Craig looked at the younger male who was grinning like an idiot, but then again, he supposed things would be much easier for Bennett when it came to sharing Ellie’s shifter heritage with her and offering to share his life as well.
For Craig, it seemed things were going to be a bit trickier. Where should he start with the woman who was meant to be his?
Chapter Eight
“Keep your eyes closed!” Ellie laughed as she pulled Caro along by the arm. “It’s only a few more steps.”
“If I fall, I’ll make you pay, little sister!” Caro stumbled and laughed as Ellie swore and caught her.
“Okay, we’re here,” Ellie said. “Before you open your eyes, I have to admit, this is a crazy plan, but I honestly think it was meant to be now.”
“Um, okay?” Caro didn’t know what to think, but something had sparked excitement in her sister. “Can I open them now?”
“Yes!”
When she did, she saw that they were standing directly in front of the most charming cottage, right at the end of the main street. She could tell it was some kind of a store, but it didn’t look as if it had been open for some time. It wasn’t connected to the other buildings on the block. The cedar planking on the outside, combined with the white scalloped edging, made it look like a storybook cottage in miniature.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“This was the sweet shop in town before Ms. Cally finally retired. I noticed it when I moved here because it reminded me so much of the general store we used to go to when we visited Nanna and Pops. Do you remember?”
“Oh, my God, you’re right!” Caro laughed as a ton of memories of walking to the store to spend the quarter Pops had given them on penny candies, then sitting in apple trees out back until all their goodies had been devoured. “It’s so cute.”
“And it still has all her equipment inside. I had Bennett grab the keys from the owner last week so I could take a look. With a restock and a good cleaning, it’s pretty much all ready to go.” Ellie peered in through some ripped paper that lined thewindows. “My plan was going to be to get you to come and visit and teach me some recipes to get started, but now that I finally know what’s going on with you?”
Ellie turned to grab Caro’s hand. “I feel like this is destiny, Caro. You’re free to move here and open this place up with me. You’ll finally be doing what you love, and it will be all ours. I’ve never felt like anywhere was home until I drove into Hillard. Now I can’t imagine ever leaving. I just know that you could find the same happiness here that I have.”
Caro’s eyes began to water, but why they did, she wasn’t sure. Was it because she’d just realized that, unlike her sister, she’d never felt that sense of happiness that radiated from the other woman? How didshefeel about this town? Caro thought about going back to her house in California, and it turned her stomach. No, she didn’t want anything to do with the home she’d tried to build for herself and Peter. There was nothing left for her there.
“Will you at least think about it?” Ellie implored. “I know this is a lot to spring on you all at once.”
Caro smiled and nodded before her sister slung an arm around her waist.
“Let’s hit the grocery store. I’m making you cannelloni for dinner tonight. If that can’t convince you to stay with me, I don’t know what can.”
They both laughed. No matter what, Caro was prepared to eat her weight in her sister’s delicious pasta. But before that, she had a date on the sunny patio with one of those lounge chairs. Nothing helped Caro think better than a nice cozy nap in the sun.
An hour later, Caro was calm, but not relaxed. It seemed that as soon as she had made herself comfortable in the sun, her thoughts from the incident in the morning returned to poke at her. They tumbled around in her brain over and over again until she finally concluded that the only way she was going to getsome closure on unanswered questions was by actually asking them. Which meant calling her ex.
Balls. I really don’t want to do this.But she was a grown woman, and she just needed to grow a set. So, she squared her shoulders and called him.
“Caroline, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.” Peter sounded uncomfortable, but then again, when didn’t he? “Is there an issue with the divorce papers?”
“Hi, Peter. No, I’m not calling about the papers, but I did have something I wanted to ask you.”
The hesitation on the other side of the line made her stomach do another flip. She’d never outright asked him anything so blunt. They’d never had that kind of honesty between them.
“Okay.”
“Why did you stay with me so long if you didn’t love me?” she asked, hating the weakness in her voice, hating that she needed to hear this answer—even though she knew it would most likely hurt, no matter what his answer was.
“Jesus, Caroline, we don’t need to do this, do we?” He sounded as exhausted as she felt.
“Peter, I think you at least owe me the truth, don’t you?”
After a few seconds of silence, he said the words that hit her harder than she had prepared for.
“Honestly? I didn’t think you’d put up with my shit for as long as you did,” he answered. “I was comfortable and busy with my career. I didn’t have time to start over looking for a new relationship, and my company promotes family men over bachelors, so I couldn’t afford to take the chance.”