AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Remi looked at us with tears in her eyes. “You guys are my best friends. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You don’t have to find out because we’ll always be there for you,” I said, knowing how important those relationships were in my life. I’d thought I was protecting myself, but I was actually holding myself back from real connections. I wasn’t willing to let Levi run my life anymore. I was taking back control.
“Who needs more champagne?” Sophie asked, holding up the bottle.
She refilled our glasses while I took a break to go to the bathroom.
As nice as it was to have my friends there, I wanted to share the moment—my victory—with Ben.
I should have agreed when he wanted to work together. I should have told him then. It was my fault. I opened our text chain and asked if we could talk when he’d calmed down.
I’d be patient. He was worth it. Ben and Cammie were worth everything. He needed time, and I could give him that.
It felt good to let go with my friends. We drank the bubbly liquid until the room blurred, and we were tipsy.
Max showed up at midnight to give Zoe a ride home and congratulated me. “I think your wine market will do well. It’s a great addition to the town.”
The others quickly murmured their agreement.
My heart filled with hope. “Thank you. I’m so happy to be here and still in business. When I heard that Bean Rush was opening, I was worried.”
Zoe patted my hand. “I think you’ve created the perfect niche for yourself.”
Sophie shook her finger at me in admonishment. “Don’t forget you can come to us if you’re struggling.”
“I will.”
“I think it’s time to close up shop for the night,” Max said.
I just wanted to make it across town and go to sleep. Thankfully, Max offered to drive all of us home. It was a short walk, but I wasn’t up for it. I didn’t want to be alone in my thoughts.
When Max dropped me off, everyone wished me a good night, and I walked to the porch by myself. Max’s lights stayed bright until I unlocked the door and shut it behind me. I watched as he backed out, and the lights faded away.
I toed off my shoes in the doorway, not worried about anyone tripping on them because I lived alone.
My home had always been a sanctuary, but it suddenly seemed barren. The walls weren’t lined with pictures of a life well-lived. The coffee table wasn’t crowded with mementos and knick-knacks like Hailey’s grandmother’s was. It wasn’t filled with the love and laughter of a boyfriend or a child.
It was mine, which used to be enough, but it wasn’t anymore. I rubbed the pain under my sternum.
Ben was hurt by something I did. If we’d talked earlier, we would have come out stronger on the other side. We were intelligent entrepreneurs, and together, we’d have been unstoppable. Instead, I shut him out and hurt him in more ways than one.
Entering my bedroom, I slipped my shirt over my head, flinging it to the nearby armchair. There was no one to complain that I was messy, so I left it. I pushed down my jeans and plopped face-first onto the bed in just my bra and panties.
Thankfully, the room was warm because I didn’t have the energy to pull a blanket over me. The room was spinning anyway. I closed my eyes, hoping for oblivion.
I’d deal with the fallout tomorrow when things weren’t so raw.
ChapterTwenty-Six
BEN
Last night, I’d driven home in a fog where nothing seemed quite real. I hadn’t felt competitive with Brooke in a long time. Sure, we hadn’t talked business, but I never thought she’d go behind my back and create something entirely new.
If I wasn’t so hurt by her betrayal, I could acknowledge that it was brilliant. She’d created a new market for herself.
I just wished she’d thought enough of me to let me in. She’d been badly hurt, but I thought she was past it. That she trusted me. I was wrong.
It was no different than when I thought Maria would want to mend our relationship when she became pregnant. But she’d moved on to bigger and better things. I was never the end game. I was just the pit stop along the way to better things.
