There was a long pause. Mia worried this was the end, and she kicked herself for allowing a sliver of reality to invade their otherwise fun conversation. A stab of disappointment struck through her.
Her phone vibrated again.
“Are you still doing your photo quilt?”Ross asked.
“I haven’t taken any new photos lately. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to mail my photo marigold to Pony Expresso. I guess I should forget about that project for now.”
“Don’t lose your gleam. Take pictures.”
“Ok,”she replied, feeling weepy again.
“And don’t forget me this time, Mia.”
The device dropped to her chest as the remaining part of her heart fractured into pieces.“Never. You’re stuck on my mind forever.”
“If you need me, you can call me.”
“Ok.”
Mia laid in bed for a long time after. She recognized her illness for what it was: absolute dread.
Mia had made a mistake.
What her cousin, Lizzy, had said during their coffee meetup was right. Dream kissers weren’t found around every corner. But more than this, dream partners and true friends were an even rarer find. Mia had chosen the path she thought would guarantee a successful and satisfying outcome, but she was doing it alone and her life never seemed so empty. She’d allowed herself to become trapped.
Upon closer inspection her goals were less shiny than when they first appeared. She used to believe her education was her only security. But this wasn’t true anymore. Even from a distance, Ross was still supporting her, wanting her to be happy even when they both knew she was miserable. Natalie had become like a sister to her. And she wanted to be able to connect more with her mom’s family in Sacramento, to no longer be on the outside. Her time in Placerville, though not perfect, had been full of discovery and love, and maybe that’s what she’d needed the whole time.
And now all Mia wanted was passage back to where she was before.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Are you waitingfor a phone call?”
“What?” Ross turned to Aanya, who was watching him from the office doorway.
“You’ve been staring at your phone for the last five minutes.”
“I—No. I mean, maybe. I thought… maybe Luna might… I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m just tired.” Ross wasn’t sure if he pulled off the lie or not, but Aanya left him alone so maybe he was more sly than he thought. He talked to Luna the previous day and she informed him she didn’t know when she’d be coming home during the summer. She had a new boyfriend, and they were going to spend a few weeks at some resort in Mexico.
Ross wasn’t even mad because he was so damn tired. He dragged a hand across his face, his palm running along the overgrown whiskers populating the landscape of his jawline. He was exhausted, not strictly from last night but from all the nights prior, every night since Mia had been gone.
He wasn’t sure if their conversation last night meant anything, but it meant something to him. It filled his heart with impossible possibilities and perhaps this wasn’t an end for them yet. Whatever their relationship was, it would always be on Mia. She would have to be the one to make the move.
Taking a break from tackling the boxes in his office, which were finally being sent to storage, Ross went into the store to check on Aanya.
“There was something I wanted to talk to you about,” she said when he appeared.
“Okay.” He worried Aanya was retiring for good, and he wasn’t sure he could take any more losses at the moment. He’d become attached to the older woman. Maybe he should have commended her more instead of immersing himself in work all the time.
“You know, at my old job, I used to do the jewelry displays in the window.”
“Did you?” She may have told him before, but these days Ross wasn’t doing too well remembering. He was at least relieved the topic of conversation wasn’t about leaving.
“What do you think if I do some nice displays for you? I have some ideas on themes we can do now that summer is here.”
Ross studied the current window display and could admit it wasn’t impressive.
“You make beautiful pieces. You should show it off more,” Aanya said.
