
Surely, he could have found another way to get Ben on a plane to L.A.? He shook his head. This wasn’t something he could delegate...
However, some thing he could have done differently. Instead of being considerate and giving Eddie space to deal with her emergency the other night, he should have thought only of himself and Eddie. Then again, what if she really did want a heartbreak?
He pulled his phone out again.
“Theo, come on, put the phone away. We’re going to miss our flight.”
“Relax, the plane’s not leaving without us.”
“You say that now, but those things suck up all your time and make you forget things. That’s the reason why mom doesn’t let me have a phone.”
“What if she has to pick you up and she’s running late?”
“That never happens because she keeps her promises, no matter what. It’s a golden rule and once I’ve mastered it, she’ll let me have a phone.”
Talk to you soon.
He pressed send and immediately wondered if he’d just broken the golden rule. Once he got on the plane, everything could… would change and, there’d be no going back, no undoing the last few days.
He’d walked out on her.
He’d walked out on her.
Theo shook his head and growled under his breath. He didn’t believe Eddie wanted a heartbreak. He couldn’t believe it.
Too late now.
He brushed his hand across his chest but it did nothing to shift the hollow feeling inside him.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
* * *
“The flowers are still coming. I thought I’d get that out of the way, in case you were wondering. Now, can I have a cup of...” The words trailed off, her mind emptied of all thought. Eddie had come to Joyce’s café thinking she needed to get out and about, to resume her life, to pretend she could function normally.
“Eddie? Are you okay?” Joyce asked.
Two weeks.
Fourteen days.
She’d been marking them off on her calendar. Like a countdown. She had no idea what she was waiting for. For reality to sink in? For all thoughts of Theo to fade? And then what?
The text messages had dwindled down to one a day, if that. Was he too busy for her or was he being mindfully negligent? Weaning her off him... She refused to call him. She shouldn’t even be thinking about him, but it was all she did. “I... I never loved Derek or Roy.” She knew that for a fact because she didn’t remember feeling splintered and broken the way she did now. “I don’t want coffee.” And she didn’t want a puppy. She wanted Theo to come and explain to her how he could have walked away without a second thought.
“Tea?”
She nodded. She missed his touch most of all, and the way his eyes danced around her face. “I wish I hadn’t spent so much time getting to know him. Flings are meant to be spontaneous. You meet someone, and if you’re a daredevil, you jump right into the fun of having sex, without knowing much more than the person’s name. And then, you go your separate ways.” She took a sip of her drink. “Did I order tea?”
Joyce sighed. “I’m afraid coffee will only mess with your head. How’s the beer garden coming along?”
“The boys are less than thrilled with the idea of extra work, but they’ve been too scared to say no to me. It’ll be up and running in no time. It’s amazing how much I can get other people to do when they think I’m suffering from a broken heart, which I’m not. Mitch has perfected the art of disappearing. Matthew’s been patient. He squeezes my shoulder a lot. And Markus has replaced his scowling with wide eyed concern. They’ve put away the darts. I’ve no idea what they think I’ll do with them.” Her mind was a jumble of thoughts. She tried to cram in as much as she possibly could, thoughts about anything, anyone other than Theo, but every now and then, she let her guard down and relapsed into thinking about him.
Her phone rang, but she ignored it.
Moments later, Joyce’s phone rang.
“It’s Matthew. He says you need to get back to the pub.”
Eddie took longer than usual to get herself into gear. Nothing felt the same, or as good as it had when Theo had been around. Even walking down the street was an ordeal because she knew there wouldn’t be any surprise sightings of him.
“Okay, I’m here. What’s the emergency?” she asked as she strode into the pub.
“Markus. Hand it over.”
Frowning, Eddie strode toward Markus who was occupying his usual spot by th
e fireplace, but even before she reached him, she saw the furry head peering at her from behind Markus’ shoulder. Big, soulful eyes and floppy ears.
“It came with a note.”
You deserve more than empty promises...
“Congratulations. It’s a boy.” Markus handed over the furry load.
Eddie stared into its soulful eyes and instantly fell in love with it.
“It came with a box of stuff. Food. Toys. Water bowl...”
Theo had thought of everything. “Come on you, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.” She took the puppy upstairs to her apartment and set it down on the floor. Perching on the edge of the sofa, she watched it as it sniffed its way around her apartment. Finally, she pulled out her phone.
You broke my heart, Theo. I wish you hadn’t.
She bit the edge of her lip and considered deleting the message, but instead she pressed the send button. Sniffling, she blinked back the stinging sensation in her eyes. And then something inside her loosened and crumbled, like rubble rolling down a hill.
I’d rather love you than hate you.
Although, she knew in her heart she’d never be able to hate him. Her body tensed as if making a last ditch attempt to pull her back from making a fool of herself. Pushing out a quivery breath, she hit send. It’s done, she thought. She had no idea why she’d felt compelled to mention the word love. Or even hate. She didn’t hate him. She almost wished she did because then she might feel something other than numbness.
