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My heart pounded. "Elara? What does she have to do with the meeting?"
Ethan sighed. "She still owns her store, Cole. Everyone with a store on the main street will be invited to this meeting."
Of course. I should have realized.
"Fine," I muttered, looking away. "Well, she won’t come. She has bigger, better things to be doing.” I paused. “In any case, I’ll probably give the meeting a miss."
"That's a shame. Your voice is a strong one. People respect you."
I snorted. "You worked that out from the one council meeting I attended?"
"Not just that. People appreciate what you've done for this town." Ethan leaned forward, his gaze intense. "What happened with you and Elara? You seemed so connected."
"Connected?" I scoffed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well. We're not anymore."
"You can talk to me. It must be hard, carrying so much on your shoulders."
I stared ahead, avoiding Ethan's gaze. "It's simple, really. I told her I didn't have feelings for her. Then she left."
"Did you? Have feelings for her?"
"Of course I did," I replied, my voice cracking. "You know that. You figured it out before I did, I think."
I was expecting Ethan to gloat, but he didn’t. "Then why didn't you tell her?"
"Because I was protecting her. I couldn't let her give up her dreams for me. I couldn't let her make the same mistake I did."
Ethan leaned back, searching my face. "You think staying here and raising your family was a mistake?"
"Mistake's not the right word. I didn't have a choice. I love my kids. But that doesn't mean this life would be right for Elara. She had an incredible opportunity in New York, and I couldn't be the one to hold her back."
"Maybe she would've chosen to stay if you'd been honest," Ethan suggested gently. "Maybe she could've been happy."
"Or maybe she would've given up everything and ended up resenting me for it," I shot back, the bitterness in my voice palpable. "I couldn't risk her happiness to satisfy my own selfish desires."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The silence was the sound of my regret.
"I think Elara was trying to tell me that she wanted to stay,” I said quietly. “I wouldn’t let her. I didn’t want to be the reason she gave up on her course.”
“Wasn’t that her decision to make?”
I sighed. “I guess it was. But I bet you she’s enjoying herself on that pastry course now, glad that I sent her away.”
Ethan slurped his coffee. “What if she’s not?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“How do you know whether she’s happy if you’re not talking to her? Not there to support her in her dreams?”
“Well, of course I’m supporting her. I let her go—”
“Cole, telling someone to go away isn’t supporting them. It’s patronizing them.”
Shit. He was right.
"Why don’t you call her?” Ethan asked.
"No,” I blurted. “That ship has sailed. All I can do now is live with my decisions."
