Page 86 of Falling Back to You

Paisley smiled softly. “No imposition. I think you both need to clear the air.”

“I’m not sure we’re ready for that.”

“Have tea with me then? Grey’s in the workshop anyway.”

Her offer was so genuine I couldn’t refuse. In a flash, I was whisked into a seat at the breakfast nook, a hot steaming cup of herbal tea in hand.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling at the woman across from me.

She returned the smile shyly and shoved her glasses up her nose. “What brought you back?”

I hesitated. Something about Paisley had me aching to be friends, which was hard when her husband and I were currently at odds. But desperation made me weak. Maybe it was because she was one of the few people in town who hadn’t been witness to the events of my past. It’d be nice to have a friend whose impression of me was a blank slate and not as Noelle the heartbreaker. But she’d married into the Satterfield clan, so she had to know about my mess. The scandal would have fed the gossip mill for years.

“How much do you know about me and Cal?” I asked, fiddling with the mug handle.

Paisley’s nose scrunched apologetically. “I used to know more, but I had, uh, an accident this summer and lost seven years’ worth of memories. Lots of them have come back, but I’m still pretty fuzzy about you guys.” She paused to sip her tea. “Except for what Grey and I have discussed recently.”

That didn’t make me feel much better. Greyson had probably painted me as a Cruella de Vil, minus the kidnapping of innocent puppies. He’d be justified in that.

“I’m sorry about the accident. Are you okay?” Amnesia was no joke.

She waved a hand. “It could have been worse, but I’m fine now. A little forgetful but okay.”

“I, uh, was in an accident too.”

She tilted her head, encouraging me to continue, so I did. She was easy to talk to.

I told her about the car accident in New York. My fibromyalgia diagnosis. I told her why I left. How much I regretted it. Why I came back. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” I finally whispered.

Paisley reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “I know a thing or two about the hometowns that haunt us. But I’m glad you found your way back. Running is exhausting.”

She got it. Really got it.

I’d been running for so long. Holding everyone together. When I finally went to New York, I could breathe. I wasn’t responsible for anyone but me. I started to thrive. I loved my job and my new friends. I was finding my place. Until the exhaustion of running finally caught up with me.

“I messed up,” I said softly. “Big time. But I want to fix it. I need to.”

Paisley bit back a smile. “And that’s what makes you and Grey so similar. You’re fixers.”

“Yeah, curse of being an older sibling.”

“It’s not a bad thing. But not everything can be fixed. They say time heals all wounds, but it doesn’t. It either lets them fester or it creates scar tissue. It’s a pseudo healing. It’s not a gaping wound, but it leaves tender skin that’s easily rubbed the wrong way.”

That I understood, but she wasn’t done.

“Restoration is a process. It takes a lot of grace and patience.” Her smile faded into musing. “Grey and I learned that the hard way this year. He had to win me back because of all the things I forgot, I forgot him—the best thing that ever happened to me.”

I swallowed hard. No wonder Greyson was extra protective of Cal right now. I couldn’t even imagine what he must have gone through with losing his wife like that.

“Give him time.” Paisley adjusted her glasses. “I like you, and Khia talks about you all the time. Grey’s seen how you are with them both. And Cal . . .” She chuckled softly. “I’ve never seen him this . . . light before. I think you’re good for him.”

I laced my fingers in my lap to keep from fidgeting. “Thanks.”

“Pais.” Greyson’s rough voice erupted from the hallway, a golden retriever on his heels.

I jumped like a scared rabbit.

But Paisley smiled serenely. “Hey.”