Page 104 of She Was Made for Me

I furrow my brow. “But I—”

“She won’t be there. She’s packing up and moving back to New York.”

My heart nearly stops. “She’s coming back? For good?”

Rich nods.

“But what about the job? Everything she’s worked for? Is she sure she wants to leave it all behind?”

“She is.” He leans his head back on the seat, his eyes carefully surveying my face. “You really care for her, don’t you?”

I swallow. It’s such an odd combination, that he’s both my best friend and the father of the woman I love. You’d think that would make things easier, but it doesn’t.

Either way, I won’t lie anymore.

“I’m in love with her, Rich. I’m sorry, there was nothing I could do to stop it. I didn’t want to feel this way, trust me. But…” I stare at my hands. “She’s smart, and beautiful, and she challenges me. We balance each other out in the best way. And the chemistry between us…”

Rich holds up a hand, his nose scrunched with an uncomfortable smile. “I don’t need to hear any more.”

I chuff an awkward laugh, relieved when he joins in. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “This is weird. I’m probably not what you imagined for her.”

“No, but it’s not up to me, it’s up to her. And if you’re the guy she’s chosen, then I’ll have to make my peace with it.”

Emotion clogs my throat. Rich has forgiven me, and it’s all thanks to Violet, to her telling him the truth, despite her fears.

“I need to see her…” I clear my throat, pulling my cap off to shove my hand through my hair before tugging it back on. “Do you think she’ll want to see me when she’s back?”

Rich’s smile is wry. “I suspect you’re the main reason she’s returning. She said she missed us and the city, but it’s obvious she misses you more. I didn’t want to get her hopes up so I didn’t say anything, but I planned to drive up this afternoon so we could talk. I want her to be happy, Kyle, and I think that involves you being here with her. She also mentioned something about a business you wanted to start together?”

I finally let myself smile. “We did talk about that, yeah.” This time I feel no anxiety at the thought of moving here for her, leaving my life behind to start a new one with her in the city. I feel nothing but hope and excitement. I just had to go back to my old life in Maine to realize it.

“As far as I’m aware she doesn’t have any other work lined up,” Rich says. “So she might still be interested.”

God, I want to grin like a fucking idiot. How is it possible I could still get everything I want?

I tamp my enthusiasm down with the reminder that nothing is final until I talk to Violet, until I’m holding her in my arms again and can see she still wants that too.

“When will she be back?”

“Two weeks.” Rich’s gaze catches on a taxi driving past. “She has to give her notice and pack up her apartment, but then she’ll be here.”

“Has she found a place yet?”

“Actually…” He glances back at me and smiles. “I was thinking of offering her the Fruit Street house. I haven’t listed it yet, and I know she loves it there.”

My mind works overtime as I contemplate being with Violet again. “I want to live there with her, Rich.” I’m rushing ahead of myself, but I can’t help it. Ever since it’s started to feel like a reality again, all I can think about is my future with her, and us being in that beautiful house, the house she and I worked on together.

I want to buy it from him, actually. I could offer him a decent deposit now, but I won’t have the kind of money to pay for it in full for some time. Maybe after we’ve built the business and—

I force myself to breathe, reminding myself nothing is certain yet.

Rich nods, lost in thought. He might take a little time to come around to the idea of me living with Violet, so I’m not going to push it now.

“Can you not tell her we spoke?” I ask. “I’d like to do it myself.”

He nods, retrieving his briefcase from the floor of the truck. “I don’t want to be the messenger between you two. Besides, she has a lot going on with leaving her job and moving.”

I scrub a hand across my beard, thinking. Two weeks. I won’t interfere while she’s wrapping up work and packing, that wouldn’t be fair. No, I’ll wait until she’s back in the city, until we can talk properly, face to face. In the meantime, I can do some more work for Muriel then pass the rest onto Dixie. I might not be moving back to the city immediately, but I don’t want anything tying me to Maine. I want the freedom to be with Violet, if she’ll still have me.

---