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He had, too.
And yet, over all those years, she had seen the best in him. She’d fallen in love with his potential, and he hadn’t even realized he had worked to hit that.
Only when he did, he pushed her away.
He looked at Archer, reading and drinking.
“I hate it when you’re right.”
Archer looked at him with a shit-eating grin. “No you don’t, asshole. Because when I’m right, it means you get your shit together.”
Dragan shook his head. “It’s too late, man.”
“Sounds like a quitter to me.”
“How would you know?” Dragan looked at him, annoyed. He may have been right about his armchair-psychotherapy, but he had never been in this situation. He had never lost his best friend, the love of his life.
And June was too strong to let him back in.
“What do you want, Dragan?” Archer sighed, “You want June? Because you know how to get her. You just can’t be a coward. You can’t be scared of being rejected. Balls to the walls, my friend.” Archer picked his book back up, leaving Dragan alone with his thoughts.
He wanted June.
He wanted her for the rest of his life.
And he wanted her to know it, without question.
53
June sat in the back office of the store, finishing the last of the organizing. Now that the building was paid off, she could put the mortgage financials away — forever — and really focus on how to bring the store to it’s full potential.
She looked around, feeling a little lighter at how empty the space now was. She’d accomplished a lot in the last few days, including finishing her book, finding a cover designer, and deciding with Ruby to make the Spring Cleaning Event a fundraiser for after school programs.
It helped she hadn’t been able to eat or sleep or think since her yelling match with Dragan. Her heart panged at the thought.
No. She spent enough time feeling her feelings. It was time to move forward.
She found the filing cabinet in the back corner and started yanking the folders out, angrily flipping through them and throwing them into either a Trash pile or a Keep pile. Who was he, anyway? Thinking she needed all these nice things only money could buy. He knew her — she never cared about money.
A soft knock on the door stopped her shuffling. June looked over her shoulder, her grandma in the doorway. Missy came in and sat at the desk chair, watching her.
“Can I help you?” June immediately flinched at her own tone.
Her grandma stared at her. June was embarrassed, ashamed.
Being with Dragan had healed her relationship with her grandma, and here she was reverting to who she was before.
June sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m not in a good mood.”
“I know, June.”
“What’s up?” June walked over, taking a seat in the chair across from the desk. Her grandma swiveled to face her.
“I’m proud of you.”
That… wasn’t what she was expecting.
“I’m proud of you, Juney, and I know love is scary. Your mother went through a similar thing with your father actually.”
