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I thought back to the bitter days of her divorce, and how she never negotiated on the one thing she wanted—her home. Had I given up too quickly on mine?
She continued, “And now, I resent it.”
Shocked, I turned to face her. “You do? Why?”
“Because it reminds me every day how lonely I really am. Having a big house is only a dream if you have someone to share it with.”
I couldn’t imagine ever feeling that way about Radcliffe House. But at the same time, how would I know? There was always someone around. I thought back to Albert climbing the ladder and smiling at me in the window. The way my dad laughed when I jumped out from under the stairs to surprise him. And how I’d watch my mother bake my favorite lemon bars for Hooker’s Paradise, and how the light from the stained glass made the kitchen feel dreamy.
Maybe it wasn’t the house I was holding on to. It was the people in it.
Then I thought about him, and the way he kissed me in my bed in the morning. The way his smiles had turned tender whenever he looked at me. How he goaded and prodded me, then lit up when he got a reaction. How he’d accepted all the parts of me: the stubborn, the snippy, the determined. I hadn’t needed to try to be anyone but myself with him.
I shook the thoughts away. None of it had been real.
I took in a big breath. “I have an idea,” I said, and my friend looked up with a curious expression. “Why don’t I move in here with you? We can swear off men forever and double our shoe collection. What do you think?”
Abigail gave me a warm smile. “You can stay here as long as you want, but eventually we’ll both be ready for something more.”
Something more? That was the last thing I expected her to say. “We’ll be ready or you are ready?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Both.”
“What are you not telling me? Did you meet someone?”
“No,” she said. “I just think it would be nice to be with someone who really loves me. You know, someone who forgives my antics and knows my heart’s in the right place.”
Her words sank in. I wasn’t there yet. Not even close. But maybe with a new start eventually I could be. As long as I did a thorough background check, interviewed exes, and met the parents. You could learn a lot about someone by spending time with their family. Had I done all that with Sebastian, it would’ve saved me the heartache.
A text chimed on my phone.
MINNIE
I just got word. That bastard moved up the demo date. Radcliffe House Apartments is going down tomorrow.
My fingers went stiff, and I nearly dropped my phone. I never should have sent that email. Never should have given up.
“What is it?” Abigail asked.
I looked into her supportive brown eyes, and her face began to blur through the puddling tears in my own. “It’s over. It’s all over.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
SEBASTIAN
“Hey,” I said when my mother answered the phone.
“Hi, Sebastian. Are you still in New Elwood?” she asked.
“Yeah, but I’ll be leaving by the end of the week. I was calling to let you know that Radcliffe House is coming down tomorrow.”
I had asked myself over and over if there was another way. And over and over the answer was no. The demo company I hired had an opening for this week, so I took it. Especially since Theo had been up my ass since our last meeting about moving things along as soon as possible.
I still hadn’t sent him the signed contract. I’d kept it in my files like a stack of dynamite, but I hadn’t lit the fuse. Not yet.
Still, I’d organized the demolition.
The house would come down, and then I’d sign the land over to him, and then it would be done. Over.
