Page 101 of Dreaming at Seaside
Chapter Twenty-Six
CADEN’S PHONE CALL had breathed new life into Bella. She’d gotten up right after the call and started packing. She’d already packed most of her don’t-ever-throw-out stuff. The items that she would never need again but couldn’t bear to part with—prom dresses, love notes from boys in elementary school, letters from her Seaside friends. She couldn’t help but try on some of the prom dresses and was surprised that she could still fit into a few of them. As she moved around now in one of the light pink frocks and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she didn’t look anything like the Bella everyone knew and loved, but she felt more like herself than she had in years. She was a woman and she was ready to take charge of her life androar.
She was startled when her phone rang, and she scrambled to find it among her boxes. Jenna’s name and picture flashed on her screen.
“Don’t kill me for leaving,” Bella said before Jenna could say a word. She heard Jenna say, “She answered. She answered!” Then she heard the telltale empty box sound of the call being put on speakerphone.
“Geez, woman. We would have gone with you. Leanna and Amy are here with me. Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay. I tried to call you yesterday and you didn’t answer your phone.” Jenna’s voice was full of worry. “I was ready to drive to Connecticut, but Amy wouldn’t let me. She said you needed to sort this out without us. Is that true?”
She heard the hurt in Jenna’s last words. “Yes, it was true. I’m so sorry, Jenna, and thank you, Amy.”
“I’ve got your back, Bells,” Amy said.
“Oh,” Jenna said quietly. “But we love you.”
“I know that. I love you guys, too. I just…I couldn’t deal with it, Jenna. I needed to clear my head, and if you guys were with me, you’d let me cry for as long as I needed to. You’d make me feel better and you’d help me figure it all out.”
“No duh, Sherlock. That’s what girlfriends are for,” Jenna said.
Sarcasm.Bella smiled. “This was something that I needed to figure out on my own. I knew you’d understand.”
“I do, but next time can you just answer your stupid phone and tell me? I cleaned my cottage for three hours, and you know it wasn’t dirty to begin with. I even had Amy mess up my shoes so I could reorganize them.”
Bella laughed. “She’s a good friend to do that for you.”
“Yeah, she is,” Jenna said.
“Bella, it’s Leanna. How are you holding up? Are you okay, or do you want us to come there and be with you?”
“I’m good, Leanna. Caden called, and we talked.”
“And?” Jenna asked.
“And it made me feel better. I know he needed that time with Evan. I finally made a decision. I turned down the job here and signed the papers to sell my house.”
“Bella. You’re doing it after all?” Jenna asked.
“I am. You know, Tony was right. I am the epitome of strength and confidence. But Caden knows me even better than I know myself. He saw right through my public persona.”
“Fate,” Leanna said. “I knew you two were meant to be together.”
“So, what about your plan?” Amy asked.
“You mean mymodifiedplan? I don’tneeda man to be whole, and I don’tneeda man as a reason to make my decisions. I canwanta man withoutneedinghim.” Bella knew she’d made the right decision, and she heard little happy noises that weren’t laughs or squeals, but were the types of sounds that came straight from that happy place rooted deep inside her friends. She imagined them holding hands, smiling for her, with her, and waiting with bated breath for the rest of her decision.
“And?” Jenna finally asked.
“And I want Caden.”
THE NEARER BELLA got to Caden’s house, the faster her heart raced. This was it. Her now or never moment. This washerlife, and she was going to tell him exactly what she thought of his needing a break. She drove down Route 6 and turned down the side road toward his house. She was breathing so hard she had to pull over for a minute just to take a few deep breaths.
Okay. Okay. Okay. I can do this.
She tugged at the hem of her dress, then pulled at the flimsy ribbons holding up her top. With one last loud exhalation, she drove back onto the road and turned onto his street. His driveway was empty.
Shoot.
She hadn’t even considered that he might not be home. She blamed her error on the sugar rush from eating all the chocolate she possibly could. He could be anywhere—fishing with Evan, or at a beach, at work. This was supposed to be easy. Knock on his door, say her two cents, and either—
