The hysterics had passed, and now I was focused on one thing only. Getting the hell out of this town as quickly as possible.
I grabbed my suitcase out of the closet and tore through the small apartment, collecting all my clothes and stuffing them into the bag.
I hated how stupid I felt at this moment. I had convinced myself Giles and I were at the start of something great. Something better than I had ever had before. I was going to move to this small town and play house with him and work at the lodge. Meanwhile, he was ready to drop me at the first sign of a misunderstanding.
You should have told him sooner,came the nagging voice in the back of my head.
If I was being honest with myself, I hadn’t made the decision to stay until a few days ago. It was a scary thought, not coming home and starting a new life here. I should have talked with Giles about it earlier. I should have been honest with him.
Shaking my head, I continued to pack. It didn’t matter now. Whosever fault this was, the damage was done. Clearly, we didn’t matter to each other enough to try to talk it out. And if he was the kind of person to just send me on my way without a second thought, then who needed him?
You do, came the same small voice.
“No, I don’t,” I said aloud.
* * *
In record time,I had managed to pack all my things. I found the next flight to Florida and drove myself to the airport. I had a while to kill before my plane left, but I couldn’t sit in that apartment anymore. It felt too sad to wait there. I felt a little guilty for not saying goodbye to Bev, Erin, or Johnny. But I was too hurt and too embarrassed to track them down. I’m sure by now the screaming fight Giles and I had in the middle of the street had made the rounds. In a small town, people talked.
I couldn’t face anyone now. It was better to just leave with my head hung low and my figurative tail between my legs.
Just the other day, I thought I’d be calling this place my new home. Now I’d likely never come here again.
I stood and stared out at the tarmac before leaning my head against the window. The cool glass instantly soothed the headache that pulsed between my eyes.
I took out my phone and typed out a short message.
Mattie: I’m coming home.
Mom: Oh dear.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
“Areyou sure you don’t want to go with us to the card party tonight?”
I looked up from my book to see my mom standing at the door to the patio that I had left open.
“I’m good.”
“Mattie, sweetie. You’ve been home for a week already, and you’ve hardly left the house except to go to work. And you don’t even go to that every day.”
“I told you. Mike has been letting me work from home.”
“Is that wise? Surely, you’d rather go into the office than lie around here in your pajamas all day.”
“Just because I’m wearing a sweatshirt doesn’t mean I’m in pajamas.”
She chewed her lip, not wanting to push me too far as I’d already snapped at her the day before during a similar conversation.
“Alright, have a good night, then.”
I nodded at her and returned to my book.
I felt bad for being such a dismissive jerk since arriving home, but I just wasn’t in the mood to put on an act. If I felt miserable, why did I have to act any differently?
Work was even more challenging. I tried to put my best foot forward and make sure my mood didn’t affect my performance, but everything felt different now.
Before Key Ridge, I loved my job and looked forward to solving problems and preparing presentations. Now, it just didn’t hold the same appeal. I hated sitting through meetings, and I hated making pointless slide decks. It all felt so show-boaty after working on the floor of the lodge for a month.
