I pulledinto the circle driveway of a two-story oceanfront cottage in Isle of Palms and parked my car behind the white Jeep Wrangler.
When I got out, Haley rounded the vehicle with a grin. “Hey!”
I smiled. “Hey.” I looked up at the house. “This is really nice.”
“It is, but it’s definitely got more potential.”
As we walked by her Jeep, I glanced over to see a row of various rubber ducks running along the length of her windshield. “That’s a lot of ducks.”
“I’m a fan of Duck Duck Jeep.” Haley chuckled. “I have a box of them wearing little stethoscopes that I leave in there to give out.”
When we walked into the empty house, I could see what Haley meant when she said it had “more potential.” At first glance, itdefinitelyneeded a paint job, and hardwood floors thatappeared to run through most of the house were scuffed and scraped and could probably use refinishing.
“Hello.”
I turned at the sound of another woman’s voice, and without an introduction, I knew exactly who she was. She had the same bright green eyes and dark brown hair Haley and Wes had. “Mrs. Callahan,” I said with a smile, extending my hand.
She smiled in response and shook my hand. “Please, call me Liz.”
I nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Liz. I’m Morgan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” She smiled as she glanced around. “Shall I show you around?”
I spent the next hour walking through the house with Haley and her mom. This project would be simple enough because nothing elaborate was wanted—new paint, refinishing the floors, new kitchen and bathroom tile, and furniture. We could have it done in a month or so. I also gave Elizabeth my mom’s card before I left on the off chance she needed a realtor for the rental listing.
As I drove back to the office, I thought about the fact that I was doing this project at all.
When Haley first reached out while I was still in Miami, I wasn’t sure Grace would let me do it. The Callahans weren’t big clients of LSID like Lucas was, and she didn’t typically take on many residential properties.
I checked my schedule before I reached out to Grace, and since it wouldn’t conflict with any of my other projects, I asked her if I could do it. I wanted to help since Haley specifically reached out to me, but I’d be lying if I said the acknowledgment of my feelings for Wes didn’t play a part in me jumping on the chance to help and practically begging Grace to let me take it on.
Now, I was avoiding Wes but doing a walkthrough of a house with his mom and his sister.
Again, what is my life?
I had no intention of avoiding Wes after the night at The Sandbar…but then he showed up to trivia night with Loralei. I was already beating myself up over missing out on my chance to tell him how I felt, and that was an added reminder I didn’t need.
I didn’t have a problem with Loralei. I didn’t even know her. It wasn’t like it washerfault it took me so long to pull my goddamn head out of my ass. That was entirely on me. But that didn’t make it any easier to see them together. It was a reminder of the consequences of my stubbornness not to acknowledge my feelings for Wes sooner.
I only lasted half an hour before I couldn’t take it anymore and had to leave. Not because they were all over each other—quite the opposite, actually. Not because they were being overly affectionate.
It was because ofme.
Because all I wanted to do that entire thirty minutes I sat there was pull Wes aside and tell him what I never got the chance to, wanting to throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. I couldn’t do that, though. I had no right to interfere in their relationship.
So, I chose to take myself out of the equation and had been pretty much MIA for the past month.
I hadn’t gone to trivia or Saturday nights out, using work as an excuse or saying I had other plans. Maybe it would get easier someday, but at the moment, it was too hard to be around him. Callie was the only one who knew the real reason I kept my distance, and I was glad she knew the truth about everythingnow. I’d be even more miserable than I already was if I had no outlet and had to keep it all to myself.
That night, I was sitting inside my apartment with a much-needed glass of wine. I’d prefer to be on my terrace, but sitting out there made my mind spiral to places I didn’t want it going. From my spot there, I could see Wes’s building across the pond, and it would make me think about him being there…but with someone else.
I knew it was pathetic, but pathetic seemed to be my middle name as of late.
I took a sip of my wine, my other hand resting on my chest as if to soothe the gnawing pang that seemed to be a permanent fixture there.
For someone who’d beenwaitingto feel this way, I hated all of it—the constant ache in my chest, how often he was on my mind, how much I missed him, how simply thinking about him put a lump in my throat.
Maybe it was a good thing I’d never experienced love before because this was a kind of pain I’d never want to feel more than once.
