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He was bigger and broader than I remembered. He was one year older than me and was best friends with Aiden.
When Aiden enlisted, Heath had stayed close to home, helping on the farm and attending a local college. That’s when we’d run into each other in the woods. I’d find a place to journal or read for the afternoon, and he’d insist he was looking for the perfect spot to build his cabin.
He wasn’t like the other boys in school, who were only interested in trucks or sports. He was responsible. He had chores to do on the farm, and he cared about his family. That combination was intoxicating for a girl who didn’t get positive attention from anyone.
“How have you been?” Heath asked, and all I could see was that letter he’d left, breaking off our relationship. I could still see the words in his messy script on the loose-leaf paper: I’m sorry, but I can’t betray your brother.
All I could think about was that he’d chosen his friendship with my brother over me. It was one more person who’d decided I wasn’t important enough.
I shivered. “You lost the right to ask that question a long time ago.”
He sighed and nodded toward the nutcrackers. “I’ll move the lights.”
“You don’t want to see a survey?” My realtor had insisted on one when I mentioned wanting to sell the property from California. But now he was trying to convince me to renovate the inn to increase the value.
“I trust you.”
At one time, I trusted him not to hurt me.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression filled with regret. “Look, I’m sorry for how I handled things back then. I was young and stupid.”
I wanted to ask if he was upset that he’d broken up with me, but I couldn’t make the words come out of my mouth. We hadn’t officially dated because Heath never wanted anything to get back to Aiden. Instead, we spent time in the woods, talking, playing games, and getting to know each other.
We eventually progressed to heavy make-out sessions, but we never went all the way. I should have been thankful for that, but I wasn’t. Heath had always been someone special to me, but I’d wondered over the years if it was because I was so young. I’d idealized our relationship. It was so easy for him to walk away; maybe he hadn’t felt the same way.
His expression pained, he continued, “I didn’t want to do something with you that I’d regret when your brother returned.”
“I remember what you wrote.” I burned the letter in the fire pit behind my trailer and vowed never to let another man hurt me.
Heath sighed and looked away. “Of course, you do.”
He never reached out to me, even though I held out hope that he’d change his mind. Aiden would always be between us.
“I never told you, but Aiden asked me to look after you when he left. You know how your parents treated you—”
I didn’t need him to finish that sentence. We both knew that I couldn’t rely on my parents for something as simple as a kind word or a meal. “I had Gram.”
Heath’s compassionate gaze met mine. “But you deserved so much more.”
His concern only hurt more. “I lost your friendship when you broke things off.”
His lips pressed into a firm line. “That’s how it had to be.”
I held up my hands. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I don’t want to rehash our past. I just want to do what I came home to do and go back to my life.”
“You’re not staying.” It wasn’t a question.
I laughed without any humor. “There’s nothing for me here.”
He winced. “Lila told me how you were doing over the years.”
Gram never mentioned it to me. “When did you see her?”
“We took turns going over there to check in on her and maintain the property. Mom would bring her meals and drive her to the doctor. They’d sit and chat over a cup of tea.”
I felt a pang about not being the one who was there for her the last few years. I’d been wrapped up in myself. But Lori and Gram had been friends despite their age difference.
Heath scrutinized me, and I wondered what he saw. The successful businesswoman I was now or the teenager who would have followed him anywhere.
