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“He had to leave right away to get as much work as he could back to the gallery. I’m sure you understand. This has been his dream for so long. We are so proud of him. I hope you can be too.”
Roni’s heart dropped to her stomach as she heard the pride in his mother’s voice. “No. Of course. I understand.”
Roni wobbled as she got to her feet.
“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this. I don’t know why he didn’t tell you he wouldn’t be able to make the festival himself. He left days ago.”
“Me, either.” Roni shook her head. “Is he coming back? Maybe that’s why?”
“I don’t know. To be honest, I haven’t heard from him.” Empathy swam in her eyes, driving home how sorry she felt for her.
She didn’t believe he would be back.
“Thank you,” Roni muttered, trying to hold back the flood of tears rising within her. She did this. She let him back into her heart and she’d known better. “I really appreciate it.”
She ran out the door and barely made it back to her car before the dam broke and heart-wrenching sobs took over her body. She got into the car and clutched the steering wheel, trying to hold on to something solid before she was whisked away into complete despair. How could he do this to her again?
How could she let him?
After everything they’d been through?
This has been his dream for so long.His mother’s words repeated in her mind. He had to go back. Roni understood that. She didn’t blame him for that. She blamed him for not being honest with her.
For not asking her to come?
Not that she would have, she told herself.
For not talking to her. That was really what this was about. He didn’t tell her himself.
She drove back to the festival, wondering how on earth she was going to sing carols tonight and smile at the crowds when all she really wanted to do was crawl into her bed and cry her eyes out.
He’d left her again.
And the worst part was, she knew he would, and still she opened the door and invited him in to shatter her heart all over again.
What kind of lonely fool was she?
The worst kind.
CHAPTER19
Jimmy looked at his watch for the third time that hour as he raced through the Boston airport. His flight had just landed, and he hoped he’d make it back in time for the festival. He had promised Roni, and he didn’t want to let her down.
He’d spent the last several days getting all the paintings ready for Gerald’s event. But as he worked in his downtown Denver apartment, he realized he didn’t want to be there any longer.
He missed Roni.
He missed Pineville.
For the first time in his life, he was homesick.
So instead of working on something new, he packed up his stuff, met with the movers that morning, and had everything shipped to his folks’ place in Pineville. He’d be there before the movers to break the news to his mother.
She would be worried, and maybe even disappointed, but he wasn’t giving up on his dream. He was going to continue to follow it.
In Pineville.
Though telling his mom was going to be a lot easier than it had been to tell Gerald that he couldn’t stay for the Meet the Author event. Luckily, Susie was able to move it to last night. Only half the patrons were able to make it, but he sold many of his pieces, and Gerald promised to keep the rest through the holidays.
