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There, he said it. All his cards were on the table.
“But there was no guy,” she insisted. “I was alone after you left. For a very long time.”
He shrugged. “I’m just telling you what I saw and why I left and haven’t been back.”
She dropped her head into her hands. “I just can’t remember… I don’t know.”
“I realize now that I should have talked to you about it, but I was so upset. I was just a kid, and instead of dealing with it, I put it behind me and moved on. Now, come on. Let me take you home. It’s freezing out here.”
She nodded and followed him back to his dad’s truck. Neither one of them said a word as he drove back to her coffee shop. Once he arrived, he parked and turned to her. “I’m sorry about what happened. I really am.”
“Back then or now?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.
“Both, I guess. For so many things, but mainly for not being completely upfront with you. I loved talking to you again. I loved the idea of reconnecting and seeing if what we had before was still there. But I was also nervous. Deciding to move back is a huge decision, and I need to make sure it’s the right one.”
“How long are you staying?” she asked quietly.
“I’m not sure. Until my dad recovers more, we won’t know how much help he’s going to need from me. I don’t have anything holding me in Denver; I just haven’t made the decision yet about coming home. It’s such a big step, but there are a lot of things in Pineville that are drawing me back.”
“Like?”
“Like dinner tonight. I had so much fun having dinner with you, Owen, and Brianna. I’ve missed all of you, and I’ve missed my parents.”
“Then what’s stopping you from coming back?”
He thought for a long moment, trying to gather his thoughts and put them into words. “I guess if I’m honest with myself, coming back home feels like admitting defeat.” Now that he said the words out loud, he knew they were true. That was what had been holding him back. “Returning to Pineville feels like taking a large step backward.”
“Defeat? What do you mean?” She looked sincerely interested and felt like someone he could be honest with, without judgment or condemnation, and he certainly didn’t have to worry about false platitudes with Roni. He never had.
“I’m embarrassed to admit, my art career is tanking fast. I’m about to lose the one gallery that had agreed to display my work because it’s not selling. I’m not commercial enough, and if I throw in the towel now and come back home, what will I do? Move back in with my parents? Work at the coffee shop? I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Why don’t you open your own gallery?” she asked.
He looked at her for a long moment. “How could I do that? What do I know about running a business? Don’t most small businesses fail in the first year?”
“Yes. It’s scary, and it’s daunting. I was eighteen when I took over the coffee shop. Believe me, I didn’t have a clue how to run a business, but I learned. We’ve had some hard times, but we’re still here. If you love it and put in the work, you’ll figure it out. You’d be surprised how many people will come along at the right moment to help you.”
“Yeah?” But was that something he could do? He’d never considered it before.
She opened the truck door and jumped down.
“Roni?”
She looked up at him, her hand still on the door.
“Thanks.”
She flashed him a reassuring smile. “I never could have made it work without the help of my friends. You have a lot of friends here too. Think about it.”
He nodded, feeling better than he had in a long time. “I will. Oh, and by the way, I’m going to win this week.”
Confusion knitted her brow. “What do you mean? Win what?”
“Our competition for your sister’s rescue foundation. I’m already thinking about what events I’m going to do to bring in the crowds and the moolah.” He rubbed his hands together.
She laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Yep! You know it.”
