“I guess I’d better go.” She stood, holding the bag. “I hope you’re doing well, Phoebe. I wish you the best.”
I surprised myself then by standing to give her a quick hug. “Thank you.”
“Goodbye,” she said, squeezing me back before she turned to leave.
“Bye, Sabrina.” I watched her go, feeling lighter now than I had before our meeting. Seeing Sabrina this morning had only reinforced for me that I was over her. My heart belonged to Taylor. Maybe it always had. And I couldn’t wait to get back to Vermont.
As I sat to finish my cappuccino, my mind circled back to the job offer I’d received last night. There was a bullet point in the offer email that I hadn’t expected, something that might be a total game changer for me. I pulled out my phone and dialed Allison.
“Bellair Innovations, this is Allison,” she said when she answered.
“Allison, hi. It’s Phoebe Shaw.”
“Oh Phoebe, I was hoping I’d hear from you this morning,” she said.
“Do you still have time to meet with me before I leave town to go over the details of your job offer?” I asked.
“I sure do,” she said. “Can you be here at ten?”
“I’ll see you then,” I told her.
By the time I ended the call, I was already walking back to my condo. It was time to move on with my life, and with any luck, I might have found a way to make it happen.
32
Taylor
My feet felt like stones as I stomped along the path behind Margery’s cabin. In less than a week, it would be mine. I had an appointment on Monday to sign the paperwork and make it official. I held Violet’s leash in my right hand while Minnie bounded ahead of us on the trail, ever hopeful with a stick in her mouth. I still had to watch the two of them closely to make sure there weren’t any scuffles, but so far, they were getting along seamlessly.
As we approached the back of the cabin, I saw Phoebe sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs on the patio, surrounded by a canopy of rosebushes, and my pulse raced at the sight of her. She was back from Boston, but for how long? Maybe she was just here to pack up her things and leave for good. I didn’t know where we stood, and I hated that I’d made it worse by arguing with her yesterday.
I wanted to embrace the long-distance relationship she had in mind, but I couldn’t seem to shake the fear that I was going to end up getting hurt, that she would get tired of Vermont and of me and move back to Boston. But didn’t I owe it to myself to at least try? To see if we could have the happy ending we’d been denied last time?
“Hi,” I said, stopping by the stream. Violet bent her head for a drink while Minnie raced ahead, shoving her stick into Phoebe’s leg.
“Ouch,” Phoebe said with a laugh, bending to take the stick. “And hi.”
Minnie raced in circles around her, barking happily, but after Phoebe tossed the stick, she headed in my direction. She walked right up to me and yanked me in for a kiss, then crouched to greet Violet, rubbing her behind the ears before pressing a kiss between her eyes.
And as I watched her lavishing Violet with affection, my fear dissipated. Maybe this was crazy, maybe I was setting myself up for heartbreak, but I couldn’t let her go, not if there was a chance of keeping her.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted.
Phoebe stood, facing me with wide eyes.
“I shouldn’t have pushed my fears on you last night and certainly not over the phone,” I told her. “We can try things long-distance. We have to try, because I love you, Phoebe.” I took her hands in mine, watching as tears welled in her eyes. Violet circled us, wrapping us in her leash, effectively binding us together.
“I love you too,” she told me, bottom lip trembling as she spoke. “I’ve only been in love twice, and both times it was with you.”
My whole body went warm and tingly at her words. “I would say the same, but I’m not sure I ever stopped loving you the first time. I think that’s why I’ve had so much trouble finding someone else in the meantime, and why I was so scared of losing you again.”
“You aren’t going to lose me this time.” She pressed closer, wrapping her arms around me. “Not if I can help it.”
I slid my hands up to cup her face, dropping Violet’s leash in the process. At this point, she was so tangled around us, she wasn’t going anywhere. “It may be hard, but we’ll make it work.”
“It won’t be as hard as you think,” Phoebe told me with a hesitant smile. “I have some good news.”
“You do?” Had she decided not to take the job in Boston? Because now that I was thinking past my fear, I didn’t want her to sacrifice her career for me.
