“Wow,” he says with a sigh. “I’ve missed you so damn much.”
Blaire appears from the back room, takes one look at the situation, and promptly disappears again.
Traitor.
“Why are you here?” I place the spooky graveyard scene back where it was and stare at him.
“I’m back in town. For good this time.”
He leans forward, almost removing the space between us, but I take a step away.
“I owe you an apology. I’ve changed, Jules. Therapy has really opened my eyes. After being without you, I know you’re the only woman on this planet for me.”
My brows lift, and my mouth falls open. I promptly close it. “Glad you’re finally going to therapy, but we’re over. There are no more chances. We’re too toxic for one another.”
I glance at Mrs. Caldwell, who pretends she hears nothing, but I see how she’s leaning in.
“Julie, baby.” Craig reaches for my hand, but I pull away. “I know I messed up bad, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that never happens again.”
“No,” I firmly say, not liking to have to repeat that word.
I’m a people pleaser, and I have the urge to make people happy. Saying no is hard; repeating it is harder. And what sucks is he knows this, but instead, he continues to test me.
“Now, please leave. You’re embarrassing me. I’m at work.” I glance around and see Harold Jenkins pretending not to eavesdrop on this conversation, but I’d bet every dollar in our overflowing tip jar that his wife will know about it before supper.
Shit.
“I was an idiot.” He admits it, which is new. “I get it now. You’re meant to shine, and I didn’t let you. I didn’t support you.”
“Let me?” I glare at him.
He’d freak out on me if I smiled at other men, who weremy customers. He’d tell me I was asking to be stared at by dressing certain ways. One thing Craig is wonderful at is gaslighting. His words were chosen wisely, but almost too carefully.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s exactly what you meant. You used to make me feel so small. It’s a no, Craig. A very firm no. I don’t need your or anyone’s permission to be myself. I will never change who I am for you or any man.” I move the roses aside, their sickly sweet scent making my stomach turn. “You lost your chance.”
His jaw tightens, and he’s losing his grip because I won’t lie down for him and submit, like he requires from a woman. “Autumn said you’re seeing someone.”
It’s not a question, but it doesn’t matter because I ignore him. He doesn’t deserve to know anything about me anymore.
“Who is he?” Craig steps closer, and suddenly, the space between us disappears. He grabs my left hand, holding it in his. “Because until there’s a ring on this finger, I won’t give up. I still love you. I realize now I always will.”
I pull my fingers from his grasp, not liking how pushy he’s being. Maybe this is why Autumn was protecting me from his weird persistence.
“Do you remember what you told me the day you ended things with me?” I raise my voice a little more so that the rest of the eavesdroppers can hear and spread this fact around town.
“No,” he mutters. “I wasn’t myself.”
“I think you were exactly who you are.” I smile, but it’s forced. “You said you wanted a more submissive woman, one who wasn’t asking for attention from men and who knew how to listen.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Let me be clear. I’ve not changed. I will not be submissive to you or any man.”
“I don’t want you to change because I have,” he tells me. “I want you exactly how you are.”
He looks almost hurt, and my self-doubt kicks in. I try toremember this is part of his manipulation, part of the cycle that keeps bringing us back together.
“Come on. Remember all the good times we had? You were mine, Julie, baby. It was me and you. All those late summer nights, lying in the back of my truck, waiting for fireflies to appear. We were perfect together. Everyone said so.”
I think about those summer nights and the vibe of it as the crickets chirped. Then I remember how he humiliated me in front of my friends and family when he brought his new fiancée to town. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe the man who promised to love me forever could’ve been so cruel. It erased the good times for me.
