“Wow.” I was truly speechless. Maybe Matt and Leandro didn’t want a relationship, but they certainly had heart.
“I know, I know. I guess someone in the firm really likes this town.”
“I guess so,” I laughed. “Listen, Dad, I got to go.” Marina and Leah were waiting up ahead. They looked like they wanted to just go, but they were being polite to stay. “I’ll talk more this weekend.”
“Okay, you be safe.”
“I always am. Bye, Dad.”
I hung up and tucked the phone into my back pocket. I ran up to meet with Leah and Marina, and they were back to picking a movie. I, however, was lost in thought. Leandro’s firm had invested in both places, saving them from going under. It was crazy to think about. Surely, it wasn’t because of me. The whole town benefited from the inn and the cafe, and they were both profitable when properly cared for.
To think of the workers at the cafe, how happy they’d be. And Parvati! It had been a little while since I spoke with her. The last time was right before arriving at Yale. She knew about everything between Leandro, Matt, and me, and she was supportive and kind through it all. I couldn’t tell her how things ended though. I was afraid she’d say she told me so.
Leah nudged me. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
Marina was laughing to herself. “Jourdanne, you’re ridiculous!” she said. “You’re always somewhere else.”
“I am not.” It was a lie. “I’m just…”
“Not here,” Leah said with a laugh. She and Marina locked eyes for a moment, then they laughed together.
“Come on.” I shrugged and walked ahead. I had to get Matt and Leandro off my mind before I started feeling for them again. “Let’s pick that movie.”
MATT
Leandro and I were having lunch at the bistro downtown. It was one of my favorite places to go and grab a panini and watch the city go by. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful. The sun was high in the sky, and the breeze was just light enough to keep the warmth at bay. September was shaping up to be one of the best months of the year.
Of course, if I wasn’t counting the summer I’d had with Jourdanne.
Leandro and I were in the middle of eating as we sat in silence. People around us were loud, but he and I had nothing to say. Our relationship was never better, but that didn’t mean we felt good. Something was missing from our lives, and I already knew what—or who—it was.
“The firm has agreed to take on a new mentorship for Harold Langford’s daughter, Emery. You remember him from the gala last year, right?” Leandro spoke like his mind was on something else. I hummed a yes. “Just in case you hear me talking about her, or if she calls.”
A little more time went by as we sat silent.
“Do you like the new spinach frittata?” I asked Leandro. He was gazing out to the street as he picked at the eggs. His eyes found mine as he looked like he hadn’t heard me.
I smiled at him.
“I said, is it good?”
I pointed to his plate.
He shifted in his seat, then he leaned over the table and gave a nod. “Yeah. It’s good.”
“No more trips until late November, huh?” I asked as I lifted the other half of my sandwich.
Leandro shook his head. “Nope.” After a brief moment of eye contact, our table went silent again.
I started to laugh.
Leandro’s brow fussed. “What?”
I leaned back in my chair and shook my head. “Look at us. We’re nothing like we used to be.”
“I thought you were good lately?” Leandro sounded a bit defensive, but I had a smile on my face.
“I don’t mean that. I’m talking about since she left.”
He let out a sigh.
“See. That right there.” I also let out a long sigh, then I sat forward and pushed my plate up. “I miss her. Leandro, I love you with all that I am, I hope you know that.” His eyes trailed up to me as he gave a slow nod. “But she made things better. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“She completed us,” he said. It felt so good to hear him agree. I knew he cared for her and wanted to see her again too, but I was a little nervous saying my feelings out loud. Leandro was the one who had offered to buy the inn, after all.
I slouched deeper in my seat. “She really did.”
“But now she’s off at college living her new life.” Leandro’s eyes pinned mine.
“Don’t say it.”
“I mean, it was your idea to push her away.”
I sighed -“I know. But you saw her, she didn’t want to say goodbye.”
Leandro shook his head with a shrug. He picked at his plate a little more, but he wasn’t hungry. Neither was I.