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Evie leaves her chair and perches on the table in front of me. I’m grateful that she doesn’t try to comfort me with a hug or touch; she just sits.
“Liam, love heals all things,” she says softly. And then my lovely sister goes for the sucker punch. “What if Penny finds someone else?”
“What?” My stomach drops, and my breath catches, rendering me incapacitated for a moment.
“There.” Evie points into my eyes. “The fear. It tells you all you need to know.”
“Evie…”
“I need you to know that it can happen. Penny is a young, beautiful woman, and any man would be lucky to have her in his life. If you want her, you need to give her more credit. She can handle more than you think she can. You need to tell her what’s going on. What are your fears? Let her decide what she will or won’t do. Alright?”
Sometimes, I really hate my sister, especially when she is the wisest sage I know. The truth is I would never forgive myself if I walked away from Penny again. I doubt I would survive the loss a second time.
“How about therapy?” Evie suggests. “I’ll talk to Sean to see if he knows anyone that can help.”
I sigh. “Actually, I am already in group therapy.”
“Wonderful,” Evie claps her hands giddily. “I’m so proud of you. You deserve to be happy, Liam.” My head drops into my hands, and I take in a deep breath.
“Now stop pushing her away and go after her,” Evie commands.
I sit up. “What?”
“Go after Penny,” she says. “She’s staying at her mom’s. If you leave now, I’m sure you’ll meet her before she gets there. You can talk.”
Despite my reservations, I rush to my feet.
“Thank you, Evie. You’re a royal pain, though.” She laughs, and I kiss her cheek before hurrying out of the office. In my haste, I run into Jamie Stewart, a close friend of our family.
“Hey, Jamie. How are you?” His eyes widen when he sees me, and we shake hands. His body is coiled with tension. Normally, I’d ask him what’s going on, but I’m too distracted by Penny to care right now.
“I’m good, Liam. Is Evelyn in?” He points to the office, and I nod.
“Gotta run. Good seeing you.” I wave goodbye and rush out of the bakery. A sense of hope for the first time in a long time is moving me forward.
Chapter 16
Penny
For the first time since Liam’s been back, I saw the person I used to know. A smile crosses my face, and my stomach flutters at how much like old times it felt sitting with him and Evie.
My stomach knots seeing how happy he is without me. Years ago we talked about starting a wilderness camp for children together. Now, he’s doing it without me.. We were supposed to be a team. My heart feels like it’s in a vice as the knowledge that the reason things are this way is because of the decision I made.
I take a deep breath, and blow it out. I was doing the right thing for who I was at that time in my life. But now, the only thing I can see is how skewed my perspective was.
“Penny!”
My feet and my heart stutter at the sound of the familiar voice. I turn to look behind me, and the sight of Liam jogging toward me makes my breath catch. My stomach flutters from the butterflies that are attempting to break through.
“Liam?” I narrow my eyes and tilt my head. “Did I forget something at Bake My Day?”
“No. I just wanted to catch up with you and talk for a bit.” He stops in front of me, his eyes shining with an emotion I can’t name.
“Talk?” My chest tightens.
“Yes.”
I stare at him for a moment, swallow past the lump in my throat, and then gesture down the road. “I’m almost home; we can talk inside.”
