“Okay.” His eyes soften with relief. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I won’t.” I smile to myself. He’s going to be so shocked when he sees the cafe. Shit, I need to get moving. I want to show it to him when it’s finished and perfect, not as the mess it is now.
He leans closer, smiling that gorgeous lop-sided grin of his. “I can’t wait to kiss you again. I’ve missed my wild girl so much.”
My wild girl.
His words steamroll over my happiness, crushing it into dust. Somehow, talking to him again, I let myself forget the most important thing of all: that I lied to him.
It’s okay, I reassure myself.He’ll understand. Just tell him the truth.
“Luke, there’s something I have to tell you. I—”
His head whips around and in the back of the frame I see Alex creep into the room. “How are you two getting on? Did you make up yet?”
Luke chuckles, which Alex takes as an invitation to come closer and peer at the screen.
“Yes,” I mumble. “We made up. But—”
“Yay!” She hugs Luke around the shoulders and he grins.
“Yep, I’m going straight back to New York. I need to see my girl.”
I coax my mouth into a smile, trying to ignore the way my stomach is tilting uneasily. Maybe it’s best to tell him this in person, anyway. And I can only hope, once I tell him the truth, he’ll still want me as his girl.
42
It’s been a rough week. Luke was supposed to be back by now, but he couldn’t get on a flight out of New Zealand for three days, and then out of the blue he got a call to say that the Houston companydoeswant to partner with him, so he’s had to stop there before he can come back to New York.
Since our video chat I’ve been keeping busy with the cafe, and I haven’t been doing it alone; I reached out to Geoff and Cat, who have been very enthusiastic, and Myles is working on branding and a website for me. I haven’t told Alex yet, but I did tell her I’ll be sticking around in New York for a while. I could hear her squeal from the other side of the planet.
I’ve been staying at the hotel but it’s getting pricey. As soon as my visa comes through, I’ll have to find a place of my own. Mum will have a hernia that she’s losing another daughter over here, but right now that’s the last thing on my mind.
It’s a crisp morning as I wander along the street towards work, my breath coming out in a cloud in front of me. I arrive at the front door and unwind my scarf, pulling my keys out of my bag, but the door is already unlocked. When I push my way inside, I hear the hum of the espresso machine—one of the first things I bought, because I figured we’d all work much more efficiently with a regular supply of coffee.
“Hey, chick!” Paula’s head pops out. “Coffee?”
“Morning! Yes.Please.” I smile, shrugging off my coat as the high-pitched screech of the milk-frother fills the space. Seeing Paula behind the counter over the past few days has brought a sense of comfort and familiarity to what has been a daunting endeavor. I asked her if she wanted to run the place with me, but she insisted that it should be all mine. I’m kind of glad she did.
We sip our coffees in silence, gazing around at the blank slate before us. All the broken drywall and old fixtures have been removed and the wooden floor and counter have been sanded back to the grain. It’s good progress, but it’s a far cry from where it needs to be.
Coffee consumed, Paula disappears to clean and organize the kitchen, and I set out some little pots of yellow paint to test on the bare walls. As I work, my mind wanders to Luke. I’m trying to be positive, I really am, but he told me he couldn’t wait to see me and it’s been a whole week now. I know he’s busy—and, you know, he did fly to the other side of the world for me and everything—but I can’t shake the feeling that something is off. We’ve been texting since our video chat but over the past couple of days I’ve hardly heard a peep. What if he’s changed his mind, or somehow figured out that I lied to him?
I try to push the thought from my mind for the rest of the day but it’s a struggle. I’m tired after working my ass off all week and my nerves are frayed to bits from worrying about things with Luke.
We’re just finishing up for the day when my phone buzzes. I hear it, sitting on the counter, and my heart lunges against my ribs when I see a message from Luke.
Luke: Hey, Harri. Can you come by tonight?
I stare at the words, trying to decipher the tone. There’s no “I’ve missed you, baby!” or “I’m back and I can’t wait to see you!” Just cool, casual, detached. He didn’t even text to tell me he was leaving Houston.
Shit. I don’t want to think about what this means.
My belly fills with butterflies as I lock up the store and take a cab to Chelsea. I can’t sit still; I’m a jittery ball of nervous energy. Now that I’m seeing him, I have to tell him the truth. I don’t know what I’m more worried about—that he’ll be shocked to realize I’m not who he thought I was, or hurt because I lied. It doesn’t matter, really. All that matters is that if he decides he can’t be with me after everything, I don’t think I’ll be able to come back from that.
The door is ajar when I get to his floor, so I give it a tentative push. “Hello?” I call, and the butterflies in my middle turn into a furious swarm of hornets.
But as I step inside, I realize I’ve made a mistake. The walls are dark, the floors exposed wood, the lighting dim and warm.
