Usually, I slept until ten, but I’d started setting an alarm to catch her 6:00 A.M. sessions. Maybe it was creepy, but I felt closer to her.
She ignored texts and calls, refusing to answer the door when I knocked. I didn’t know what I’d done, but if space were what she wanted, I’d give it.
Each passing day ached more than the last, and I threw myself into work, doing anything to keep busy. But, at the end of each day, I still coasted down the winding stretch of Anderson Inlet Lane, eyes fixed on the cottage in a sick ritual.
I had a case of the scratchies as Marsh called it, when you wanted a girl so bad it made you itch. Only I wasn’t itching; I was clawing. Even he was avoiding hanging around, telling me I was being too goddamn mopey, and that was a lot coming from him.
I missed Linc too, despite only spending a sliver of time together. It was painful to watch him look toward my place, eyes always drifting towards the dock, the boat still waiting to take him out whenever he wanted. I’d purposely sit outside with Tally, hoping she’d let him say hi, but no such luck.
Fridays and Saturdays were our busiest days at the brewery, but I needed to clear my desk to hit the road. Olivia’s wedding reception started at seven o’clock sharp. I would be in the mountains by then with a fishing pole in one hand and a beer in the other.
Hopefully, the rain would lighten up, the constant deluge pinging off my office window since morning. Olivia didn’t have a mean bone in her body, and she deserved a nice day to get married, not that Mother Nature seemed to care.
The rain was so loud I barely heard the knock at the door, a tiny rap that could have passed for a beer bottle rolling across the floor upstairs. “Come in!” I called, knowing it was likely Abby coming to jabber away about the reception, oblivious to my history with the family.
She knew Josie was special, poking me endlessly about the girl in VIP at the opening, but I didn’t give an inch. The silence didn’t get me anywhere, however, as it only added to the teasing.
Tally let out a low growl from my feet as the door creaked open, the original fixtures charming but noisy.
“Shh.” I opened up the next order form, ready to place the last few before hitting the road. I had a long drive ahead of me, and the rain would only stretch it further.
“What’s up Ab-” I started, stopping when I realized it wasn’t Abby in the doorway.
It was Josie.
She looked ridiculous in a t-shirt dress and rain boots, her hair braided down her back. Raindrops glistened in the light, giving her a glow fit for an angel.
I blinked, sure I was hallucinating until she moved. “Can I help you?”
“I have the check for tonight,” she replied, pulling a white rectangle from her handbag as she shut the door. “The girl up front told me to give it to you.”
“Oh, yeah…” The hostess was new, but she should’ve sent her to Abby, not me. I’d have to give her a refresher before I left.
No one was to be sent to my office directly other than family. No exceptions. It protected me from whacky women and Lynette. “Thanks.”
“Is it okay to walk over?” she asked, nervously eyeing the desk, obviously hearing Tally’s warning growl when she entered.
“You’re fine.”
She dawdled over, boots squeaking with every step, hands shaking as she gave me the check.
“Aw, Daddy couldn’t deliver it?” I teased, tossing it to the side.
“Mom sent me with it.” She peered out the window behind me, rain still pelting the glass. “My father and I aren’t speaking.”
“About time,” I mumbled, turning my attention back to the computer, heart in my throat every time I looked her way.
If she was cool, I was cool. I wouldn’t show any different.
“See you tonight.”
I glanced back at her, surprised she thought I’d be there. “I won’t be at the wedding,” I informed. “Sorry to disappoint. Ed wouldn’t like that very much.”
She shrugged with a smirk, a raindrop trickling from her forehead before jetting down the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t know you cared about what Ed thought.”
“I don’t,” I replied, leaning back in my chair. “I haven’t cared what that old bastard thinks for thirty-two years. Wait till you reach those numbers, kid. Feels great.”
“I bet.” Her eyes flicked to mine just as her tongue slid across her lower lip, swiping the raindrop away as it dropped to her lip.
“How have you been?” I asked, keeping my eyes on hers, not giving in to temptation. “I haven’t seen much of you since we... last spoke.”
She fiddled with the hem of her dress, avoiding my gaze. “I’ve been hanging in there. You?”
“Keeping busy.” Trying to, at least. So far, nothing kept her from my mind for more than a few minutes.
She nodded, her eyes meeting mine again, tears brimming.
“Hey...” I trailed, standing and coming to her side. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head quickly, tears escaping.
I ignored the warning signs flashing, pulling her into a hug and burying her face in my chest. She didn’t fight it, body trembling with sobs as I held her.
She could destroy me again in seconds by walking out on me again, but I’d take the blow a hundred times over to stop the tears.
“Where’s Linc?” I asked, heart plummeting. “Is he okay?”
She shook with a laugh, her body a perfect fit against mine. “He’s out with the groomsmen for lunch in Portland. He taught them how to give a handshake before they left.”
I smiled against her hair. “I bet.”
He was as bossy as his mom when
