Allie flopped down on the edge of Miriam’s bed. “This is crazy.”
“I know.” Miriam sat beside her. She rested her head on Allie’s shoulder.
Allie rubbed her back. “I support you no matter what, you know that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I would be really happy for you if you got the job.”
“Thanks.”
“But have you considered that maybe you’re trying to run from things instead of deal with them? Leaving Florida isn’t going to stop those feelings you have for Silas.”
Miriam sat up. “Of all people, I thought you’d be the most excited that I was over Silas.”
Allie laughed. “You’re not over Silas.”
“Yeah, I am.”
She lifted her brows. “You kissed him.”
“As a goodbye.”
“Okay.”
Miriam flopped back on her bed and covered her face. This conversation with Allie was supposed to bring more clarity to the situation, not make her second guess the path she’d chosen. Why is this so hard?
She made a frustrated sound as the weight of all these tough choices hit her. If only there was a way to know your decisions were the right ones. She wished she could see exactly how each move would play out.
But she couldn’t.
Miriam would have to deal with the consequences of her choice, no matter which option she chose. She only hoped that it was the right one.
Silas
Silas waited two days for the ache in his chest to go away.
When it never did, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Miriam might have thought that she was giving them both closure with that kiss, but Silas saw it for what it truly was. That kiss was a chance at a new beginning between the two of them.
He’d made a lot of mistakes over the years. Even in these last few weeks as he tried to win Miriam back, Silas hadn’t always gone about things the right way. But he wasn’t going to let anything else stand in the way. He was going to tell Miriam that he loved her—that he’d always loved her.
He couldn’t love her perfectly, but he hoped that what he lacked in ability, he could make up for with enthusiasm. It had worked in his early days as a rookie in the arena. He hoped it would work with Miriam now.
After a quick stop to buy some flowers, Silas drove straight to the Storm offices. Miriam’s car wasn’t parked out front, even though they’d been open for half an hour. Silas took a deep breath as he got out of the car. That was okay, he’d wait for her inside.
His heart raced as he walked through the front door of the building. He immediately came face to face with Harris.
“Look who’s here. The golden boy.”
Silas ignored the jab. He was focused on one goal. “Have you seen Miriam?”
Harris looked at the flowers in Silas’ hands. “She’s gone.”
“Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“Sorry.” The cruel curve of his smile said he was anything but.
Silas clenched his teeth. “Is she doing something for work?”
Harris scrunched up his face. “I guess you could say that.”
There was something else going on here, and Harris was clearly enjoying every second of watching Silas squirm. He needed to be careful not to rise to the bait. Maybe if he didn’t react to Harris’ mind games, he would get bored and stop playing. “Will you please just tell me where she is?”
Harris eyed the flowers again. “Maybe I should show you.”
Harris turned and walked to Miriam’s office. Silas had no choice but to follow him. Once there, Harris leaned over Miriam’s desk and turned her computer on. He clicked through the open tabs. When he found the one he was looking for, Harris stepped back to let Silas see what was on the screen.
It was the employment page for MLS. On it was a listing for a marketing director in South Carolina.
“Very funny.” Silas turned to face Harris. “Now tell me where she really is.”
Harris lifted his right hand. “Scout’s honor. You can ask Greg.”
Silas hesitated. He’d just seen Miriam this weekend. There was no way she was in South Carolina now, was there?
Silas tried to think this through. This could be Harris’ way of trying to get Silas in trouble with Greg. If he barged into the general manager’s office demanding to know where Miriam was, it would hurt her. It would be bringing relationship drama into the workplace—a big no-no in Greg’s eyes.
On the other hand, there was a very real possibility that Miriam was in South Carolina. She’d told Silas that she was having a hard time doing her job. And the listing sounded eerily similar to what she did for the Storm.
He ran down the hall to Greg’s office and skidded to a stop in front of his desk. “Where’s Miriam?”
Greg pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two are worse than my teenage daughters and their boyfriends.”
“Where. Is. She?”
Greg released a long breath. “She’s in South Carolina.”
All the air in Silas’ lungs whooshed out of him. She was gone, and Silas was to blame. He’d pushed her past her comfort zone while ignoring the real problems.
He slammed his hands on the desk separating him and Greg. “You just let her go?”
“What do you suggest? That I tie her to her desk and force her to stay with the Storm forever? You and I both know she’s something special. The GM for the team in South Carolina saw it too.”
Silas cursed under his breath as he paced in the small office.
No, no, no, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. He refused to believe that this was it. There had to be something he could do to fix it, but he kept drawing a blank.
He raked his hands through his hair. “I gotta go.”
He walked out into the parking lot, not sure where he was heading. Maybe he’d get into his car and start driving to South Carolina. He could show up at the MLS office and beg
