by Alexa Davis
“Well, you had a lot of fun and you didn’t totally embarrass yourself; what more is there to worry about?” I shrugged, trying to remain evasive. I wasn’t sure if she could remember being jealous, and I couldn’t bring it up. “It was good.”
“Okay, as long as I didn’t do anything that people will be talking about in the salon, that’s the main thing. Laynee once danced on the tables and everyone kept coming in for a blow dry, just to tell me the story.”
“Well, there you go, there’s your new business model!” I exclaimed jokingly. “Do crazy stuff all weekend and embrace the financial benefits throughout the week.” That brought a smile to her face. “Got to be worth it, right? Got to be easier than renting the cabin out to crazy guys like me.”
Unfortunately, that statement got to us both. It reminded each of us of the situation we were in and led to a short burst of silence. It made me feel good that she didn’t want me to go, but also bad. Why couldn’t time stand still, just for a little while longer, so that we could explore what this could be? Maybe it wouldn’t be anything, maybe we would quickly recognize that we weren’t meant to be, but the not knowing was damn near killing me.
“Anyway,” Eliza interrupted my thoughts as she finished up her food. “I know that I’ve spent most of the day in bed, but I’m still exhausted. I better get some sleep so I’m fresh for tomorrow.”
She moved closer to me, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought she was going to kiss me. My body froze, my lips tingled, my heart lit up on fire... but then her lips connected lightly with my cheeks and the illusion shattered around me. Of course, a friendly kiss on the cheek. Why would I expect anything else?
“I’ll see you in the morning, okay? Goodnight.”
“Night,” I replied sadly behind her, watching her walk into her room. I wanted to grab her, to pull her onto my lap, to kiss her and forget all the being sensible nonsense – but I didn’t. However challenging it would be, if friends was what Eliza wanted, that was what I needed to do. I had to wait until she wanted me, until she made it obvious, and if that never happened, then so be it. It would be difficult, but that was that.
When I thought about my past, and I considered how Eliza made me feel, it was obvious now that things with Veronica had been ridiculous. I had clung to her because she’d told me what I wanted to hear, and then she became taboo and even more attractive. I was glad, though, for what she’d done because it made me that much smarter, that much better around Eliza. If it hadn’t been for her bullshit, I might not have had it in me to be so respectful and sensible.
I would just have to see where that newfound attitude got me. So far, I wasn’t too sure it was going to work out, but if I had a little faith, maybe things would turn around.
I had an early morning myself, so I needed to get some rest myself. Sighing sadly, I gathered up my things and brought Veil into the bedroom with me. Alone... for another long and lonely night.
This is fine, this will be okay, I will get through this.
We both will.
Chapter Twenty
Eliza – Monday
I crept out of my bedroom, a cold, fearful shame washing over me. Yesterday I was too hung over to think about my drunken behavior, to remember it properly, but now it had all come screaming back: the jealousy over Phoebe, the crazy dancing, the drunken rambling... I’d even told him about the pathetic nature of my thing with Josh.
What the hell does he think of me now? I desperately hoped he didn’t think I was still hung up on that idiot. I wasn’t sure how well I’d managed to put that across.
“Hey, there, boy,” I stage whispered to Veil, who came racing over to me. “How’s it going?” I patted him, tickled him under his ears, and he responded by giving me a loving look. I didn’t care how insistent Milo was – the dog understood every damn word I said. I could just tell; it was written all over his face. “Where is daddy? Is he here?”
Of course, he could only respond with a bark, which didn’t get me anywhere. His expression might have told me everything, but I couldn’t understand his words just yet.
As I moved over to the coffee pot, I spotted a note from Milo that made my heart sink. I had been holding out hope that he was in his bedroom and that I’d get a chance to speak to him before I went to work, just to apologize again, but no such luck. Never mind, maybe this was good. Maybe some time apart would dispel any possible awkwardness.
Hi, Eliza,
Gone out on a fishing tour with Landon – it’s all to do with the investment – hopefully I’ll see you tonight.
Milo
It seemed like the investment opportunity was a real thing after all; I must have been wrong on that part. I knew Landon the fishing guy well, everyone in Florence did, so it made sense that Milo was thinking about putting his money in there... Though I never saw him as a small-town investor.
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll get some breakfast then, Veil.” I smiled wistfully at him. “I know that you’ve probably been fed already, but... Well, you know that I can’t resist your adorable face.”
To think that Veil was almost the reason that I’d turned Milo down when he called about renting the cabin. I’d had the horrible image of a dog tearing around the place, wrecking everything. If I had said no based on the dog...
Well, things would have been very different. If he hadn’t offered to pay me triple the asking price, I wouldn’t have ever gotten to know him. I would have ended up with someone else in the cabin, and I’d have spent every penny they paid me on a hotel while my apartment got fixed. I’d have ended up in an even worse position than before.
It was a good idea that I’d let Veil come for so many reasons!
I hated to leave him alone once I’d eaten and gotten dressed, but I did have to get to the salon today. Laynee and I actually had quite a few clients booked in, and I couldn’t turn anyone away, not when I was so desperately trying to grow things.
“Sorry, boy,” I whispered to him as I clicked the door behind myself. “I’ll bring you back something later.”
I had to be early. I needed to get everything organized for the long day ahead of me. Judging by the fact that Laynee’s car was already there when I arrived, she’d had the same idea.
I expected to walk through the door and see her sweeping the floor or cleaning the mirror, but she wasn’t. She’d come in for the gossip, and she pounced on me right away.
“So? Oh, my God, what happened the other night? Did you and Milo have sex again? You were so close; it was adorable. The pair of you made my heart melt.”
“No, we didn’t,” I shot back, annoyed, tutting crossly and shaking my head. “Now will you get up and clean this place? We have a busy day today.”
“It doesn’t need it!” she exclaimed, gesturing around her. “Look at this place; it’s immaculate.” I followed her eye line, slowly realizing that she was right – we had been running a pretty tight ship, so it seemed that my anxiety was misplaced. “Now come on, spill the beans. I tried to call you yesterday, but your phone was off.”
“I know,” I sighed, sliding into one of the chairs. “I felt like I was dying, I had to sleep off the hangover. I was even puking throughout the night.”
“Not in... the middle of things?” She burst out into laughter at the mere suggestion of the idea, leaving me smiling bemusedly at her. “Ugh, how awful.”
“There were no things,” I jumped in quickly before she got carried away. “He just put me to bed, asked me about Josh – thank you very much for that one, by the way – and then I went to sleep.”
“Oops.” At least she had the decency to look guilty. “I did bring up Josh, but only to let him know that you were single. I didn’t know you’d already hooked up by that point, did I? I wanted him to get the hint if that was holding him back. Clearly, I was wrong. You can’t blame me because you totally should have told me all about it much sooner. It was practically my idea!”
Hooked up seemed like such a crude term for what had happened
between me and Milo, but I guessed that was all it had been. There wasn’t any commitment, any expectation, and I’d raced away to my own bed as soon as it was over...
It just felt like it’d been so much more than that. The whole time, I felt like we were building something, even if it was only false.
I shivered lightly, the memory of Milo’s hands on my back giving me chills. His touch was so expert, so incredible… I did want to experience it again. Maybe I should have just jumped his bones, however drunk I was. At least I could have woken up with some good memories in among the embarrassing ones!
“Anyway, he seems to me like a nice guy. I like him,” Laynee continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “It’s a shame that he doesn’t live here. I think that you two would be great together.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I told her wryly, giving up on trying to keep something to myself. She knew enough now; it was time to just be honest about it all. “And that’s the issue. I don’t want to fall for him, and then have to say goodbye. I just don’t know if we can keep this casual.”
“I suppose...”
“Oh, hang on,” I jumped up at the sound of my cell ringing and grabbed my bag, holding out a hand to stop her in her tracks. “Let me just take this.”
As I raced into the back room to take the call in private, my heart raced furiously in my chest. This wasn’t just any phone call. I could tell from the number plastered across my screen. It was my landlord, which could only mean one thing. The thing that I’d been so desperately wanting to happen, right when I didn’t want it to.
“Hello?” I stammered into the phone, hating that he had picked this moment. Sure, things were complicated between me and Milo, but that didn’t make me ready for it to end.
“Hi, there, Eliza.” He sounded warmer now, which could only mean good news. “I just wanted to let you know that I’ve spoken to the plumbers, and they’ve finished the job now. Obviously, I need to get industrial cleaners in there for you to get the place in order, but right now, it’s looking like everything will be done by Wednesday.”
“I can go back to my apartment on Wednesday?” I asked sadly, feeling like that was the worst thing ever. If I moved out of the cabin, I wouldn’t have any excuse to keep seeing Milo. I wouldn’t have to face him again until I got the keys back from him.
It was how it always should have been, but I felt a crushing disappointment inside. Things were weird, but also going incredibly well. It made me feel like I was losing him way before I felt ready to. And, it’d be even harder to know that he was still in the same town as me. That would kill me inside.
“Yes, that’s right; sorry about the inconvenience this has caused.”
Oh, you have no idea! “Thank you, let me know for sure about Wednesday.” Maybe something would come up – maybe Wednesday wouldn’t work out, after all.
As I hung up the phone, I had to suck in a couple of deep, disappointed, slightly shaky breaths. This was good news or at least it was supposed to be. I could actually go home. But it felt like my world was coming to an end.
I didn’t even have the time to dwell on it today, to get it all processed, because of all the customers that would be coming in soon.
I forced myself back out into the shop area, shock rendering me speechless. I would still have to work, despite all of this, and I needed to put my game face back on. I couldn’t let my personal life get in the way of my business.
“What’s going on?” Laynee gasped, drinking in my shell-shocked appearance. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Who was on the other end of the phone?”
I glanced up at her, my eyes filling with tears. I wanted to keep it all in, but it was becoming a little too overwhelming. “The pipes are fixed,” I told her hollowly. “It looks like I’m going home.”
“Oh...” Laynee got it right away, and she didn’t know what to say either. “Oh, well, that doesn’t have to change things. You can still hang out with Milo.”
“Things are so strained between me and Milo as it is. I mean, it’s great and we can hang out just fine, but that will all change as soon as I’m gone. It won’t be the same, and you know it.”
She pulled me in for a comforting hug. “I know this sucks, sweetie, but maybe it’s a good idea. If you’re afraid of getting hurt, then maybe you need some distance. Maybe this can bridge the gap between him staying here and him going. It might make it all easier.”
I knew what she was saying was right, it made a whole load of sense logically., but my emotions weren’t being logical. This was going to suck; this was going to be the hardest thing ever. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do it without falling apart.
“You’re right.” I smiled as brightly as I could muster. “Maybe this is the way it’s supposed to be. I should be glad to get back home, anyway. I’ve missed the place.”
“Yeah, sure. I bet it’s all you’ve been thinking about,” she said as she rolled her eyes at me. “Now, come on, we actually have a lot to do today, so let’s get on it. We can have a chat about all of this craziness later.”
But I knew that I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. My brain would strain itself all day long, trying to work out how I could make this work for me, for both of us. I guessed the first thing that I needed to do was tell Milo and go by his reaction. If he was happy to have me out of his hair, then I wouldn’t have any choice. If he looked as crestfallen as I felt... Well, then I’d go from there.
PART 3
Chapter Twenty-One
Milo – Monday
The fresh, crisp, early morning air felt good against my skin as I walked down toward Landon’s business to meet him. I wasn’t totally sure what he had planned for me today, but I was looking forward to it. I had no idea if this investment would be a massive money maker, but I wasn’t totally sure if that was the most important thing to me anymore. I had a feeling that I wanted to invest in his company for other reasons...
“Hey, there.” I spun around to see Landon right behind me, looking as chipper as ever. Clearly, he was a morning person, which I liked. In this business, it showed dedication. “Nice weather today, right? I had a thought, if you were up for it, that you could come out on the boat with me for a few hours? I’ll show you the factory and stuff, too; I just thought it could be good for you to see the whole company.”
“I would love to.” I smiled happily at him. I hadn’t ever been out on a fishing boat before, I’d only ever been on the water on a yacht, and I had the strong sense that this would be different. “That sounds fun.”
He led me down to the harbor, and I felt my heart skipping an excited beat. This was different; this was actually the sort of adventure I’d come here looking for without even realizing it. Stepping out of my comfort zone was just what I needed.
Plus, being out on the water would give me the much-needed distraction from obsessing over Eliza. I needed to get her out of my mind, just for a short while, so I could go back to it with fresh eyes. It was such a complicated mess, and I had no idea where things would go next.
“Here.” Landon handed me some bulky, waterproof fishing gear, which made my face screw up in disgust. “I know it looks a bit crap,” he laughed at me, not offended by my reaction at all. “But trust me, you’ll be thankful for it. Even when the water doesn’t look rough, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. I’d rather you didn’t find that out the hard way.”
“Fair enough.” I nodded seriously before pulling it on. It was hot, stuffy, and very uncomfortable, but if Landon told me that I needed it, I was inclined to believe him. “Right, let’s go.”
As the boat started to sail, I watched Landon in amazement. He was a natural at this, a real guy’s guy who worked well with his hands – the total opposite of me. I’d never been that way, which was why I’d made my money in other ways.
I wanted to do more things like this; I wanted to take this new lease of life and do more fun things. This was much more preferable to spending my life partying meaninglessly.
“So, what drew you to the water?” I asked, leaning back to let the sun bask on my skin. God, this feels incredible...
“Oh, growing up in Florence, there weren’t many other options,” he replied casually. “But that didn’t bother me; I never wanted to do anything else. I love it here, it’s so beautiful, so homey. It’s the sort of place you never want to let go of.”
In a weird way, I knew exactly what he meant. I was sucked in by Florence; I didn’t want to leave myself.
“And, I love the water. I might not have been the best-behaved kid in school, but that didn’t matter because I always knew what I wanted.”
“And, you’ve achieved it well,” I shot back with admiration in my voice. “What you’ve built up is amazing.”
“Thank you. It’s been hard work, but I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been one hell of a journey. It certainly hasn’t left much room for a social life, at any rate.” That was the only moment that I noticed a flash of sadness in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly that I could have imagined it. “But, yeah, things are doing great now. I’m hoping to expand sometime soon, just trying to get it all organized.”
“What do you need to expand?” I asked innocently enough. This could have been the perfect moment to confess who I was, but first, I wanted to hear more about his plans. I didn’t want to make my identity public until I’d fully made a decision.
“Money, mostly. The business is doing well, bringing in a profit, but it isn’t enough to expand at the moment. I’m confident, though; I’m sure I can do it.”
“I agree.” I nodded seriously. Even if he didn’t get the money from me, he would get it from someone else – there would definitely be someone who’d see how investable he was. “I’m sure you’ll go far.”
“Yeah, then all the people who told me I’d be a failure will see!”
