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"Communication is key to a good relationship," Kade says, as he lifts another forkful of lasagna in a salute. "Decent pasta, man."
I shake my head. "I feel like all we do when we butt heads is mis-communicate. She always mistakes me trying to help as me being some sort of uptight rule follower who's blind to circumstance."
Kaia nods. "I ran into Asher at the supermarket. You told her what happened with him?"
I scoop some lasagna onto my plate, on top of my salad, because I don't think I'm going to like where this conversation is headed.
"You need to tell her." Kaia nods when I scoop out more lasagna and gesture to her plate, so I dump it on.
"No room for secrets in a relationship," Kade says.
"Do you think you might be pushing her away on purpose?" Kaia asks.
"No," I say immediately. "Why would you think that?"
"Because I came back to town, and you thought you were getting your soul mate back." She pats my hand. "The fact you still believed in us really threw me, Grant, and it worried me. Haven't you dated at all since I left?"
My throat tightens, and I swallow hard. "Of course I dated, but I never got serious about anyone."
"You neverletyourself get serious about anyone." Kaia's voice is gentle, but her eyes are shimmering. "Did I hurt you so badly that you used the idea of us as soul mates as a way to protect yourself? A way to never get hurt again?"
I stare at the food on my plate and the hard wood of the table as I consider her words. I'd never really let myself be heartbroken, because I'd always told myself we'd be together again. But my heart didn't break when Kaia told me about Kade, so I must have gotten over her without realizing. Time erased what we had while I wasn't paying attention.
"Maybe," I say slowly. "I might have kept women at a certain distance, but Dani's different. No matter how much the idea of her leaving scares me, I can't stay away from her."
Kaia's smile is relieved. "Tell her that, Grant. Be open with her and let her make her own choices. Stop trying to figure out how she's going to break your heart and just love her no matter what."
I sigh. "I have to figure out how to get her to answer my calls first."
Neither Kaia nor Kade have any idea how I can do that, so we chat about other things while we eat. After dinner, Kaia and I discuss our list of possible Bigfoot suspects and make a plan for how to investigate them.
The whole time, I can't stop thinking about Dani. I can see now, sort of, why she was upset with me, but she jumped to conclusions about me that were totally unfair.
Maybe I need to communicate better, but she needs to stop expecting the worst from me every time we disagree.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dani
The gray day outside matches my mood as I sit on my couch, sipping hot tea and eating one of the blueberry scones I made this morning.
When my phone rings, I consider ignoring it, but the hope that it might be Grant makes me grab it.
Abby's name flashes across the screen. Lazy is certain she has no right to my recipes and there's nothing else she can do to hurt me, so I answer.
"What do you want?"
"To apologize," Abby says. "I'm so sorry, Dani. The opportunity for more money made me greedy. I never should have asked you to leave the business."
I don't trust her apology. She tried to make me doubt myself and gave me terrible references. That's more than greed. "What do you really want?"
"Honestly, Dani, I just want to apologize. I miss you. You're my best friend in the world and I want to give you your dream. I want to make up for my past mistakes."
I straighten. "What are you saying? Are you asking me to come back to work for you at Starshine?" I've heard through the grapevine she had to close the bakery and it feels good to needle her.
She sniffles. "It failed without you, Dani. We can open a new bakery. Let's partner up again. You're the best—"
Never in my life has it felt so good to hang up on someone. I even smile a little as I block her number and delete her contact. Abby's on her own and no amount of apologizing or guilt tripping is going to make me change my mind. I've got a new plan and a new dream. I've even started trying vegan recipes and selling them at the bookstore. The Sanctuary Farm and Bed and Breakfast will be my new bakery. I can bake for the guests and sell to locals from the farm.
