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“I think she was more worried about you. Indie called her to see if you’d gone to the diner. Now she knows something is up.”
“Lord have mercy,” I muttered.
“You’ll have to deal with your boss in the morning, so I highly suggest you have something to report to her by then,” Shep said, stopping at the parking lot of the diner. “I’m going home to make amends with my wife. You’re going to the park to make amends with Indie. Ivy said you’d know where to find her.”
I nodded and slid my hands into my pockets. “I do. Thanks, Shep. I’ll open the diner in the morning. Tell Ivy to sleep in.”
He squeezed my shoulder without a word and strode up the driveway and behind the diner. I trudged toward the park knowing he was right. I needed to make amends with Indie, even if she left in the end.
Chapter Seventeen
I’d never heard the park as silent as it was tonight. Eerily so, and I leaned back into the darkness of the gazebo away from the tree. From my vantage point, I could only see the bottom part of the tree, still wearing its blue lights and frosted tips, but it didn’t fill my heart with joy the way it usually did.
Probably because my heart was broken.
It was broken by the thought of what Lance must suffer through in silence, but more so that he was too afraid to tell me about it. Ivy had told me that she could neither confirm nor deny what he’d told me. She did confirm that Lance had struggled since the accident and she could see why he’d overreact to something if he felt like his secrets were threatened.
From my perspective, I didn’t understand why they had to be secrets. Why couldn’t he be honest with me about his situation? I thought back to the note that Michelle had left on top of the Christmas book, as well as some of the other odd notes I’d found around the house. I suspected those were written in a way that Lance would understand.
A shadow filled the path and then the man I loved came into view, his hands in his pockets and his head hanging low. He’d gotten my message. I suspected Ivy would make sure of it one way or the other. He climbed the stairs without looking up and stood in the middle of the gazebo.
I pushed off the railing and walked to him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I said as I wrapped my arms around him.
“I’m sorry for storming out. That wasn’t right,” he whispered, but I could tell they were practiced words he didn’t feel.
“If it was right for you at the time, then I don’t have the right to judge you for it. I’m just glad you’re here now.”
“Ivy called Shep and I happened to be with him.”
“You were with Shep?”
“Long story,” he said, and the tense muscles in his shoulders told me it was. I released him and took a step back.
“I’m sorry if I upset you at the bakery. That was not my intention, Lance.”
He kept staring at the floor when he answered. “It wasn’t your fault, Gumdrop. You didn’t know the truth so there was no way for you to know what a landmine you stepped on.”
“I suppose that’s fair, but I want you to know that since I know now, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. A relationship is about being together, helping each other, and growing together.”
His head snapped up. “You’re staying?”
I cocked my head in confusion. “Why would you think I wasn’t?”
His sigh was immediate and he dropped his gaze again. “I just figured once you knew the truth about me, you’d leave sooner rather than later. I mean, I know we’ve been, you know…”
“Intimate?” I asked and he pointed at me.
“But that doesn’t mean we’ve declared feelings for each other or anything and I don’t think you want to tie yourself to a guy like me, so that’s probably just as well.”
“Wait, a guy like you? Do you mean because you can’t read? You must be able to read some stuff since you work at the diner. Maybe Audrey can help you improve your skills.”
He shook his head with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He didn’t speak for so long that I finally grabbed his hand and squeezed it in mine.
“It’s okay, Lance. Just talk to me.”
“I don’t read at the diner. Audrey can’t help me either.”
“Wait, does this have to do with your accident?” There was something about the shame on his face that told me it was true.
