“I hope you have a nice life, Nola. And you’ll meet somebody who is perfect for you soon. I’m sure of it.”
I rushed out the door before I lost my nerve.
Even though I didn’t let myself look over my shoulder, I could practically feel the imaginary image burning into my mind. Nola dressed to impress with her shoulders slumped. A candy bar in one hand and a biscuit in the other. Those big blue eyes watching after me full of hurt.
Hurt. Because that was the only thing giving into my emotions could promise either of us. It might not come today. It might not come tomorrow. But if I gave in to my feelings and forgave Nola like I wanted to, the hurt would come for all of us.
This was the smart move.
This was the smart move.
I repeated it to myself like a mantra as I practically fled down her stairs, terrified I’d hear her coming after me. I was terrified because I knew my resolve was that thin.
Sure enough, when I heard footsteps, I stopped, turned and waited. I started hearing what I would say in my head. What I’d do when I saw her come rushing around the flight of stairs begging me to wait. I’d pull her in and kiss her. I’d tell her I was an idiot and I thought I’d been doing the right thing.
“I’m sorry, I—” I started just as an elderly woman who was halfway through putting her dentures in came into view. With a gut-churning slurp, she latched them into place and smiled at me.
The woman gave me a lecherous up and down with her eyes, then pulled her chin back in a demure move that might’ve worked for her a few centuries ago. “Don’t be sorry, thunder buns. You could commit murder with biceps like those and I’d forgive you.”
I forced a tight smile, then turned and left the building.
Nola wasn’t going to come rushing after me. I’d made sure of that. I’d done the smart thing. I’d closed off any loose ends and made sure there was no going back.
So why did it feel so shitty?35NolaChris Rose should’ve paid me a thousand dollars for the horrible advice he gave. I wanted to strangle the man. I’d assumed he knew what he was talking about and ended up taking all his advice, against my better judgment. And what good had that done?
Well, I was currently dripping ice cream on my massively exposed cleavage while I pity-binged my way through a gallon of Chunky Monkey ice cream and watched How It’s Made videos on YouTube.
And no, I wasn’t going to apologize that I found it more therapeutic to watch colored pencils get made than sappy romance movies.
Lindsey left Luca in charge of the meeting they’d been in with a potential investor to come console me before I went to pick up Griff from Damon’s.
She was still dressed up and looking unusually professional when she arrived.
“You know,” Lindsey said. “Next time you think you’re better off not bothering me, why don’t you… I don’t know, wait a day like a normal person and then ask? Who in their right mind jumps straight to calling in Chris Rose like some kind of advice guru?”
“I was emotionally distraught,” I said.
“Which is exactly why you ask your trusted friends for help. Not some six pack who throws a football for a living.”
“What would you have told me to do differently?”
“I would’ve said you need to give him some breathing room. Let him realize how much he misses you and he’ll come crawling back.”
“Do you think that could still work?”
Lindsey hesitated. “Maybe? Who knows what goes on in his head.”
I sighed. “You think I’m screwed.”
“Only if you were dead set on being with Jack Kerrigan. Maybe there’s a really nice Floridian around. You know?”
I took a heaping bite of ice cream and snorted, to show what I thought of that idea. “As long as he’s okay with dumb and broke, I’m sure we’ll be a great match.”
“Oh stop it. You’re not dumb. You are broke, though. You seriously spent everything he’d paid you on the down payment? Actually, maybe you are just a little dumb.”
“I thought if I risked waiting any longer, the possibility would slip away. I was trying to do the right thing. So we’re flying down to Florida tomorrow and I’m going to give this restaurant a shot.”
“You’re giving up on Jack?”
“What else can I do? Not taking ‘no’ for an answer is only cute in movies. In real life it’s called earning yourself a restraining order. So, yeah. It breaks my heart, but who cares? I’m going to Florida to start up the restaurant. One way or another, I’m going to figure out how to make enough money to do it while getting Griff to school and back and taking care of him. Because that’s my only choice.”