Page 120 of Lost Love on 6th Street

My mouth grows hot. She might not be Luke, but she’s a blood relation, and something about that closeness makes me uneasy. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that Luke adopted Shortbread today.”

I frown. “Sorry, what?”

“Luke adopted—”

“How did he—what did he—” I only called her this morning to tell her that I was leaving town. It’s all happened so fast, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But still. Luke?

“I asked him if he would want to, and he said yes.”

I can’t help but be annoyed. “You asked him to?”

“Yes, I did.” Her resolve is impenetrable.

“That’s . . .” It’s a good thing overall. Shortbread has a home. But with the man I love who won’t give me the time of day? It’s a betrayal. “That’s great. I hope they’re very happy together.”

“Eleanor, wait—”

How did she know I was just about to hang up?

“Luke told me he didn’t know you were leaving Austin. Is that true?”

I sit down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Jolene appears in the doorway and mouths, “Who is it?”

I wave her off and thankfully, Miss Meddler actually retreats.

“God, Eleanor.”

“Look, Claire, I appreciate what you’ve done, but this is a bit of an overstep, don’t you think?”

She ignores what I’ve said. “It broke his heart when I told him.”

I run my hand across my chest where my broken heart sits. Why are we doing this to ourselves? “It did?”

“Yeah.” I can sense a smile on her face. “He came this afternoon for Shortbread. Barely any questions asked.”

“Why do you care so much, Claire?”

“Because . . . we’re family. And I don’t have any other family left.”

Fucking Claire. As if my heart wasn’t already broken enough.

“I know it might be putting the cart before the horse, but I thought I owed it to you to tell you. As thanks for connecting us.”

I look into my lap. “Thank you, Claire. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” She hesitates. “He loves you. I don’t know if you love him, but . . . yeah. That’s all I’ve got.”

I smile to myself. I love him too.

“Let me know what happens. I’m invested.”

I laugh. It feels like the first real smile I’ve had in weeks.

After we say our goodbyes, Jolene pops her head into the doorway. “What was that about?”

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