Page 74 of Forever Endeavor

“It was awful. To see Cal get his heart ripped out after we’d come so close to meeting her? I’m sick about it.”

“You had no idea that would happen.”

“Maybe not, but no matter how you slice it, I’m responsible for this mess. Cal was content with his happy memory before I got involved.” Her free hand shot up. “And before you say it, I know. Accept the things I cannot change and blah blah…all that. Believe me, I know.”

Sonny raised his eyebrows. “I wasn’t going to say a word.”

“Yeah, but I know that look. You were thinking it.”

He smiled.Of course, she can read me like a book. “Let’s grab a seat on that bench next to your statue buddy.”

Billie planted her hands on her hips and glowered up at the Roman god. “Now I see why they made you a two-faced dude. Some help you turned out to be. Mystical powers, my ass.”

Sonny relaxed on the bench, outstretching his wingspan along the back. “Don’t take it out on the poor guy. Your story got its ending. It may not have been the one you wanted, but hey, it’s still an ending. You don’t always get to pick the one you get.”

Her scowl gradually gave way to a smile. “That seems hugely unfair.”

“Life isn’t fair, it says so in the small print.” He laughed as she nestled in close.

“Gary and Gurdeep got engaged on this very spot,” she told him. “Maybe Janus is better with beginnings, and it’s just the way he handles the endings that needs some finesse.”

During a lull in conversation, Sonny saw his break and went for it. “Speaking of endings, I have something to tell you. I’m moving out of the house. Melissa offered me a settlement and I decided to take it.”

“Sonny, that’s great. Moving out is a huge step forward for you.”

“I thought a lot about what you said, and I realized that it’s not where you are, but who you’re with that really matters.” He drew in a deep breath. “I’ve also come to realize something else, Billie. I’m in lo—”

“I’m leaving,” she blurted out.

His heart seized. “What? Leaving?”

“That call was my publisher. She’s been following Cal’s story, and with all the media exposure it’s received, she said it’s too late for me to turn it into a book now. There’s not enough saccharine in Nicholas Sparks’ sugar-tipped pen to make people forget all about the big-ass spoiler. So, I’ve got to go back to square one and start from scratch.”

“But can’t you do that here? You managed to write almost an entire novel in cabin five.”

“I need to create a new world with a new cast of characters and to do that, Carmen thinks it’s best I find inspiration in a new place.” She lifted her head to look into his eyes. “I’m going to Punta Cana to focus on writing the book I should’ve written all along.”

“Oh,” he murmured, not even attempting to disguise his disappointment. “When?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” He gulped.

“I’m sorry, Sonny. I don’t want to go, but I have a deadline. It obviously means that our, um, arrangement, has to come to an end tonight.”

“Wow.” The shock was sinking into his bones.

“I hate cutting our time short. That’s why I’m hoping that maybe you’ll come along with me so we can make some parting memories before we have to say goodbye. You know, Aruba, Jamaica…ooh, I wanna take ya?” she warbled as she wiggled her eyebrows. “All you need to bring is a toothbrush and a pair of snug-fitting swim trunks.”

This was really it. She was leaving. He knew the day was coming, but had he known this was it, he would’ve told her…but what was the point now? He wasn’t going to stand in her way and be the reason she didn’t finish her book. She would only resent him for it.

“I’m sorry, baby, but I can’t go,” he said. “I can’t leave Cal right now. And I need to be out of the house, and there’s still a lot of packing to do. And the garage—”

“I understand,” she said weakly. “What we have is like a shooting star. Dazzling while it lasts, but destined to flame out.”

“Doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt like hell when it’s over.” He wrapped his hand around hers as he choked back emotion. “I’m really gonna miss you, Billie, but I want you to finish your book and find your happy ending. You deserve that.”

“So do you.” Her chin trembled. “Janus Lake was an unplanned detour, and you…you were a wonderfully unexpected surprise. I’ll never forget our time together.”

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