“Glad to see you’re as sassy as ever,” I smirk, falling into old habits. “Be expecting a call when I return.”
Rolling her eyes in the most adorable way, she laughs, “Always so bossy.”
She turns and starts walking away, but I call after her. “Faye?”
Pausing mid-stride, she glances back.
Once her eyes meet mine, I vow, “I’m older now, and I won’t be making the same mistake twice.”
“What’s that?” she asks, curiosity filling her features.
“I’m not letting you ghost me again.”
From the moment I saw Mark yesterday morning, I haven’t stopped thinking about him. How the hell did he become my neighbor?
What are the odds of us both being back here?
As I sip my morning coffee and try to get a handle on the day, I can’t help but recall the endless conversations from our past. He was adamant about leaving this small town and seeing the world. I can’t imagine him considering this place home once again.
Wait—If he’s here full time, why isn’t he living at his mom’s house?
That place is gorgeous and has the best views of the ocean.
I know some work was done on it a few years back.
Did they sell it? What does it mean that he’s returned, and why is he living next door?
Why the hell is thinking about him making my heart race like I’m back in high school? It’s been thirty years, for fuck’s sake. He shouldn’t have this type of impact on me. I’m a grown-ass woman, and we literally spoke for less than five minutes.
Sheesh, get it together, Faye.
I swear it was as if no time had passed when my eyes met his.
Tingles sprinted down my spine, and my heart fluttered uncontrollably.
Mark is the only man on earth who’s had that effect on me.
He’s also the only one I ever let make an impact like that.
Hell, I was with Corey for nearly a decade, and when things ended, I was happier to be rid of him than to mourn the loss of what we had.
Though that likely had more to do with the fact that he had been cheating on me.
Yeah, that’s certainly the case.
After I learned Mark got married, I put all my focus on finishing my degree and building my career. Then I was recruited as a cybersecurity analyst for a prominent firm that had me traveling across Europe frequently.
I didn’t have time to mourn the loss of our friendship or the life we could’ve had together, had I not insisted we break up. I met Corey right after grad school. He was just as ambitious as I was to further himself in his career, so it worked—until it didn’t.
Looking back, our relationship was more of convenience than of true love.
Maybe that’s why it never worked out?
As much as I’d wanted kids when I was younger, it was never the right time.
Or maybe I just never found the right person?
By the time I finished school, I spent my thirties with the wrong man, chasing my career. Then in my forties, I found myself again.
