“This is where the seeds of The Broken Hearts Beach Club were first planted,” Emily said, settling into her chair with a cinnamon latte.
“This place sure has seen our worst moments,” Blair said.
Sienna raised her soda. “Cheers to that.”
They lifted their drinks with a giggle.
Then Sienna addressed Emily. “Are you ready to get your future started so we can officially end our little broken hearts club once and for all?”
“I am,” Emily replied, ignoring the big what-if she’d left back at the beach.
Blair opened her laptop and logged in. As they sipped their drinks, they perused the various apartment complexes within a thirty-mile radius. Sienna checked real estate listings and offered suggestions and amenities.
“Here’s a list in Columbia. That’s a little farther than you wanted to go, but nottoobad.”
Emily shook her head.
“What about this one?” Sienna pointed to a new building about a half hour from downtown. “Quartz countertops, oversized closets, and more…”
“Not that one,” Blair said. “It’s too far from my house.”
“Yep, she’s right,” Emily said. Funny that not too long ago, she was considering living in a tent in Florida. Normalcy was taking hold.
Over the next week,Emily saw the five apartments the three friends had written down as contenders. Blair and Sienna went with her to check out each one. With Sienna’s keen eye for real estate and Blair’s knack for design potential, Emily finally found an apartment that seemed perfect—bright, open, and just a few blocks from her school. Every step toward her future strengthened her.
She submitted her application for the apartment, nervous but encouraged. Then, she spent the next couple of days callingall her friends and family to let them know about her and Will. Explaining things wasn’t nearly as difficult as she’d thought. Enough time had passed that she had a level head about it all, and her emotions had subsided. She was comfortable with herself, and excited about the choices she had ahead of her.
Two days later, she’d been approved for the apartment. Before she signed the lease, she planned to go through it with Sienna one final time.
In all the busyness, she’d been able to push Patrick out of her mind. But when she went to her desk to throw the RSVP cards away and organize the papers she’d laid out while making various calls, the navy measurement card came into view, and a hollow ache of what could have been formed in her chest.
He hadn’t texted or called. But neither had she.
Perhaps, like her, he’d gotten busy. Or maybe, just as she’d suspected, the spell had broken, and he’d gone back to his life. But she missed him. She’d missed him the whole time, but simply wouldn’t allow her mind to consider it. Would she find herself, two years down the road, wondering about him? When they were together, she’d been able to tell him anything. Could she still? Even with a couple weeks between them, she wondered now. She wanted to hear his voice… Maybe she’d start with a text to break the ice.
She pulled out her phone, but as she got going, she typed that she missed him. Should she disclose that? He hadn’t texted her—what if he didn’t miss her? But if she was being honest, she wanted him to know. She hit send.
The three bubbles immediately appeared on her phone, sending heat through her neck and up to her cheeks.
I’ve been dying over here waiting for this text.
She laughed, his words filling her with happiness. Her phone rang, and she answered.
“You trying to kill me or something? It’s been eleven days,” he teased.
“What have you been up to?” She had to fight the smile off her face to speak.
“Just working and doing some renovations around the house. Winston’s been helping me with some painting.”
“Oh, how nice of him! What are you painting?”
“Just some stuff outside. I miss you,” he said out of nowhere.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“When are you coming back?”
A tingle spread through her. Talking to him, all she wanted to do was to go back. As exciting as her new apartment was, and as encouraging as her friends had been, she wanted to spend time with Patrick to see where things would lead. What would it be like to date him? She’d be able to enjoy him so much more now she’d gotten through the issues with Will. No more storms.
