Page 221 of Sing with Me

Yep, I have some of those.

By the time Skye wandered to the checkout, it was past five o’clock and she had bought more ingredients than she had wanted to in the first place. She blamed the shrimp, but her mouth was watering at the thought of shrimp curry tonight. It was meant to be when she saw fresh lemongrass in the vegetable department. Which led her to pick up some tamarind and coconut milk, and next thing she knew, she wasn’t going to cook cod tonight.

She had no idea how time ran away from her, but she loved walking around the grocery store. This was her safe space, her happy place, where she didn’t have to think about how lonely she was and how she loved a man she dared not have.

Diehl.

Being alone with her own thoughts, she could admit to herself that she was afraid to love Diehl. He was too much for her. Too rich, too experienced, too fast, too soon after his wife had died. Somehow he had known within weeks that he loved her. As for her, she needed time to process the idea, just in case she didn’t know what she was getting into.

Yeah, she was afraid to tell him that she loved him.

So she put him in a little compartment and set him aside.

Perhaps she was so used to separating all her emotions so that she could function and run Skye’s the Limit—and now the expanded STL—that she had sacrificed her own personal life for the pursuit of…

Pursuit of what? Self sufficiency?

What was she trying to prove? And to whom?

Those thoughts filled Skye’s mind as she loaded her car with four hundred dollars worth of experimental groceries. After she pushed the empty cart back to the store, she returned to her car and prayed that everything she cooked tonight would be worth the money she just spent.

Even from childhood, she had been taught to watch her spending.

She hoped that her wandering mind in the store had not caused her to buy food that she didn’t need.

How many dishes was she going to cook tonight to impress Uncle Miller’s old friend?

Maybe too many.

Traffic toward the marina flowed around Skye as she made her way back to her rental condominium overlooking the river. She had a few hours left before sunset. Maybe she could eat a late dinner while watching the sun vanish over the Georgia horizon.

Alone.

It shouldn’t be the reason for her to date again—but how could she date again when her heart was taken and then left in limbo? Her relationship with Diehl seemed to be on hold because both of them were too busy and far apart geographically to be together.

Perhaps it had been a summer fling after all.

Skye sniffled. She had been afraid of that.

Still, his touches and kisses would remain in her memory forever.

When she turned the corner into her condo parking lot, she stepped on the brakes in a hurry. Someone else’s vehicle had parked in one of her two reserved spots.

A charcoal-colored pickup truck.

There must be many of these.

Probably a new resident who hadn’t figured out which spots were reserved for whom.

Slowly, Skye eased her car into the remaining spot, which was by the curb. She popped the trunk of her car. When she got out of the car, she saw him.

Dressed casually in a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, and flip-flops.

“Diehl.” Skye nearly wept, but she did not. She was stronger than to burst into tears at the sight of a man she hadn’t seen in almost a month. Video calls and text messages just weren’t the same as in-person meetings. “I thought we were going to talk tonight.”

“In person this time.” In a few quick steps, he stood in front of her, his fingers brushing against her jawline and then weaving into her hair.

“You weren’t going to my sister’s house tonight, so here I am.” Diehl hugged her and rubbed her back with his warm hands.

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