I reached for my coat on the hook and stepped outside, remembering I had a few boxes of supplies in my truck that still needed to be brought in. They seemed like a perfect excuse not to be spying on him. Because I wasn’t. Spying, that was.
Alex was leaning against the rail of the stairs, holding Roxy’s leash. He looked up when I stepped out, and Roxy ran over to me as soon as she was done peeing, happy to see me.
“Hey, girl,” I said, bending to scratch her ears. “How’ve you been?”
She pawed at me enthusiastically, attempting to jump up to greet me. “You look like you’re doing good without your cast! Yeah, I bet you just love running again, don’t you?” I cooed.
Alex tugged on her leash trying to get her to back down, but she kept circling around me.
“Roxy, come.”
I tried not to let my pain show as I straightened and crossed my arms. “Hey.”
He nodded but didn’t budge from where he stood.
“How’s the job going?” I asked, trying to be polite.
“Good. I like John. He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, he is. I’ve known him a while. He should treat you right,” I agreed. “Are you staying warm enough? Or do you need anything?” The questions slipped out before I could stop them, and I wanted to reach out and snatch them back.
Alex huffed in annoyance. “I’m fine, Vaughn. Believe it or not, I am capable of taking care of myself.”
I heard the distinct “we don’t need to talk about this” in his voice, but for once, I didn’t want to ignore it.
“So, is this how it’s going to be?” I asked. “You just snapping at me and walking away every time we see each other?”
I couldn’t be sure from this distance, but I could have sworn Alex’s jaw ticked at the question. He didn’t say anything, but managed to look ashamed as he tucked both hands into the pockets of his coat.
“Is that really what you want?” I asked.
I thought I heard a soft, “I don’t know,” carried across the wind over Roxy’s grunts and sniffs at my feet, but I couldn’t be sure. I waited a minute for him to say something—anything—to show me he still cared, but he didn’t.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. For Newport, I mean. Bri and I are still going.”
He nodded. “That’s good. You should.”
Without thinking, I said, “You could still come, you know. If you want.”
This time, I was sure of the tick and knew I’d pushed him too far. I tried not to let it hurt, but I was simply too emotionally exhausted to have any sort of control.
“Or not, I guess. If it’s not the rightchoicefor you,” I snapped. “But I’ll at least write my number on the whiteboard in case you need anything. James too, since he said he’ll be around. And not that you care, but I’ll be back on Sunday unless a storm rolls through and we need to come back early. If it gets too cold, you’re welcome to use the house.”
I counted to five, trying to give him time to reply, yet the stubborn, gorgeous man still refused to talk.
“Whatever, Alex. Have a good night.”
It took everything in me to walk away. Stomping over to the truck, I grabbed the boxes and managed to haul them inside without giving Alex another disparaging glance. Roxy tried to follow me in, but he refused to let her enter the clinic. My chest and throat ached as I scrawled my number on the whiteboard. Despite my raw emotions, I couldn’t keep myself from adding three small words at the bottom before walking away.
I miss you.
25
“It sure is pretty,” Bri said loud enough for Mom and me to hear over the waves.
I pulled the blanket to my chin and tried to bury myself in it as deeply as I could.
“Pretty damn cold too,” I muttered.
