“Listen, I know you’ve been busy with the recent spate of fires in town but we really do need to get things in order for your bid for sheriff.Samuel Shepherd officially threw his name in the race, so we have a real election to win,” Miles said.
“Alright, I’ll get you my final answer by the end of the week, next week at the latest.”
“What exactly is holding you back?”
“I don’t know, but once I do, you’ll be the first to know.”And Wes left before Miles could harp on it any further.
After spending only two weeks with Shelby it was absurd to think he loved her, wasn’t it?And yet this nagging feeling that he was doing something wrong started to feel bigger than just deciding on what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.It felt like she was the one who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he kept seeing Shelby’s face.And as crazy as that was, it had him taking the first vacation he’d had in years, packing a bag, and driving to Atlanta.Because before he could decide his next step, he needed to talk to the one woman who might make all the difference.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Shelby
The Losing Kind
“Those first twohundred pages were fantastic, Shelby, but where is the rest?How does the book end?Do you have the series mapped out?”Shelby’s editor asked again, over the phone.
She’d mistakenly answered before looking at who was calling because it had been the first time her phone rang since she left Sandy Point two days ago.
“Yes, I mean I have the ending in my mind I just need to get it on the page.And yes I’m thinking of a five-book series.Each girl in the group will have their own adventure.”
“Great, but we agreed to pitch the full manuscript in four weeks, and I’d really like to see the ending first.”
“I know, I know.Look I’ve just had a few wonky days, getting back to my normal routine after everything.”
“I understand, but do you think maybe you should have stayed in Sandy Point to finish the book?You were really in your flow state there.It was like Christmas every evening to get more pages from you.”
“I do my best writing in my office.I can finish it here.Sandy Point was just temporary.”
“Okay, lock yourself at home and get it done.Then send me pages when you have them,” her editor said, but she could hear the worry and doubt.
The truth was, she’d been staring at a blank page for days now.Fiddling with things in the large loft condo she owned in downtown Atlanta.She’d tried sitting at her favorite bookstore, coffee shop, and even the library.Nothing.It wasn’t that she’d expected a big response from Wes, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t expect something.But he hadn’t sent a text, called, or mailed her a letter in response.She knew cuz she checked her mailbox multiple times a day.Which meant she’d been right—they were a fling, nothing more.
But now this nagging feeling that she’d left something she was always going to miss, back in Sandy Point, was festering in her gut.Maybe it was the ending of her book, or maybe it was something more.A knock on the door surprised her from her deep concentration at the blank screen on her laptop.There was a doorman in her building, deliveries were taken by the concierge and no one could just come up.Maybe a neighbor but that was rare.Slipping on her fuzzy slippers she padded to the door and looked through the peephole and gasped.Wesley.
She whipped open the door.
“Hi,” was all she could think to say.
“Hi, I was in town and thought I’d pop in.”
“You just happened to be in Atlanta today, four hours away from your home?Why?”
“To see you.”
He looked gorgeous and determined, and held a simple bouquet of white daisies.
“You wanted to see me, so you drove to Atlanta?”
“Yes.I guess I should have called first,” he said looking over her shoulder as if he expected not to find her alone.
“Come in,” she said, stepping back.“Are those flowers for me?”
“I didn’t know which type is your favorite but I think that tattoo on your arm is a daisy?”He stepped inside and held them out to her.
His broad shoulders made the large open foyer feel crowded.But all she wanted to do was walk into his arms.Instead she accepted the flowers and closed the door behind him.
“Um, come on in.”
