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It’s the most honest I’ve been with her since she arrived this afternoon. It’s the most honest I’ve been with myself too.
“There’s only one way to find out and you know that. Listen, Chloe, I’ve never been very good at telling you what you want to hear, but I’m great at telling you what you need to hear.”
I laugh, but it’s true. Sometimes I wish she would find a balance between the two.
“He probably going to be pissed, you already know that. You can stop wondering. In fact, he may walk away from you before you even have a chance to say much. I know that if you were in his shoes, you would walk away. That’s what you do, and from everything you’ve told me about him, he sounds like the kind of guy that likes to avoid confrontation if at all possible.
“Assuming he doesn’t, you’re going to have to start with the big-ticket items, mainly Lola. If nothing else, it’ll keep him from running. Work your way backwards. Once he figures out that you weren’t given a choice in the matter, that your parents forced you to leave and why, I think he’ll understand. He may still be angry and maybe he won’t forgive you, but at least you’ll know one way or another. This has been sitting on your shoulders, weighing you down for years. It’s time it ends.”
“So what do you suggest?” I ask, looking up and down the deserted street before stepping off the curb, Addy hot on my heels.
“Let’s make a plan. One that you can stick to. One that starts with you talking to Wyatt and ends with you smiling again. I miss your smile. I’m pretty sure I only see it when Lola is around.”
“I think we can do that.”
“Over a bottle of wine?” she asks, pointing at the Tavern.
“Yes, but not here,” I reply, my heart stopping in my chest when the door opens.
A man in a business suit steps onto the sidewalk, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Why I assume it’s going to be Wyatt is beyond me. I know he’s going to show up when I least expect it. There will be no way for me to prepare. That’s why I have to approach him.
Addy’s been saying it all afternoon. I should have come over here earlier, asked to speak with him. Jones hinted at the fact he was here, that he was his boss. I could have taken advantage of that. I should have.
If I had, I wouldn’t be frozen in place, staring at his gorgeous hazel eyes right now.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. I look forward to Sunday,” he says, his eyes never leaving mine as he speaks.
The Mayor is none the wiser as Wyatt looks past him, over his shoulder, to where I’m standing. He returns his thanks and heads up the sidewalk, away from where we are. Wyatt remains standing where he is, staring at me.
He looks the same as he always has: tall, strong, and lean. Sexy as hell. My palms are beginning to sweat just thinking about how his touch used to affect me.
One thing has changed, though. The enthusiastic smile, his lopsided grin, and his dimple have vanished. I’ve never seen this expression on his face before. I would say he’s surprised, but it’s more than that. He’s holding something back. It’s not anger like I would assume, but I can’t put my finger on it.
It’s almost as if he’s guarded. Not just with his emotions but with his expression.
Unsure of what to do when Addy nudges me, I break eye contact and look to her for support. Her eyes convey the message I was anticipating from her. The same message I was hoping I wouldn’t see.
I need to talk to him.
My luck must be changing, though. When I turn back around, Wyatt is gone, the door to the bar slamming closed.
He ran.
As unprepared as I was to see him, he was just as unprepared to see me. Did Jones not mention that I was in town?
“Come on,” Addy urges, taking me by the arm and leading me to the car. “Let’s grab that bottle of wine.”
