“I was only with her because she was insistent on getting me to release any ownership or interest in a small piece of property her dad has about an hour from here. How and why Mom’s name was still on it, I have no idea. I had no interest in dealing with her any longer than necessary. So, I signed it over as Mom’s financial power of attorney. That was the first time I had seen her in years, and since our parents were only married for about three years, we never grew close. Plus, she was hateful to me.”
“Harrison’s history with her is pretty ugly.”
Lydia spends the next several minutes outlining all the things that Cassandra did when she stole money from the company. It fits into the profile of who I know Cassandra to be.
“Thank you for sharing that information with me. It makes this just a tiny bit less painful to go through. But it doesn’t change anything between Harrison and me.”
“That’s all right, Delaney. I wasn’t trying to get you to change your mind; I just wanted you to have a little bit of background. I think, unlessyouchoose to, we should just not talk about Harrison for a while.”
“Okay, that sounds good to me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having you in Mom’s life, and in mine. I hope we can continue seeing each other here once in a while as you continue working with Mom.”
“Of course we can, sweetheart.”
We’re interrupted when the nurse’s aide comes to let us know Mom is out of the bath and tucked into bed. Lydia and I walk to her room together, and I decide to give them some time, so I kiss Mom and tell her I love her. I say goodbye to Lydia, and without warning, she pulls me into a hug.
Neither of us speaks until we pull apart, and I give her the best smile I’m able to muster before walking away. My heart might feel less heavy knowing some of the backstory about what triggered Harrison. Only a very minute bit, though.
When I’m in my car, I pull out my phone and open my texts. I have several texts from Harrison that I haven’t been able to bring myself to erase. He asked several times if we could talk. He apologized over and over. He told me how much he missed me and loved me. Those are the texts that hurt the most.
I couldn’t cope with the daily reminders of him. So, three days ago, I texted him.
I'm asking you to please stop sending me messages. We aren't together, and I need time to heal from this, which is difficult when you text me.
Harrison
I'm sorry. I never meant to add more stress to your life. I'll stop. I'm so sorry.
And that’s it. That’s the last I have heard from him. It’s what I want, or at least what I need, but it nevertheless devastates me when I wake up every day, and there are no new messages from him.
The saving grace is that I’m being wrapped in so much support by my “found family,” as Ruthie calls them all. The night Ruthie picked me up from the B&B, I didn’t know where she was taking me. So, when she directed me to Lester’s house, it surprised me to find him sitting on the patio, waiting for us. They all but forced me to agree to stay in the efficiency that Lester has for as long as I need. I am paying a little bit of rent, but not as much as I think I should.
It's been very hard to accept, but I have to admit that the extra help and kindness this group of people shows me has made a tremendous difference in my life. I was without work except for the bartending gig, and it was Ruthie's boyfriend, Mr. Whittaker, who hired me on to help with some administrative assistant tasks at his place. He’s lovely, and I learned a lot about high-end media rooms and built in technology in buildings, but I still miss everyone back at my old workplace.
I was stupid and selfish to think that I could have something like I thought Harrison and I had while Mom still needs me. Loving him and thinking he loved me in return, only to find out it could never work, has affected my heart in a way that I cannot hide, and I can’t afford to be down and depressed. Not with all I have going on.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Delaney
My breath hitches when I push through the double doors that lead to Lester’s back room at his hardware shop. Harrison is sitting at the table, looking down, vigorously writing in a notebook.
“Oh.” It’s all I can say—the cat has a firm grip on my tongue. It’s enough to catch his attention, and he looks up at me. His eyes widen, and his furrowed brow tells me he’s surprised to see me as well. He looks away from me and scrambles to shove his notebook and pen in his bag, as if he’s packing to leave.
“I’m sorry. I thought you wouldn’t be here for another hour, and that I still had thirty minutes before I needed to leave to miss you. I’ll go.”
“What are you doing here?” My words are barely above a whisper.
Harrison is standing now, and he runs his hand through his hair, avoiding eye contact with me.
“Working on, um… a project. It’s important, and I needed somewhere quiet, without distractions, so Lester lets me come here on the days I’ve gotta work on it.”
Sadness cloaks his face, and even after everything that happened, I hate seeing him looking pained. He’s still as attractive as ever, though, and my body has a visceral reaction to his presence. I force it down.
“Oh, okay. Um, I work here a day a week now. I’m staying at Lester’s, and this is part of my rent.” I don’t know why I’m telling him all this.
“It’s a small town, Delaney. Even without trying to, I’d heard all of that. Plus, you know Ruthie and the little tidbits she throws out.” With a forced smile, he attempts to lighten the mood by bringing up our beloved, gossipy, interfering, small-town icon.
He finally holds my gaze for more than a split second, and my heart pinches when the usual gleam is missing from his eyes.
