June couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Tyler was having a good old fashioned bad time.
Waiting wasthe worst.
Oh, he knew it was the right thing to do. He even wanted to do it, insofar as he wanted very much for Cadence to have the time she needed to think through their relationship. Part of him was even grateful for the opportunity to show his commitment before she was asked to make a choice.
Even with all that, hehatedwaiting.
He just wanted to be with his family again. He missed them every second.
This intense longing to be with Cadence and Isabelle, all three of them together, had led him to do things that were possibly just the tiniest bit goofy.
Such as, for example, driving past the gallery in the evening, because just looking at Cadence’s workplace helped him feel closer to her.
It was only a little out of his way. It was definitely no big deal. Totally normal.
And, he reasoned as he drove past, it was good, actually, because somehow the lights were still on inside, even though it was well past opening hours.
He still had a key from back before he and Cadence had separated. He didn’t want to be presumptuous, but he really didn’t think that Cadence would mind him sticking his head in just to switch off the lights.
He swung around into the parking lot, then frowned when he saw that Cadence’s car was in the parking lot. The lights weren’t on by accident, then. She was still at work.
Tyler told himself he should just keep driving. He’d promised to give her space, so he should do that. She had said she would call when she needed his help.
But… hewasalready here.
He got out of the car.
“Cadence?” he called as he opened the door, not liking that it was unlocked. Magnolia Shore was pretty much as safe as a town could get, but still. He would have preferred her to lock the doors this late at night. Just in case.
“Ty?” Cadence blinked up at him, turning away from her work like she was coming out of some kind of trance, and he couldn’t contain his smile. He remembered seeing her like that when they were in college, whenever he’d pull her away from studying or writing a paper so she could take a break. She got so focused. He’d always found it utterly charming.
“Honey, what are you doing here?” he asked, the endearment dropping off his lips before he could think better of it. “It’s so late. Where’s Izzy?”
She peeked over his shoulder at the window and seemed surprised to see that the sun was nearly set. At this point in the summer, sundown happenedlate.
“Uh, yeah, I guess I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. I dropped Izzy off at a sleepover this afternoon. One of the girls in her class is having a birthday party.” She chuckled. “Those parents looked like they were preparing for battle, what with half a dozen seven-year-old girls spending the night.”
“Woof,” he said. “Yeah, I hope they have enough coffee for tomorrow. They arenotgetting much sleep tonight.”
“We thank them for their sacrifice,” she said with faux solemnity, pressing a hand over her heart. “Anyway, I came by after dropping her off, which I guess was a few hours ago now.”
Tyler glanced at the blank wall behind Cadence.
“Oh, yeah. You’ve, uh, made a lot of progress?”
“Funny man,” she deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “Yes, I am very clearly stuck. I’ve laid out a whole bunch of setups, and none of them are quite right.” She sighed. “Or maybe I’ve just been staring at it too long.”
“Well,” he said, considering. “I can either provide a helpful ear if you think it would help talk through it with someone, or…” He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping she would go with option two. “Or you could let me take you to grab some food at the diner. Your brain needs fuel to work and all that.”
She looked longingly at the blank wall.
“You know how much I hate leaving a project unfinished, but I think you’re right,” she said with a sigh.
“Yeah?” he asked. “Dinner?”
