“Yeah. I did. I haven’t been back in a long time, and I’m not completely sure why.”
She nods. “I think about moving to a place like this sometimes.”
“It’s definitely different from city life.” I take a long drink of my cocoa, letting the sugar hit me hard as my adrenaline wanes.
The drink is cool enough to slog down fast, and it tastes better than I remember it.
More twists and changes in a town I’d thought was stagnant.
It might have just been me.
“I bet it is.”
We turn to start our way back, and I catch another glimpse of her and her of me.
It pauses for a moment, and I sip my cocoa again to keep myself moving.
“Why did you run away so quickly?”
I grimace. “I couldn’t handle the gossip, the whispers, the accusations… And I couldn’t facehim.”
Jennifer takes her own sip. It looks like her first real one because she brightens just a fraction before drinking more.
It gives me the space to say, “It was a hard blow for me. Even though I knew something was off—the lies, the secrecy—I didn’t want to believe it. And when it all blew up, I was crushed. Alone.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, I close my eyes, revisiting the feeling. It’s nearly gone now.
“He really played us both, didn’t he?” Her derisive laugh has me joining in awkwardly. “I thought if I could find you, I’d feel better. Turns out, I just feel…tired.”
I’m glad she doesn’t blame me. It makes me feel far lighter than I imagined it could.
“What have you been doing since you came home?”
“Work. Life. Family. Small town stuff. Trying to remember who I was.”
“That sounds nice. I could use some of that. The company is finally cleaning up the mess he left behind.”
I raise my brow, unwilling to ask the question I desperately want to know. Did he get what was coming to him?
“My father fired him, and we’re still scrambling to replace him.”
Part of me is satisfied by this. The other part pities him. We near the bustle of the festival again, and I’m glad I don’t have this hanging over me anymore. “I don’t regret leaving.”
“I don’t blame you.” Her tone is wistful. Did she want to run away, too, but couldn’t? She still has to face everyone who knows what Nick did to her.
We stop again, just on the outside of the crowds. The familiarity soaks into me like a balm.
“You know… You could still come back. We haven’t filled your role.”
27
GABE
I’m close enough to hear the offer the wife makes.
To see the temptation flash across Drew’s face right after the surprise.
Then, the shock takes over, and she’s blank. These last few weeks haven’t been easy on her, but she was just starting to relax.
