Page 53 of When You Were Mine

“Believe me, I know.” He remembered the heat, though—the longing—in Elzy’s eyes. The way sparks danced on his skin when he’d moved closer to her. “It’s there. The chemistry. Attraction. Whatever you want to call it. It’s still there. And if I can just hang out with her like a friend, I think, eventually, she’ll let down her guard. I think…”It’ll all come rushing back. “I don’t think there’s any other way to approach this.”

“Oh, I can think of another way.”

“Yeah?”

“Nothing works faster than jealousy. Say the word, and I’ll be the best fiancée you’ve ever seen.”

“Absolutely not.” He cast her a warning look. “Don’t stir the pot, Darby.”

She grinned. “Where’s the fun in that?”

He knew she was teasing, but he wasn’t in the mood. He didn’t think he could explain the urgency in him. He would not fuck up his chance to win her back.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down. “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “That’s Emil. He wants to have coffee with me.” Her fingers shook as she typed a response. “I can’t believe it.”

“You haven’t talked to him in all this time?”

“Not once. Every time I come home I find myself looking for him. I see a car drive by, and my heart jumps into my throat because I think,That’s him. That’s Emil. But it never is.” She dropped the lipstick into her black leather purse. “I thought I was ready to see him. It’s been long enough, and my life is so good that I convinced myself I didn’t care anymore.”

That was not the case for him. He’d never stopped loving Elzy. Wanting her. Missing her.

For years, he couldn’t understand the loneliness that plagued him. He was on a set with dozens of people, living in a friendly, welcoming town. He had his son, a daughter-in-law, and grandkids. What was wrong with him?

But now that he was back in the same room with her, it was clear the sense of emptiness came from missing the other half of his soul.

“Well, it’s not like I’ve spent the last twenty-six years and five months hoping we’d get back together.” She laughed, and he knew it was because she could recite the exact date they’d broken up.

But it wasn’t funny. Because hehadspent the last thirty years and seven months missing Elzy so ferociously that vivid dreams about her regularly woke him at night.

Darby’s smile faded. “But having him appear out of the blue like that…being so totally unprepared…”

“You didn’t know he was a landscaper?”

“I did. But the wedding was the only thing on my mind. I was thinking caterers, contractors, painters… And most of that crew is my family. It never occurred to me that my brother would be interviewing landscapers when he only hired the designer a day ago.”

He pulled a dress shirt from the closet. “How long were you together?”

“Oh, you don’t want to hear the whole story.” She batted her hand. “It’s not a good one.”

“Up to you.” He chose a pair of black slacks. “But if you want to talk about it, I’m right here.” Anxiety had him fumbling, and the pants slid off the hanger.

Damnit. It sucked knowing Elzy was a few rooms down the hall, and he couldn’t be with her.

The fear he’d never get a chance to talk to her was suffocating.

“He grew up east of here in a place called Hofn. It’s a seaside town, and his parents owned a gift shop. They didn’t have much money, and Emil had a big appetite.”

“Are you saying they couldn’t pay for his food?” he asked.

She laughed. “No, I meant an appetite for learning, for experiencing things…” She caught his gaze. “For sex. And his little town wasn’t enough, so when he was sixteen, he spent the summer in Reykjavik. My mom’s retired now, but she used to own a little café where I worked every holiday. Emil got a job there too, and we started dating. The connection was…” She shivered. “So much passion.” Her eyes clouded, and her features pinched with pain. “So much love.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, you know. Teenage drama. We fought all the time. He went back to Hofn for the school year, and it was hard to communicate. Back then, we didn’t have cell phones, and the whole family shared a computer. One time, he’d grown distant, and I was convinced he was sleeping with another girl, so I stole my mom’s car and drove out there to surprise him.” She had a wistful expression. “Turns out, he was working extra jobs so he could buy a car to come see me more regularly.”

“What made you finally break up?”

“It’s so embarrassing.” She opened a travel jewelry box and pulled out earrings. “We’d come up with this idea of slow traveling the world. We’d live off whatever we could earn from odd jobs here and there. His parents didn’t think it was a great idea, but they knew he had to figure it out on his own. My parents wanted me on the college track. They made me apply to all the top schools in England, France, and America. I did it to keep them off my back, but I had no intention of going.”

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