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I smiled. Liz always seemed to be one step ahead of us. Clearly she understood that Callum’s absence from her house last night could only mean one thing.
Nothing to worry about, I shot back.
Instantly, I saw her typing.
Ooooh. Details!
I rolled my eyes. No way was I giving Liz details on what happened last night. We were close, and we had certainly talked about those things before, but I had never dated someone who also knew Liz so closely. It would be too weird to talk to her about her brother in that way.
No way! I shot back.
I had to temper the smile that spread across my face. I felt happy, warm and content from sleeping beside Callum last night. But I knew I couldn’t let myself get too comfortable. He was only here for the summer. Even if this relationship (or whatever this was) wanted to last beyond the next few months, I knew it would never work. I couldn’t live a life on the road, following Callum around with his bandmates. My life was here, and Callum’s was out there.
I opened my email, flipping my brain toward work. Checking the business email first thing in the morning was a bad habit I was trying to break, but I hadn’t hacked the addiction yet. I scrolled through to see a few inquiry emails, asking about some of our open listings. I would respond to those when I got back to the office. That way I could see our calendar and figure out if Liz or myself could show the homes.
I had another email from the realtor who had submitted an offer on my dad’s hardware store. I had denied their offer yesterday, not even countering. But now the realtor was coming back with a new offer $5,000 over the asking price. I groaned as I saw it. These people seemed to have their heart set on buying the property. But they wanted to turn it into some group-fitness gym, filled with spin bikes and kettlebells. I just couldn’t stomach the idea of the place turning into something like that. It felt like it would completely erase what my dad had built.
The truth was, I was still dragging my feet on selling the place. I had put it on the market because it seemed like the right thing to do. I wasn’t using the place, and I hated to see it sit completely empty. But I was starting to realize that the idea of someone else occupying the space was even worse than thinking of the place empty. I wrote back a quick message, explaining that we were no longer taking offers at this time. It was a lie, but I hoped it would send the buyers to look elsewhere.
I sighed as I realized it was time for me to consider taking the place off the market. If I wasn’t ready to sell it, then it wasn’t right to string potential buyers along.
But the right buyer might be out there, I thought.
I had this wild fantasy of someone driving through town and seeing the sign, who would suddenly realize they had always wanted to run a hardware store. They would give me a lowball offer and I would accept, simply glad that the legacy of my family business would go on in the hands of a new family. I knew it was crazy. But some tiny part of me couldn’t give up the hope.
The coffee pot beeped, and I went to the cabinet to pull down two mugs. I remembered Callum ordering his coffee black at the cafe. I poured a bit of milk into my own. I was about to carry the mugs back upstairs when I heard my phone chime with a new email. I set the mugs down and sat at the table again to open it.
At first, I thought it was another email from the same realtor. The subject line mentioned the hardware store. But when I looked at the name, it wasn’t hers. Someone else was emailing about the place, on behalf of a wealthy client. I opened the email and read through the message. Shock coursed through me as I took in the email in front of me. I couldn’t shake the feeling of utter betrayal, a sense that I had been right all along about Callum Jones. I stormed upstairs, the coffee forgotten, and shoved open my bedroom door.
“Get out!” I cried. He still wasn’t awake, but my voice made him stir. He looked back at me through sleepy eyes, his arms wrapped under his pillow. He gave a bit of a smile as he saw me, clearly not registering the words I had said to him.
“Hey there,” he said, but he must have seen the anger in my eyes because his brow creased in confusion.
“Get out!” I said again. I picked up his jeans from the floor and threw them at the bed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly sitting up. I couldn’t take the concern on his face, and I simply gathered the rest of his clothes and shoved them into his arms.
“Darcy,” he said, grabbing my arm so he could look at me. But I pulled away from him, yanking my arm out of his grip.
“Don’t touch me,” I yelled.
“What the hell is going on?” There was a hint of anger in his voice now as he realized he was being unceremoniously thrown out of my house.
“Is this just a joke to you?” I was mad at myself when tears started to fill my eyes. I didn’t want to cry, but I felt hurt and confused as I looked at him. Most of all I was mad at myself for letting myself get carried away last night. For trusting Callum when every part of me knew better.
“A joke?” he asked. He was getting dressed, throwing his T-shirt over his head. “You’re the one kicking me out of your house at eight a.m.—I should be asking you that same question!”
“Did you think I wouldn’t see it? Did you think you could send in an offer and someone else would just accept it? Or did you want me to see it? Maybe you’re doing all this just to hurt me again.”
I stormed out then, too angry to stay in the same room as him. I rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen, but I felt trapped there. I paced back and forth, wiping tears from my eyes so he wouldn’t see me breaking down. I hoped he would rush out the front door, leaving me in peace. But he was right behind me, rushing into the kitchen.
“Darcy,” he said, his voice much calmer. “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
“You know what’s going on,” I said, my arms crossed as I leaned against the counter.
“I don’t. I promise.”
“You’re trying to buy my hardware store,” I spit out. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I said the words. “You know how much that place means to me, and you put in an offer to try to pull it out from under me!”
