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Jane rolled her eyes. “Always so emotional, so needy.” She studied me over the rim of her coffee mug. “All your talk of Ruby’s legacy, that’s bullshit. It means nothing to me. I just wanted the house. And in the end, I didn’t even fucking get it.”
I flinched. Her expression flat, Jane turned and poured the remainder of her coffee down the sink, turned back to me, looked me up and down, before moving past me to the front door.
I flinched. “You drove all this way, just to say that to me?”
Jane looked back, her hand on the door handle. “I thought it was important to set the record straight.” Then she was gone, closing the door behind her, leaving me frozen in the entrance hall, emotions washing over me. My mother was right about one thing. I was just too emotional. Too needy. Desperate, even. I walked back into the kitchen, grabbed my phone, searched for a number, pressed dial.
“Nigel Parsons.”
“Nigel, hi, it’s Zara Munro.”
He paused briefly, searching his memory. “Zara! Yes, of course. You’ve got the old Winstead property.”
“That’s right. I’m calling because it’s ready to go on the market and I’d like to know how quickly you can make that happen.”
Another pause, this one of surprise. “Oh, okay. Give me one minute.” I waited on hold for a few minutes before he came back on the line. “I can get the photographer there this afternoon, have the listing on the MLS site and a board up out front by Monday morning. I’ll need you to sign some paperwork, but I can bring that with me when I come with the photographer.”
“Great.” My tone was flat.
“Okay then. How about three this afternoon?”
“Fine. See you then.” I hung up.
CHAPTER32
Matt
Islammed on the brakes at the top of Zara’s driveway, staring through the rain splattering the windshield at the picture of Nigel Parson’s smarmy face on the For Sale sign. I swore. Then swore again. I hadn’t meant to see Zara today, thinking it was best to give her a bit more time; I was just driving by on my way to a job. But this? This was too much. I jerked the steering wheel around hard, turned in through the gates. My heart thudding uncomfortably, I parked, got out, saw the Beetle parked in front of the garage, made my way to the front door, raised my hand to knock, then thought better of it. I tried the handle. It was unlocked. Bess went in ahead of me, tail wagging, and paused in the entrance hall, head cocked, before heading down the hallway. I followed, heard Zara’s gasp as Bess entered her room. I pushed the door wide. She was standing by the bed, folding clothes into a suitcase. I froze. She glanced at me, then turned away and reached for another sweater. “What are you doing?”
“Packing.”
“Why?”
She didn’t look at me. “Because the house is ready. I don’t have to stay while it’s on the market. I’m finished here.” Her tone was flat.
I was reeling, screaming on the inside, with no idea what to say. “Zara.” I couldn’t disguise the break in my voice. She flicked me a look, then quickly returned to her packing. “Look at me.” She kept her face averted. “Look at me! After everything that’s happened between us, you could at least have the decency to look at me.” I saw her straighten her spine, turn to me, jut out her chin. Her eyes, her beautiful, expressive eyes, gave me nothing. “I love you, Zara.”
She shrugged. “Better for you if you didn’t.”
I was floored. Who was this? I’d never seen her this way. She didn’t seem like the person I knew at all, nothing like the woman I loved. She closed her suitcase, zipped it shut. “Where will you go? What will you do?”
She shrugged again. “I’ll figure something out.” She glanced at me, saw I was about to speak again. “Look, I’m not another abused puppy in need of rescuing, Matthew. I’ll be fine. You can email me your final invoice. Or drop it off at the lawyer’s office.”
I felt the breath whoosh out of me, snapped my jaw shut. “I see.” I brought Bess to my side with a click of my fingers, looked at Zara for another long moment before turning away. I didn’t know what the hell had come over her, but there was no mistaking the cold resolution in her eyes. I wasn’t going to beg, so I strode down the hall, across the entrance way and out the door. Out of her life.
CHAPTER33
Zara
Iwaited until I heard Matt’s truck start, turn around, and rumble up the drive before my knees gave way and I sank to the floor, pressing my face into the edge of the comforter. “Matthew,” I whispered, fighting the hot tears that stung my eyes. I took a deep, shuddering breath, images of his face when he said he loved me and then later when I’d made the completely unnecessary jab about the puppy pulling at me. But I’d had to say the harshest, coldest thing I could think of to keep him at bay, to stop myself from running to him, wrapping my arms around him, telling him I loved him too. I had to say something that would push him away once and for all.
It looked like it had worked, which was for the best. No more being emotional and needy for me. I pushed myself up, my legs shaky, every muscle aching as I heaved the suitcase off the bed, pulled the handle out and dragged it outside, grunting as I threw it into the trunk of the Beetle.
I looked around at the house and gardens, my heart squeezing. Done. I was done. I wouldn’t cry.I would. Not. Cry.I got in the car quickly, turning the key in the ignition, refusing to look in the rear-view mirror as I drove up the drive, through the gates, and onto the street. God, it was a long, long drive to New Bern. I put the radio on, listening to it intently, trying not to allow my thoughts to overwhelm me.
Finally, I pulled up in front of Ally’s apartment block, heaved my suitcase out of the car, certain it was three times heavier than when I first put it in there a million years ago. Pressing the code into the keypad next to the front door, I pushed through it, went up the stairs. Knocked. No answer. Feeling lightheaded, I leaned against the wall, knocked again. Fuck, she wasn’t home. Rummaging inside my handbag, looking for the ring with Ally’s house key on it, I swore when I couldn’t find it. I knocked one last time, thinking I’d go back and sleep in the car if I had to. I could have wept with relief when I heard Ally grumbling inside. “All right, all right, I’m coming, keep your hair on.” The bolt slid back, the door opened, and there was Ally, in a black t-shirt and pajama shorts. “Zara!” Her surprise immediately turned to concern. “What’s happened? You look like absolute shit!” She pulled me inside, catching me when I stumbled. In a completely motherly way, she put the back of her hand to my forehead. “Oh my God, you’re burning up.” She pulled my suitcase inside, leaving it in the entrance way. “Upstairs. Stat.”
I walked upstairs to the loft bedroom on shaky legs. All of me was shaky, actually. And aching. Ally put me into the bed she’d obviously just gotten out of.
