I cross my arms. “So? Did they?”
“Yes, but—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Rae,” I grunt. “You made your choice.”
“Benji, I didn’t—”
“We’re done here,” I snap. I turn away from her, grabbing the trash bag from the floor and scooping bottles and cans into it.
I can feel her behind me. I can sense the words she’s holding back. I know she wants me to turn around and run to her. She wants me to wrap my arms around her and tell her it’s all okay. I forgive her. I understand.
But the truth?
I don’t forgive her.
She left.
Rae knew how important this party was to me. She knew how much I wanted her here. She knew what it meant to me to come to this party together. She understood that being my date today was a big deal to me.
And she threw it back in my face.
For what? A house? A spot on her father’s board of directors?
There’s an old saying about having your cake and eating it, too. Rae seems to have forgotten it.
I keep my back to her, choosing instead to focus on the cleanup of the airfield hangar. Rae shuffles her feet and sniffles, and then I hear her turn around and walk away.
Good.
I don’t want her here anyway.
So why does it hurt so much when the door clangs shut?
The next day, Sarah, Oliver, and the kids come over to my house. My sister greets me with a big smile on her face. She throws her arms around me, squeezing tight.
“Thank you,” she says softly. “Oliver told me how much work you put into yesterday’s party. It was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
“You deserve it,” I say. “Hopefully it’s a good start to your thirties.”
I invite them in, offering them coffee and juice and water. The kids run to the living room to play, while Oliver and Sarah follow me into the kitchen.
I try to force a smile on my lips, but my sister knows something’s wrong.
“You’re not yourself,” she says, accepting a mug of coffee and throwing a glance at her kids. We walk to the living room, and I use the few seconds to gather my thoughts.
“I’m fine,” I finally say. “A bit tired.”
My sister searches my face, not satisfied with my platitudes. “You’re not. Something’s bothering you.”
Oliver meets my eye, and I know he understands. He puts a hand around Sarah to try to distract her, but she shrugs him away.
“Tell me,” she commands.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s Rae, isn’t it?” Her eyebrows draw together. “I saw her arriving home late last night. Are you mad she wasn’t at the party? She went down to Texas, didn’t she? Lucy told me.”
I let out a sigh, shaking my head. Of course my sister knew Rae and I were seeing each other. Who didn’t?
“It’s fine, Sarah. It’s done.”
My sister stares at me for a long moment, then finally shakes her head. “Don’t throw a good thing away for your own pride, Benji.”
I grunt in response.
That’s the second time someone’s told me what a good thing Rae is. First Harold, now my sister. What if they don’t know the whole truth? What if they don’t understand that Rae chose money over me. She chose to go collect an inheritance instead of being by my side.
She abandoned me. Just like everyone else.
Is that really a good thing? Is that really the kind of person I want to have in my life? What if they’re just telling me to settle?
I’d rather be alone than be with someone who puts their bank account ahead of me.
“Have you eaten breakfast?” Sarah asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
I shake my head, and she goes to the kitchen to cook up some food. I sit in the living room, playing with my niece and nephew and trying my best to forget about the brown-haired beauty who lives a couple of streets away.
Monday morning is hell. I head to the garage, knowing I’ll see Rae.
I don’t just see her. I inhale her. I drink her in from a distance, knowing I still want her. Then, I beat my thoughts back and remind myself she’s not everything she seems.
Yes, she may be gorgeous. She may have almond eyes and a honeyed voice, but it’s not real. None of it is real.
Rae Montgomery is exactly what her brother originally thought. She’s out for herself, and she’ll walk all over everyone else to get there. Sure, she wanted to bring her brother and sister back together. Sure, she provided for her nephew. So what?
When push came to shove, she took her parents’ money. She went down there and collected a paycheck instead of being here for me.
That’s the important thing. That’s what matters, when thinking about what type of person she is. She put herself first.
I get to work on a car, turning my back to the office. After a time, I hear the door open, but I refuse to look. It’s not until I feel a small, warm hand on my back that I turn to look.
Rae is close enough to touch. Close enough to kiss. Close enough to forgive.
But I turn my lips to a snarl. “What do you want?”
She flinches, biting her lip. Then she shakes her head. “Nothing. Never mind.”
There’s a sadness in her eyes, and I regret my harsh tone. Louder inside me, though, is the pain and anger I cling onto. Rae takes a deep breath, drops her head, and starts toward the exit. I watch her walk away, my eyes glued to her ass.
I guess that’s it, then. That’s how it ends.
I close myself off. She walks away. I stay behind.
The world keeps spinning, and I feel like I’m standing still.
30
Rae
For two weeks, Benji and I orbit around each other. We keep a distance, and it hurts me to my core. I go to the garage in the hope of catching a glimpse
