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But there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He’d made a bad decision, and he would have to live with it. He just... He wished there was something he could do to make it up to Eleanor.
But if he had to guess, she was probably feeling like she’d been shoved aside. Like someone else was more important than she was, and that’s exactly how he’d acted. So it was only natural for her to feel that way.
“You’re awfully quiet today. Is there something wrong?”
“Just a lot of my mind,” he said.
“Of course. You currently have so many last-minute things you’re doing with the gala. What about last year, when they called you at the last minute because no one had remembered to order any lights? And twinkle lights were the centerpiece of all the decorations? What a mess.” Maisie shook her head, rolled her eyes, and laughed.
He had so much history with Maisie. They’d done so much together, and she was a nice woman. But... She just wasn’t for him.
“Actually, I’m not feeling the greatest. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day. Do you mind if I...leave?”
He was taking the easy way out. He didn’t feel like talking, didn’t want to force himself to be charming and kind when what he really wanted was to castigate himself for doing something stupid. And he was leaving in order to not have to keep up the pretense.
But Maisie’s face registered concern immediately. “Of course. Tomorrow’s a big day. The biggest of the year. We want everything to go without a hitch. I hope you’re not getting sick.”
“I hope I’m not either.”
She picked up her drink and her bag, and they stood together.
He thought he caught a glimpse of a red coat, but there were several as they were exiting the shop. Surely Eleanor hadn’t come into the coffee shop and he missed her? Of course, he’d been sitting with his back to the door. And as soon as he sat down, he’d looked for her and didn’t see her. She could very well be in there.
Suddenly he was interested in staying, but they stepped out.
“Thanks a lot for all your help,” he said, wanting to get away.
“I’ll walk you to your office.”
“I think I’m going to head to my condo. I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
“You really aren’t feeling well.” The concern was back in her eyes as she laid a hand on his arm.
He wanted to shake it off. Maisie had never felt clingy before, but she did now. It was his fault. He should have been more clear. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. Maybe a little more touchy-feely than what she usually was, but she had just been afraid that her sister was going to die. He couldn’t blame her.
He assured her that he was fine, and she finally allowed him to walk away alone.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he thought about not answering it. He really did just want to be left alone.
But he pulled it out. It might be something about the gala that no one else could answer. He didn’t want to keep things from progressing as smoothly as they could or make things harder for Lynette.
But it was his brother, Peter.
He laughed. He hadn’t even talked to Peter before he left Strawberry Sands. His whole thought and being had been focused on Eleanor.
“Hello?”
“Hey, bro. Heard you had a cold night.”
“Actually, it wasn’t cold at all.” He thought about the fire and holding Eleanor on the floor underneath the blankets. It had actually been a pretty good night. Maybe a little bit uncomfortable, because the floor was hard and they didn’t have pillows, but...a night of good memories.
“Must’ve been some fire. That’s a small stove. Anyway, just wanted to check and make sure you were okay.”
“Well, I’m not dead, so I guess I must be okay.”
Peter was often the first to crack a joke, but no one on earth knew him better than his brother. Even though they’d chosen very different paths, with Peter deciding to become a farmer, taking classes in vocational agriculture and earning a degree in animal science, and Franklin going the business route, they were still as close as brothers could be.
Now Peter was serious.
