Thoughts swirl in my head, growing more and more bitter. My heart hardens, and I try to forget how it felt to have her in my arms.
After lunch, Sawyer arrives at work.
“Where have you been?” I ask. “Bit late, no?”
“Had to drop Rae off at the airport,” he explains. His face is open. Relaxed. Free from anger.
My throat tightens, and I nod. “Oh. Going back to Houston?”
“Yeah,” Sawyer says, staring at me.
I nod.
We stand ten feet apart, with gray, oil-stained concrete between us. I wipe my hands on a rag as Sawyer studies my face, and he finally lets out a sigh.
“She’s not a bad person, Benji.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been cut up about missing Sarah’s party. I’ve never seen her like this.”
“You hadn’t seen her at all in three and a half years.” My tone is razor-sharp, and Sawyer flinches. I drop my shoulders. “Sorry.”
Sawyer nods, walking to the car behind me. “What are we working on?”
I know he’s changing the subject, but I’m not ready to move on.
“How can you forgive her that easily? She’s doing exactly what you thought she did three years ago.” I cross my arms. “She’s the person you thought she was, Sawyer. Whether or not she supported Lucy in the meantime.”
My best friend frowns, finally shaking his head. “You’re wrong, Benji. Let’s work on this car.”
My gut twists. Dread creeps into my heart, and I wonder if this is the end of my friendship with Sawyer. How does he not see who Rae really is? How can he think I’m the one who’s wrong? Rae showed her true colors by taking the spot on the board.
She showed all of us what she prioritizes.
All I can do is clamp my mouth shut and get to work, though, because Sawyer’s face is closed. He shuts me out, and I feel like I’m losing him, too.
After work, I head to Sarah’s house. There’s no reason for me to go there, but I can’t stop myself. I park outside my sister’s house and let my eyes drift over to the home next door.
Is she really gone?
I spent two weeks wishing she’d leave. Hating her presence. Wanting her to remove herself from my life and never come back.
But now?
I feel her absence like a hole in my chest. Trudging up to my sister’s door, I ring the doorbell and wait for it to open. My nephew, Bradley, opens the door and gives me an ear-splitting smile.
“Uncle Benji!”
“Hi, Bradley,” I say, ruffling his hair. Stepping inside, I see my sister and my father sharing a bottle of wine in the front room. My eyebrows jump up.
Has everyone let their loyalty to me dissolve? I know Sarah wants a relationship with our father, but is he really going to become a fixture at the house?
Sarah offers me a glass, but I shake my head. My eyes bounce from her to my father, and I finally clear my throat.
“Did you hear Rae went back to Houston?” I scoff. “Didn’t I say she’d slink back there?”
Sarah tilts her head, frowning. “She went back to resign from the board,” my sister says. “Lucy told me. I’m pretty sure she’s transferring the house back to her parents’ name, if they’ll accept it. Lucy said it might be a few weeks to sort it all out, but after that, she’ll be back in Woodvale for good.”
I stare at my sister, not understanding. “She’s getting rid of the house?”
“Mm-hmm,” Sarah says, pouring me a glass of wine, even though I refused. “Apparently, she’s going to try to get her parents to take it back, but there’s something about owning property while they’re living abroad. Some sort of complication. She has to talk to the lawyer.”
I accept it, frowning. “So, she didn’t leave for a board meeting, or something? She didn’t go down there for work?”
Sarah shakes her head, staring at me. “She’s moving here, Benji. Permanently. So, if I may make a suggestion”—she arches an eyebrow—“perhaps you should wipe that scowl off your face and make nice with her. She’s going to be my next door neighbor for the foreseeable future, and I don’t exactly feel like dealing with a family feud.”
I stare at the wine glass in my hand. “I have to go,” I grunt, putting the glass down and turning around.
I’m halfway to my car when my father’s voice stops me.
“Benji!” he calls out.
I turn around as my heart thumps erratically. My father jogs across the front yard toward me, coming to a stop with a deep breath.
“That girl,” he says.
“What about her?”
“You care about her.”
I pinch my lips together. “I don’t know how I feel.”
“Son,” he says, and I stiffen. I’m still not used to thinking of him as my father. But the older man’s eyes soften, and I see some of myself in him. He takes a deep breath, raking his fingers through his hair.
“I loved your mother, and I loved you, but I couldn’t handle the chaos. Our relationship fell apart, and I walked away. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
I don’t answer.
My father sighs, shaking his head. “It wasn’t until I met Gail that I realized how much I’d been pushing people away.” He arches his brows, taking a step toward me. “If you care about her, don’t let your pride get in the way.”
I should be mad at his audacity. I should be angry that he feels he has the right to come into my life and tell me how to live it. He left, didn’t he?
But his eyes are earnest. His face is soft. He’s not the evil, heartless, money-hungry man I thought he was. He cares about Sarah and the kids. As he stares at me, I realize he cares about me, too.
“I know what you’re going through, Benji, and I know there’s not much I can say to change your mind. You’re as stubborn as I was at your age—but I missed out on decades with you and
