“I don’t follow him.”
“Then how’d you know we split up?”
“My parents said something about it. My dad’s a big Lakers fan. I prefer college ball. Who’s Marija Vidmar?”
“Only a model,” she said. “Andthe most beautiful woman in the world.”
“In the whole world, huh?” He grinned. “Wow, thatisbeautiful.”
She called up the picture on her phone and turned it to show him. “See?”
“She’s not bad,” he allowed. “But Sloane told me Clifford picked you out of the crowd at one of his games and sent someone over to ask for your number.”
“He did.”
“Sosomethingmust’ve caught his eye, and it couldn’t have been your sparkling personality.” He waved a hand. “Anyway, who cares? Let her have him. You have a book to write. That’s what you need to focus on—the opportunities that lie ahead of you.”
If only she had the confidence she needed to make the most of those opportunities. “I don’t think I can write it, Jules. I... I’m going to blow the only thing I’ve ever really wanted to do.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, growing resolute again. “You can do it. Your first book proves it.”
“My first book only proves that having a big social media following can turbocharge a writer’s career—and I got that by dating and then marrying Cliff.”
“Your book wasgood,” he reiterated.
She wanted to believe him, but the doubt was too crippling. She took another drink of water before asking, “What about you? Do you still have an art gallery in Moab?”
“It’s not a full gallery—just my work. It gives me a directoutlet in a place that sees a lot of tourists, thanks to the national parks in the area.”
“Who works the store when you’re off taking pictures?”
“I have an employee. She can’t be there all the time, of course, so she just tailors her hours to fit her schedule. That’s how a lot of places do it down there. And we also sell online.”
“I’ve seen some of your work,” she said. “You’re incredibly talented.”
“I love what I do, mostly because it gives me the opportunity to travel.”
“You’ve been all over the world.”
“I’ve seen a lot of places, but there are still destinations on my list.”
“Like...?”
“Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, for one.”
“Never heard of it.”
“It’s in Brazil. There’re too many places to name, actually. The world is a big place.”
Itwasa big place, with so much to discover—and yet she’d been living her life as a satellite to someone else. Had she truly been happy?
She’d been grateful, felt lucky because so many women would be eager to trade places with her. But Cliff never seemed to care much abouthergoals and dreams. His were much more important. They always came first.
“What are you thinking?” Julian asked.
The waitress appeared with their food. Charlotte leaned back and waited until the woman had set down their plates before responding. “I’m thinking I need to quit wallowing in self-pity and start writing my next book.”
He seemed pleased to hear it, but then the smile slipped from his face. “Wait a second... Did you saystartwriting your next book? When’s it due?”
