Matt reappeared in the doorway. “Car’s here,” he said. He took in our faces. “We should go.”
Noah looked at me, I looked back, but nobody moved.
“Come here,” he said, and I rounded the desk. Pulling me into his arms, he kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of him.
“I’ll call,” he promised.
“Don’t if it makes it harder,” I said. “Do if it doesn’t.”
Noah stepped back and picked up the guitar, then he stopped just at the door.
“Skye.”
“Yes?” Silly, stupid, hope trembled in my heart.
“You were right about the boiler. It needs a new pump,” he said, as if we could hide our goodbye inside a practical note.
“I know,” I said, hope shattering. “I’ll get it sorted.” Somehow. Once my guests came back.
“Of course you will,” he said, and then he was gone.
I returned to behind the desk and watched through the front window like a woman in a picture book. A fancy Land Rover with shiny rims was parked in front, and Matt rounded the bonnet while Noah put his guitar in the bootwith care. He looked up once at the window. I stepped back so he couldn’t see me and then stepped forward because I didn’t want to hide. He lifted a hand. I lifted mine.
And then the car pulled away.
There’s something so sad about watching a car pull away with someone you love in it. Not that I’d told Noah that I loved him, but my heart didn’t know the difference.
The silence stretched out around me. The inn seemed to grow bigger, emptier, without his presence in it.
And then I shook my head and turned away because what else could I do?
The washer beeped its finished round and, numbly, I went to the laundry room and switched the loads. Then, sitting down in my empty inn, I made a list because that’s what I did when I couldn’t fix anything else.
“I’m okay,” I said out loud, wondering if Gran could hear. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but not also the whole truth either.
The bell over the front door dinged and I looked up, putting on my customer service smile.
Harper and Rosie stood there, the makings for mimosas in their hands, with the Book Bitches arguing at their backs.
“We saw him leave. This isn’t the time to be alone,” Harper said.
“We brought mimosas.”
“And cakes!” Esther crowed, elbowing her way through. She took one look at my face. “Oh, dear.”
The tears broke, and chaos ensued as only chaos can when your nearest and dearest swoop in to hold you close when your world is breaking apart … again.
“I know a guy,” Esther promised me. “We’ll take care of it.”
At that, I laughed. “No murdering.”
“Maiming?” Meredith asked hopefully.
“No bodily harm.”
Still, the thought brought a smile to my face, and despite it all, I realized that, just like before, life would go on. The last time we’d parted there had been animosity and anger involved.We’d been young, headstrong.Today’s decision had been…kind.
I’d survived Noah Byrne walking away from me once before, and I would do so again.
