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“Well what?” I demanded.
He clenched his jaw again, then stormed off without another word.
“You two don’t seem to get along so well,” Gabby noted.
“That’s fine,” I said. “He’s leaving soon. There’s no point in him making friends when he has one foot out the door, is there?”
40
GREYSON
I leaned back in a chair at Katie’s place. A monopoly game was strewn about the table half-finished because the kids had grown bored and wandered off. Katie and Zack were still at the table with me, and Matt was in the kitchen doing the dishes while humming to himself. The guy was an absolute dork, but I had to admit he had kind of grown on me. I guess it was easier to see my ex ride off into the sunset with a harmless puppy instead of some growling wolf who would get territorial and make my life hell. Matt was happy to let me see the kids and be around whenever I wanted, and he deserved credit for that.
Zack scratched his beard and counted his monopoly money. “You know I was going to win. This is bullshit.”
I grinned. “You never win.”
“Yeah, because your kids never let me finish you guys off.”
Katie took a deep breath. “Matt and I decided we want to stay in Fairhope.”
I’d known this might come, but it didn’t help prepare me for actually hearing it. It felt like my chest hollowed out until all I could feel was a cold wind blowing straight through me. Piece by piece, I’d felt my life start to come apart when I came to Fairhope. I didn’t regret helping Gramps, but I fucking regretted everything else about this place.
Except even that wasn’t true. No matter how much thinking about Harper stung, I couldn’t honestly say I regretted the few memories I had with her. I just hated what an idiot I’d been to let things get so messy.
“You’re serious?” I asked. It sounded like my voice was coming from somewhere far away.
She nodded. “The kids love it here, Greyson. Matt loves it. I love it. And I know this will be hard to split time from so far away with the kids, but we promise we’ll do everything we can to make it fair. We’ll pay for flights, or–”
I got up. “I don’t need your money.”
“Greyson–”
I left through the front door and got in my car. I couldn’t think straight anymore. The business I’d set up for Gramps seemed to be booming. Katie wanted to move out here with the kids. My brother wanted me to move out here and so did my gramps. It seemed like every fucking person in the world wanted me out here except me.
Did they all just expect me to leave my job behind like it was nothing? This wasn’t some fantasy. My career and everything I’d built was hundreds of miles away. Moving to Fairhope would be idiotic.
I took a slow, shaky breath, then turned on the car. In two days, I’d be on a flight back to D.C. Harper Halladay would be a distant memory, and I could set about rebuilding everything I’d torn down here in three months. Except Harper wouldn’t be that distant of a memory, would she? She’d be right here every time I came to see the kids.
That was fine. I’d just have to fly them out to me instead.
I shook my head as I pulled out of Katie’s driveway. What pissed me off most was that I wanted nothing more than to drive to Harper’s place. I wanted to bring her some cheesy wine coolers, get myself a few beers, and unload everything that was on my mind.
I’d never met anyone who made me feel like I could open up like she did. Harper wanted to hear about my problems, and she cared about them. She didn’t even have to have solutions. Talking to her about the shit that pissed me off helped me feel better, and part of me missed that even more than the sex.
But she deserved more than I could ever give her. I’d already proven once I wasn’t marriage material. It was like Katie said, I didn’t know how to need someone. The more I depended on them, the more I felt the urge to run.
That thought hit a little too close to home. I shut my brain down and just drove. Two more days. All I needed to do was make it for two more days and this would all be behind me.
41
HARPER
It was late and I was nearly finished closing up the kitchen. Lin and Farrah were long gone, and the only sound was something clinking from the lobby as Greyson worked. The inn had been transformed ever since the restaurant opened, just like he predicted. It was a hub of activity all day. High profile guests would check in all morning and afternoon and then the restaurant would explode at night for dinner service. There’d be even more late-night check ins and the lobby only returned to its sleepy, crackling fire norm well after dark.
