“Friend of yours?” I asked carefully.
She gave a too-quick shrug. “Not really.”
I wanted to ask more. I wanted to know why he looked at her like that, and why she looked like she wished the sidewalk would crack open and swallow him whole. But I didn’t push. Not yet.
Remy was still growling.
“Your cat has good instincts,” I said. “I don’t like that guy. Don’t know why—yet.”
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon.” She huffed out a bitter laugh. “Remy’s been wrong about people before, but not often.”
I took a slow breath. The air had gone colder.
“Well,” I said. “I should go pretend to do laundry.”
She nodded. “I should go pretend I know how to walk cats.”
I hesitated, then gave her a softer look. “You know, if you ever want to talk about that guy—or anything else—I’m around.”
Something flickered in her expression. Gratitude, maybe. Or regret.
“I know,” she said quietly. “Thanks, Nate.”
As I walked away, I tried not to glance back.
I failed.
She was still standing there, cats wrapped around her like a forcefield, watching me go.
The silence pressed down, thick as fog. I felt the weight of her words settle between us, questions swirling in my mind that I didn’t dare voice. For a heartbeat, I considered going back—saying something, doing anything to lighten the moment. But instead, I kept moving, each step feeling heavier than the last.
And all I could think was—what the hell was that?
“He’s my ex,” she called.
Her voice rang out, slicing through the hush like the clang of a bell. I stopped short, heart stumbling in my chest. The words echoed in the chilly air, raw and unapologetic, settling into the space between us with the finality of a confession neither of us could take back. I waited, uncertain, as the realization sank in and a current of understanding passed between us, heavier than any silence. I froze, then headed back in her direction.
Chapter 10
Eliza
“Idated him,” I said, voice sharper than I meant it to be. “Graham. He’s my ex.”
Nate had already slowed, but that stopped him in his tracks. He turned, brows raised, searching my face like he didn’t quite believe it.
I hesitated, bracing myself. It was all out there now—no more half-truths, no more sidestepping the subject. For a second, we stood in the quiet, the moment filling the air between us. With so many things unsaid and the faint hope that maybe someone would understand. That someone could see through the cloak of charm Graham always hid behind.
“I should have figured it out,” he said eventually. “The way he looked at you and the way you looked like you wanted to disappear.”
I let out a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bark it out like that. I just—since he got to town, he always shows up at the worst possible time. He always manages to make everything complicated, even when he’s just passing by. It’s like he has a radar for my worst moments, and somehow, he always finds me when I least want to be found. I wish I could say I was over it—that seeing him didn’t bother me—but it’s never that simple, is it?”
“Things like this rarely are. Believe me, I know.” He stood still for a beat, then gently gestured ahead with his chin. “Wanna walk?”
“Where?”
“The Pennywhistle’s closed. But I’ve got my keys with me. If you don’t mind a dark diner. We could put the cats in my office.”
“Sounds like my kind of night.” I shrugged, pressing my hands into my pockets, searching for the right words. “Sure. I could use a change of scenery.” Something about the idea of sitting in that familiar diner with Nate made the tightness in my chest loosen, if only a little. At least there, the ghosts of old arguments and unresolved feelings might seem less sharp, softened by the quiet promise that maybe, for a little while, I wouldn’t have to pretend everything was fine.
