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“I was.” Ethan shoots me a glance. “Thing is, I found out just before that Mom and I were moving to Aston Falls, and the thought of losing you—losing what we had, losing our friendship—scared me so much. I didn’t want to do wrong by you, do this whole pre-posal thing and then move away. It didn’t seem fair to you.”
I’m trying to wrap my head around this news. “So you told me that you wanted to go back to being friends…”
“Exactly. I was shocked and caught off guard with the news. And then I spiraled, got so terrified of us having some awful breakup that would destroy our friendship. In the end, it basically happened anyway.” Ethan shakes his head, and when he speaks again, his voice is full of emotion. “I can’t believe you thought that I changed my mind about you. All I’ve ever wanted is to be in your life, and to have you in mine.”
“Well.” I chuckle dryly, still reeling. “We did a good job of that, didn’t we?”
Ethan smiles humorlessly, runs his fingers through his hair. His eyes meet mine, and they’re so deep and dark and earnest that it takes my breath away. “You never have to worry about me not wanting you. I am the one who needs to deserve you, Val, who has to be worthy of a second chance. And I want you to know that I’m going to fight for you. Since spending time with you, it’s like my life has righted itself again. You are my direction.”
His words wash over me—calm, warm, comforting. The walls around my heart continue to crack and crumble as Ethan brings to light the wounds from so long ago, the pain I’d brought with me into the present. I want to believe him. Really, I do.
His eyes search my face. “What’re you thinking?”
“I’m thinking…” I take a breath. Then I scramble close to him, nuzzle into his chest. “I had no idea about any of this. Thank you for telling me. And I want you to know that you make me happy, Ethan.”
He wraps his arms tight around me, and I sink into his arms.
Then, I take his hand and pull him to a stand so we can keep walking towards the Valley Roast, my heart full and happy.
As soon as we turn the corner towards the cafe, we come to a stop.
“What the…?” Ethan says.
There’s a line out the door and a huge crowd milling in front of the cafe.
“What’s going on?” I drop Ethan’s hand to walk through the crowd. There’s a large white banner across the front window. “The Valley Roast’s closing?”
“Only a couple months to go,” a sing-song voice announces. Fran, our town’s eccentric seventy-year-old grandmother is standing behind my left shoulder. She’s wearing her favorite pink cowboy hat today. “A long time coming, too. Alan and Darla are gettin’ up there.”
“That’s too bad.” I frown. “The Roast’s been here for… well, ages. None of their kids wanted to take it off their hands?”
“You know the Brighton kids, they’re all off gallivanting across the world.” Fran tuts away. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. Alan and Darla are ready to let it go, retire, spend time in their garden. Another business will move in soon enough.”
I nod. The townspeople in Mirror Valley are pretty scrappy. I’m sure this’ll be a new hair salon or dance studio or dry cleaners in no time.
“Anywho. Ethan, dear, I have to congratulate you. Ray told me about this exciting opportunity in Aston Falls. A fine dining restaurant on a train to boot! How totally unique.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ethan shoots me a glance. “I was pretty honored to be offered such a competitive position.”
“So, are you taking it?” Fran asks.
Ethan meets my gaze and my heart jumps.
“No.” His eyes are still on me. “I turned it down.”
He did what?
All at once, my stomach clenches into a painful ball. Ethan’s gaze doesn’t waver and it occurs to me that he might want me to be happy about this. Happy that he turned down this wonderful job.
Instead, all I feel is an ache deep in my heart. And a desperate need to get out of here.
“Excuse me,” I mutter. “I have to go.”
“Go?” Ethan frowns. “We don’t have the coffees yet.”
“It’s fine. I’ll get them somewhere else.” He doesn’t drop my hand, so I level him a look that he’ll remember he shouldn’t mess with. “Let me go, Ethan.”
He blinks, drops my hand, and I jog away through the crowd.
