That was not true. Far from the truth, actually. I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with this woman. But she had dreams of going to New York City, of working in writing and interior design after graduating, and I wasn’t the man she needed for those dreams at the time.
So, for her to say I didn’t want to be near her is so wrong.
Very wrong ...
And I can’t just sit here and let her believe that.
“If we’re stating things for the record,” I say, leaning in toward her table this time, “I wanted to be near you.”
“Ha!” she guffaws. “Says the man who thought it would be easier to break my heart than act like an adult and talk things through.”
“I tried,” I snap back at her. Woop, there goes the self-control. “You shut down.”
“I shut down because you said you were going to die in this town. You weren’t moving anywhere.”
“I said that because I was too scared to think I could be anywhere but Bright Harbor.”
“So that’s why you lived in Boston for a year?” she asks.
*Gasp* Plot twist! How the hell did she know aboutthat?
Boston was ... well, it was my sad attempt at trying to do something more than take over my dad’s hardware store. It was me trying to prove myself, to become a real woodworker and learn from some of the best. And sure, I learned, but when it came down to it, even though I tried to match Nola’s aspirations, to become the kind of man she needed, I knew damned well I wasn’t programmed to be a big-city man. I was meant to stay here in Bright Harbor, to help people around town, and to care for my parents as they grow old.
“How do you know about Boston?”
She stands from her table and picks up her plate. “People talk in this town, even to girls who move all the way to New York, or did you forget that?”
“How could I forget the gossip line here? That’s how I found out you left without saying goodbye.”
“Why on earth would I say goodbye after you broke my heart?”
“Because you loved me,” I say.
“Yeah, well, that was a mistake, and we both know it.” She pushes her chair in with a resounding clunk and heads toward the stairs without another word.
Great job, Butler. Way to make your first interaction with Nola since you broke up a memorable one.
You moron.
Chapter Three
**NOLA**
Iwanted to be near you,” I mutter as I rip at the old carpet in the den. “How dare he say that to me.”
Running into Caleb was everything I thought it would be—irritating, less than pleasant, and downright frustrating. First of all, could the man be any more attractive? You always hope for the people who break your heart to age horribly, but not Caleb Butler. Nooooo, he has to be like Napa’s finest wine. The man aged impeccably. Scruffy jaw, thin laugh lines near his eyes, tan skin, muscles ... so many muscles ...
But besides his physical appearance, it was his apathetic approach to our relationship that really got to me. High school sweethearts, we were each other’s firsts with plans to get married. He got me. I got him. No one in my life ever made me feel as safe, as loved, or as wanted as he did. But when I asked him to go to New York with me, he didn’t.
And that was the end of that. Like a Band-Aid, he ripped me right off and tossed me into the trash. There wasn’t another word from him, no letters, no visits. Nothing. I knew coming back here would mean seeing him again, but I didn’t think I was going to be this upset about it.
With hands gripping the edge of a carpet, I give it one giant tug and fall straight back on my butt, dust flying up into the already chalky air. I spit out a few clumps that land on my lips and use the back of my hand to brush away some wayward hair just as there is a knock on my front door, which is open despite the cold weather—I needed a breather from the dust.
“Delivery,” Arden calls out.
“Back here, behind the rose-colored monster also known as carpet.”
“Ah, there you are,” Arden says as he makes his way around the disaster of my current residence. “Looks like you’re elbows deep in renovations.”
