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‘Yes. Sorry, but I don’t think I’ve got any choice.’
‘No, I know. It’s okay. We’ve spoken about this time. We knew it was coming.’
Nodding, he leaned forward again, covering his head with his hands. ‘I can’t do this.’
Frowning, Brooke leaned forward too and rubbed his arm. ‘Yes, you can. It’s your business. You’ve spoken to your clients. I’m sure they’ll understand and give you another chance now you’ve explained.’
‘No, not the business. Us. I can’t do us.’
‘Us? What do you mean?’ Brooke gripped his arm. He wasn’t making any sense.
‘Just that. I can’t put the stress of a long-distance relationship on you.’ He leaned back against the bench and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘I thought it would be later. I thought we’d be further along in our relationship when I had to leave. And now... now it’s happening, I just can’t expect you to do this. I can’t ask this of you. You deserve better. You deserve more. You deserve someone who can actually be there for you. Someone who hasn’t got all this rubbish going on.’
She froze. Was he breaking up with her? Max? They’d planned how many children they were going to have yesterday. What was happening? ‘I don’t need any of that. I just need you. I love you, Max. Please don’t do this.’
Taking her hands, his skin wet from his tears, he looked into her eyes. ‘It breaks my heart, but I’ve got to think of you. I love you too. I really, really do and that’s why I need to put you first, put you before my own feelings. If I committed to a long-distance relationship, with the way things are, we’d never see each other. And that wouldn’t be fair to you.’
‘Of course we would. I could travel up to you.’ Gripping his hands tighter, it was her tears she could feel running down her cheeks now.
‘No, it wouldn’t be any life. It wouldn’t be a proper relationship. I’m going to be working all the hours every day in order to save my business. I’ve got to fix the damage that’s been done. I can’t expect you to do all the running around in the relationship. I can’t and I won’t.’
‘No. Please? We were talking about having kids yesterday. How can you just change your mind about me like that?’ He was stressed. He just wasn’t thinking right.
‘It’s because of that, because of the way I feel about you, that I know what I need to do.’
‘That doesn’t make any sense. If you really did love me, you wouldn’t be breaking things off now. We can overcome the distance thing. I could move up to be near you when I get the money from my gran’s house. I could...’
‘Don’t make this any harder, please, Brooke. I can’t. I need to put you first.’ Leaning forward, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her on the forehead. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t want this to end this way. I didn’t want this to end full stop.’
‘Then don’t.’ Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she looked at him. There was nothing she could say or do to change his mind. It really was over. Their relationship was over. Standing up, she turned and ran down the side of the cottage and out through the garden gate.
How? How could he have done that? How could he have said in one breath that he loved her, only to tell her it was over in the next? Love was supposed to conquer everything. The distance should never have been that big a problem.
She glanced around. There were people everywhere. She needed to get away. She needed space. Space to think. To work out what had just happened. Could she have changed his mind? Said something different? Suggested a solution?
Looking across the road, she spotted a narrow lane snaking off from the main street. That would do. That would be quieter. She ran across the road, narrowly missing bumping into a family walking along the opposite path, and ran down the lane.
The lane widened into a courtyard, and she was suddenly surrounded by workshops. Where was she? Pausing, she bent down, leaning her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
‘Brooke?’
Glancing up, Brooke straightened her back and wiped the loose strands of hair from her tear-streaked cheeks. ‘Carrie?’
‘What’s happened?’ Rushing across to her, Carrie gripped her shoulders, leading her towards her workshop. ‘Come and have a seat.’
Nodding, Brooke let herself be led into a small workshop in the corner of the courtyard. Sitting down on the old sofa Carrie indicated, she looked around. Of course, Carrie was a potter. She ran pottery workshops and made things to sell.
‘Here, take this.’ Carrie gently pushed a hot mug of coffee into Brooke’s hands.
‘Thanks.’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’ Sitting next to her, Carrie picked up another mug. ‘You don’t have to. We can just have coffee.’
Brooke took a deep shuddery breath, waiting until her shoulders had stopped shaking until she spoke. ‘Max has just broken up with me.’
‘What? I’m so sorry. I thought you were so close.’ Placing her mug down on a low coffee table in front of them, Carrie touched her arm.
‘So did I. He’s been having some trouble with work, with his business, and he found out today that his business partner, his ex, and her new partner have messed it all up. They’ve put him in a really difficult position with his clients, so he’s going back to sort it out.’
