by Melody Grace
“What about Sage?” Declan asked, interrupting them. “I’ll need to travel back to keep an eye on the kitchen there, especially over the holidays.”
Rich and Alvin exchanged a look. “Don’t worry about that. You can hire an executive chef to keep the place ticking over, although, to be honest, you’ll probably want to wind it down. Why fill thirty seats in some small town when you’ll be turning over hundreds of covers here every night?”
Hundreds of people eating food he hadn’t cooked, from a menu he hadn’t composed, on plates that some consultant had decided would look good on Instagram.
And for what? Declan wondered, looking around the table as he weighed the cost. A big paycheck, and his face getting broadcast on video screens above the restaurant? Fame and fortune and life on the road?
The road didn’t seem so attractive anymore. For all his wanderlust and big talk, his determination to leave at the drop of a hat . . .
Sweetbriar Cove was home to him.
It hit him like that first taste of a perfect dish: the flavors unexpected, but somehow familiar all at once. Unforgettable. That place had taken hold of him without him even realizing. And it wasn’t the small-town shenanigans that made him want to stay.
It was Paige.
Dancing in her studio with the doors wide open and the music playing soft. He could see her in his mind, and he’d never wanted anything more. She was making a life there. A future.
And he wanted to build it with her.
“Maybe the answer is you just keep your promise.”
Declan finished his drink and stood. “Thanks for the offer, guys. It’s tempting, but I’m going to have to pass.”
Rich and Alvin stopped talking.
“Are you serious?” Rich asked. “Or is this a game to get a bigger cut of the pie, because let me tell you, I don’t like these tactics—”
“It’s not a negotiation,” Declan said simply. “This just isn’t right for me. Sorry to waste your time.”
There was a pause, and Declan almost felt bad for them. Backing out this late in a deal was bad form, and even thought nothing was signed, it still wasn’t the way he liked doing business. But then Alvin looked at his phone again.
“Kyle Francis scored a sixty-eight on image and branding,” he said, naming another up-and-coming chef Declan knew from the scene. “And Felix Li has over a quarter million Twitter followers.”
Rich nodded. “Get them on a plane. If we switch before the end of the week, we can stay on schedule.”
“Kyle is British,” Alvin added. “We could still do coastal, but make it more traditional. A bangers and mash, some Yorkshire pudding . . .”
Declan strolled away, leaving them to plot world domination for some other lucky chef. And hell, maybe his replacement would get everything he wanted.
But there was only one thing Declan wanted in the world, and he wouldn’t find her here.
No more running away. No more trying to forget Paige and move on.
It was time to fight for what he believed in. Make a promise and live up to it, for the first time in his life.
Maybe she would slam the door in his face, but dammit, Declan had to try. He could only pray that he wasn’t already too late.
22
“So, you want pink silk, with hot-pink lace trim, and pink ribbons on the sides?” Paige asked her new client, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Yes! Also, can we do like a peek-a-boo keyhole in the back of the panties? Totes classy, but still super-hot.”
“Sure, Lexi, anything you want.” Paige hid a smile. A popular fashion magazine had just featured her lingerie store, and the very next day, her old boss had breezed through the door and demanded a custom set tailored to her exact—pink—specifications. It was a fun blast from the past, and reminded Paige that she’d made the right choice leaving her old job and striking out alone. Still, she looked at the sketches and winced. “Are you sure you want to go so . . . pink?” she asked gently. “A pretty blue shade would look lovely with your hair. Or even white—”
“Bo-ring!” Lexi interrupted. She was wearing towering stacked sandals and a pair of itty-bitty cut-off shorts. She checked her phone impatiently. “Besides, pink is Robert’s favorite color. I figure if I give him a flash of the goods in these, he’ll say yes to buying me a new BMW.”
So, that relationship was going well.
Paige typed the commission details into her new-order log and tried to think nice, friendly thoughts. Besides, who was she to judge? She was about as single as they came. “How’s business at the company?” she asked, curious. “Did the new fall line turn out a hit?”
“No!” Lexi glanced up, arranging her mouth in a pout. “Can you believe my whole Jailbait line bombed? Some people have no taste,” she sniffed, and Paige had to smile.
“No, I guess some people don’t.”
She finished up with Lexi and turned the sign to “closed,” exhausted. It had been another nonstop day, and even though they were approaching Labor Day, business showed no signs of slowing yet.
Not that she was complaining. Paige was outpacing even her wildest projections. She’d already put her prices up, twice, and every night she spent quietly stitching was one less night in bed thinking about Declan.
Except it turned out she could multi-task and do both at once.
Paige sighed wistfully and began tidying up the studio. Wasn’t time supposed to make her feel better? Well, time wasn’t passing nearly fast enough. She’d thought it would be easier now that she knew Declan had left town, but instead, that made their breakup seem even more final.
He wasn’t going to show up at her door one night, swearing he’d made a mistake.
He wasn’t going to cross the town square and sweep her into a passionate kiss.
He was just gone, the way he always said he would be. Of all the promises he could have kept, Paige wished it wasn’t this one.
A knock on the windows broke her thoughts. Eliza was outside. “Ready to go?” she asked, looking excited. “We don’t want to be late.”
“For book club?” Paige raised an eyebrow. “Why, will they take away our membership?” she teased.
Eliza grinned. “Summer promised to bring my favorite peach cake. I want to get there before it’s all gone.”
“OK, I’m ready.” Paige tucked away the last scrap of silk and grabbed her bag, but Eliza frowned.
“You’re not going to change?”
Paige looked down. She was wearing linen pants and a tank top, loose and comfortable in the summer heat. “I didn’t realize there was a dress code.” She frowned.
“Never mind, you look great,” Eliza said quickly, checking her watch. “Come on!”
They piled into Eliza’s car and headed down the coast. “Weren’t you guys viewing a house today?” Paige asked. “How was it?”
Eliza made a face. “Which part do you want to hear about first: the collection of creepy old dolls we found in the basement, or the neighbor who kept calling me ‘sweet cheeks’—and he wasn’t looking at my face?”
“Oh no!” Paige laughed. “Better luck with the next one.”
“Seriously,” Eliza agreed. She turned off the highway, and Paige looked around as they drove through the woods. “I thought Mackenzie was hosting at her place.”
“She is. I just need to make a quick stop first,” Eliza replied. “Newspaper business.”
“OK.” Paige yawned and settled back. But as they emerged from the tree line by the shore, she recognized exactly where they were.
The lighthouse.
She tensed, remembering her date with Declan and the start of their game of truth or dare. “Eliza . . . ?” she asked slowly. “Why are we here?”
Eliza beamed. “Why don’t you go up and see?”
Paige stared back. Suddenly, her heart was beating faster.
“Go on.” Eliza practically pushed her out of the car. “Trust me, I promise, it’s fine.”
Reluctantly, Paige
opened the door. When she got out, she saw that the entrance to the lighthouse was ajar.
“Go on,” Eliza called again from the car. And then, before Paige could protest, her sister started the engine and drove away.
“Eliza!” she called after her. “Wait!”
But Eliza just waved out the window and sped out of sight, leaving Paige alone in the parking lot.
What the hell?
Paige began walking towards the lighthouse. Her skin prickled and her mind raced as she traipsed up the spiral staircase. She had a suspicion, an instinct she didn’t even want to put into words, but then she arrived at the lantern room, and there he was in front of her.
Declan.
She gulped. All the times she’d imagined seeing him again, it hadn’t been like this. Dozens of tiny candles were flickering, and vases of gorgeous fresh roses covered every surface. With the sun sinking in the sky behind them, and the ocean stretching, sparkling blue, it was a romantic scene straight from a movie.
But her life wasn’t fiction. The future she wanted wasn’t built with pretty props. She’d asked for something real—and Declan had made it clear he couldn’t give it to her.
“Paige.” Declan breathed her name like it had been on his lips for weeks, and despite herself, Paige’s pulse skipped over. “You look . . . beautiful.” He took a step closer, and his face spread into one of those irresistible smiles, but Paige felt frozen in place, her heart pounding so loud she would have sworn he could hear it.
“What . . . what are you doing?” she managed to ask.
Declan took a deep breath. “I want to talk. I’m hoping you’ll hear me out.”
Paige couldn’t believe this was happening. He was here, back again, right where this had all started, and he wanted to talk?
“You left,” she said slowly. Fiercely. “You told me I meant nothing to you, and then you walked away.”
“I know.” Declan hung his head. “I’m so, so sorry. I was confused, and stupid, and I wish I could take it all back.”
Paige shook her head. Suddenly, it was all too much. She felt trapped up there, like if she took even one step, she’d fall off the edge and never find her feet again. “I can’t . . .” she started, fighting to breathe. “Whatever this is, I don’t . . . You shouldn’t have come.”
She turned on her heel and fled down the stairs, almost tripping as she skidded to the bottom and burst out of the door. She heard Declan calling after her, telling her to wait, but Paige didn’t slow as she ran across the parking lot and back up towards the highway.
What was he doing here?
She swallowed back tears as her feet struck the dirt road. Did he just decide on a whim to take it all back? Was this another one of his spontaneous adventures, as if he hadn’t already turned her world upside down?
She reached the highway and paused, gasping for air. The beach house was closer than her place in town, so she turned south and started to walk. A few moments later, she heard an engine approaching. Her heart clenched as Declan’s truck slowed beside her.
“Paige, get in the car.”
“No thanks,” she called back, keeping her eyes fixed on the road. If she looked at him, she knew she would crumble, so she just stared straight ahead and kept on marching.
Declan idled along beside her, “Come on. I get it, you don’t want to talk to me, but at least let me give you a ride.”
“I can walk.”
“It’s miles to town,” he protested.
“So I’ll get some exercise.” Paige grit her teeth, even though her sandals were already rubbing painfully on the backs of her heels.
“It’ll be dark soon,” Declan insisted, looking over. “It’s not safe.”
Paige snorted. “This is Sweetbriar Cove, what’s someone going to do? Pick me up and take me home for milk and cookies?”
“Look.” Declan sounded stubborn. “I’m not leaving you on the edge of the highway, so either you get in the car, and let me take you where you’re heading, or I drive alongside you the whole way. Your choice.”
Paige paused. Only one of those options would be over in five minutes, and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep it together.
She climbed in the passenger side. Declan just looked at her. She crossed her arms defiantly. “Well? You wanted to give me a ride.”
Declan sighed and pulled off again. Paige tried to look out of the window, but she couldn’t stop her gaze slipping over to look at him.
He looked too good to resist. Clean-shaven and shower-fresh, in good jeans and a sky-blue button-down. She felt a pang, realizing how he must have planned this whole thing out. Setting up the lighthouse, arranging to get her out there . . .
It didn’t make any difference, she reminded herself. He’d had his chance, and he’d chosen to walk away.
Declan followed the shore road down to the beach house and pulled up outside. Paige scrambled out, but he cut the engine and followed.
“Paige—”
“Don’t.” Her voice caught, and she had to take a breath to collect herself. “Just don’t.”
She started towards the porch, but then she stopped. However much it hurt, she had to know. She turned. “Why did you come back?”
Declan stood there. “Because I realized you were right,” he said, giving her a look that was full of emotion, unreadable. “There was nothing stopping me from being the man you wanted. Nothing, except my own fucked up view of the world. But, I can be that man, Paige,” he added, sincere. “I want to give you everything you need.”
His words twisted inside of her, clawing with a desperate ache. But even though he was telling her everything she’d been longing to hear, Paige still couldn’t believe him. That this was solid ground beneath her, and not just a fantasy.
She shook her head. “You told me exactly who you are,” Paige said quietly. “And this isn’t it. You were right, ending things. We just aren’t meant to be together, that’s all.”
“You’re wrong. Paige—”
But she couldn’t stay to hear his reasons, not when it hurt so much just to look at him. Paige turned and quickly hurried up the steps, letting the screen door shut behind her with a bang.
She found Eliza on the back porch with Cal. “You knew?” she demanded.
Cal slowly stood and looked back and forth between them. “I’m going to . . . go, do something. Somewhere else.” He gave Paige an apologetic smile as he ducked past, but Paige wasn’t blaming him, he didn’t know any better.
But her sister should have.
Eliza put her hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d be happy!”
“Why?” Paige cried. “Getting ambushed by the man who broke my heart?”
“But he’s back, he’s realized he can’t live without you!” Eliza’s face glowed excitedly. “Did you see the lighthouse? Wasn’t it romantic? Did he beg you to forgive him?”
“Yes.” Paige gulped. “But Eliza . . .” She collapsed onto the swing beside her. “You should have given me a warning, I had no idea what was happening.”
Eliza searched her face, and it seemed to sink in. “Wait. You’re here. Alone. You mean . . . You didn’t make up?”
Paige shook her head. “How could I? He’ll just take off again, the minute he gets itchy feet. I want a love I can depend on, not a guy who’ll turn and run the minute things get tough—or he gets a better offer.” She sniffled, miserable, feeling torn in two.
“But you love him,” Eliza protested.
“I can’t trust him,” Paige said, worn out, “and nothing else matters more than that.”
Her sister fell silent a moment, but Paige knew that expression too well. “What?” she finally asked.
Eliza paused. “You know I love you, and you’re my favorite sister in the world . . .” she started, looking hesitant.
“I’m your only sister.”
“I just wonder,” Eliza continued. “Is it him you can’t trust, or yourself?”
Paige looked at
her, confused.
“Yes, trying again with him would be a risk, but isn’t that what love is?” Eliza asked simply. “You take their hand, and hold tight, and leap. And I know you’ve never done that in a relationship before,” she added quickly. “You take things slow, and feel them out, and stay careful. But none of those guys made you happy the way you were with Declan. The two of you have something special.” She put her arm around Paige and gave a squeeze.
“Had,” Paige corrected her, but there was no heart to her denial.
“And could have again, if you just say the word.” Eliza sighed. “If you really don’t think you can trust him, then I’ll support you, you know I will. I just don’t want to see you miss out on something amazing because you’re scared to take a risk.”
Paige gulped. She wished she could deny what her sister was saying, but she felt the truth of it ring in her gut. She was scared. Trusting Declan, letting herself fall even more in love with him knowing that he might break her heart again one day?
It was terrifying.
But the idea of a life without him . . .
Well, that was unthinkable.
Her heart clenched in her chest. “I hate you sometimes,” she muttered to Eliza, not meaning it.
Her sister laughed. “Because I’m always right?”
“Maybe. Sometimes.” Paige swallowed. “But I told him it was too late.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“You think?”
“The guy turned down millions of dollars to come back here and beg you for another shot.” Eliza smirked. “I think he can wait another half-hour.”
Paige frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He told that investor where to shove it,” Eliza explained. “Apparently, it was a bad deal. But the main thing was it would mean moving away for good. And he just couldn’t leave you behind.” She beamed. “So, I take back everything bad I ever said about him. The guy knows how to make the hard choice in the end.”
And now it was Paige’s turn to do the same thing. “You think he’ll still be interested?” she asked in a whisper.
Eliza gave her a nudge. “There’s only one way to find out.”
