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I sighed, sensing the man behind me glance at his watch impatiently. At least the girl had been quiet enough that no one had heard the announcement. “Yes, I am.”
“People around here like to say they knew you before you were famous, but I thought they were full of it.” She shook her head in wonder. “But here you are, in little old Destiny Falls.”
My jaw tightened. She was sweet, but the last thing I needed was more attention. Redeeming myself would be difficult enough without anyone making a fuss about my presence. “Here I am.”
“But why?” she mused, as the man behind me cleared his throat.
“I missed it.” May as well be truthful. “And I missed Liam.”
“Ooh.” She winced. “You’ve got your work cut out for you there. People have been calling him the broken-hearted Braddock for as long as I can remember.”
“Yikes.” Being stuck with a moniker like that wouldn’t sit well with him, even if nobody said it to his face. “Thanks for the tip.” I forced a smile. “Want me to sign something for you?” She thrust a napkin toward me, and I took a pen from the counter and autographed it. “What’s your name?”
“Eden.”
I added a small personal note and passed it to her. “Here you go.”
She clutched it to her chest. “Thanks. Now, what can I get you?”
Finally. “A trim latte please.”
“Sure, no problem. To take away?”
I glanced around, noting several people watching us. “Yes, please.”
“That’ll be five dollars.”
I paid, left her a tip, and then stood aside so the guy behind me could be served. A few minutes later, with my coffee in hand, I made my way along Centennial Street, the thriving hub of Destiny Falls. I passed several historic buildings, including one that housed the museum. Across on the other side of the street stood the Information Center. I knew better than to pop in and have a look around, since Heather Braddock used to be in charge and might still be. Instead, I continued past the commercial district, reaching an intersection. If I turned left, I’d come across the fire station, or at least, where it used to be. I hesitated for a moment, then detoured in that direction. Not to see Liam. Just because I wanted to know if the station was still there.
It was. And Asher Heaton sat on a foldout chair near the open garage doors. He shot to his feet as I approached and stalked toward me with a dark scowl.
“No.” He waved his hands as though ushering me backward. “You can fuck right off.”
“I wasn’t coming to see Liam.”
His glare was full of disbelief—and okay, maybe I’d been hoping to run into Liam. I’d imagined seeing his face so many times, and I hadn’t had the chance to catalog all the differences yesterday.
“You need to go before he realizes you’re here.”
“But—”
“No buts.” His hands landed on his hips, and fury flashed in his eyes. “I encouraged him to give you a chance back then. Did you know that?” He didn’t let me respond. “I told him he should put himself out there, and that you were different from his ex. I’ve regretted that every single day since you broke his heart over a goddamned phone call.” His expression twisted in disgust. “You didn’t even have the decency to see him face-to-face. It fucking broke him.”
Shame and guilt, my familiar friends, tangled in my chest. I didn’t argue because I deserved his censure. I’d promised Liam I’d come back, and I’d let him down. I have to live with that.
Asher stepped closer. “If you really care about Liam, you’ll leave town and never bother him again.”
“I can’t do that,” I said softly.
His eyes narrowed. “No one wants you here. Least of all Liam.”
With that, he turned on his heel and strode back to the fire station. I bit my lip almost hard enough to break the skin, and tears prickled in my eyes. The pain in my chest burned hotter. The words Asher had fired at me felt like bullets. I couldn’t blame either of them for being angry with me. All I could do was prove with my actions that this time I was here to stay.
As I started walking back the way I’d come, my phone pinged with an email from my security company. I read it quickly. They wanted me to return to L.A. or to hire someone local to play bodyguard. I couldn’t do that. Besides the fact there was no need because hardly anyone knew where I was, it wouldn’t make a good impression on the locals if I had hired muscle following me around. I typed a quick reply, vetoing the idea, and sent it. I was safe here in Destiny Falls.
ChapterSix
LIAM
