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Thank you. I will call you tonight.
Well. It was better than “fuck you.”
I debated whether I should respond or not, but I decided against it. If there was anything I’d learned in the past twenty-four hours, it was that she was incredibly independent and passionate. If she said she would call, she would. And I shouldn’t push it before then.
The text left me in a better mood than when I’d headed to the shower. I grabbed what I needed and continued on my path to the restaurant. No matter what, I needed to eat, and getting out to do that would hopefully hurry the day along.
I punched in the address in the GPS. I could probably find it on my own but getting lost wasn’t something I handled well. The trip to town was quick and painless. The more I drove, the easier it became. As I pulled into the restaurant’s lot, it hit me for the first time that I might run into Tara’s family or even Tara.
I almost talked myself out of going in, but I needed to get past this, no matter what happened with her. It didn’t stop me from saying a little prayer and scanning the customers the minute I walked in the door. Thankfully, it looked like I’d arrived at a slow time of day. The hostess seated me quickly in a booth toward the back of the space. It was almost like she was reading my mind.
Minutes later, she brought my drink to me, and I ordered food. Now there wasn’t anything to do but wait. I’d been there about ten minutes when other customers came in. Each time the door opened, I sucked in my breath, hoping it wasn’t one of the Foleys. By the time my food came, I had wished I’d ordered it to go. The smell of the tomatoes and spices soothed me a bit, and the tenderness of the pasta was out of this world. No wonder Mark had mentioned this place to me when we’d met the first day. There wasn’t anything on my plate, from the garlic bread to the salad to my pasta, that I wouldn’t be dreaming about tonight. It was some of the best Italian food I’d ever had.
I finished right as another wave of customers came in. I was less jumpy now, though, knowing I was almost in the clear. I paid, tipped well, and headed to the truck. I laughed at the happy place food had taken me to. I supposed I was just a simple man. The thought made me laugh again. I wondered what the paparazzi would think of me now.
As I headed home, that question hit me again. I’d lived in my own bubble for ten years now. And yet, every few months, my name was brought up, and the rumors and guesses about what had happened to me started all over again. The manuscript I was writing was all about second chances and moving forward. Get past the bullshit of it all and learn to love who you were. It wouldn’t hurt to lay some groundwork ahead of the manuscript. It might be time to get rid of all the unanswered questions and put myself out there.
I couldn’t believe I was even considering it. Shelby had begged for this, telling me it could put an end to the drama, but I’d always shut her down. I knew the only reason I was considering it right now was that I trusted Tara to handle it properly.
Turning onto my road, I wished I’d thought of this hours ago when I’d accused her of sleeping with me simply for the story. I knew why I’d shut Shelby down when she’d asked to do just what I was considering. I wasn’t ready then, but I might be now. The question was, would I get a chance? I needed to be careful. I didn’t want her to think I’d changed my tune because she was upset. She wouldn’t agree if I wasn’t genuine, if I didn’t put myself out there in a way I’d never done.
The minute my novels started selling, I started building walls, not wanting any of my deep dark past to get out. The effort was what led me down the wrong path, adding lies upon lies. When the accident happened, I was barely a shell of who I’d been prior to that first bestseller. All because I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. Wasn’t that true for a lot of writers? We created worlds beyond our own when we didn’t want our true hearts to shine through. Shit, that was good. I needed to write it down for the dedication.
19
TARA
After Mina responded, telling me she’d meet me in an hour, I texted Landon. I told him thanks and that I would call later. I didn’t want to leave him hanging. I was sure he was wondering how I would respond to the bear and flowers. Until I talked with Mina, I wasn’t ready to see him, though. Or talk to him, for that matter.
