Page 96 of The Curse of Indy Moore
Blushing, I squeezed his arm.
At the edge of the island, Slate dived below, where Westshire waited. Mr. Hawthorne lifted me; I felt far too comfortable and safe in his arms. I hugged his neck and let my head rest on his shoulder. We descended to the fields, where the villagers worked. They offered their hello’s and thanked Mr. Hawthorne for all his work. A handful of guards patrolled the streets with a few more walking by the edge of the forest.
When I turned down the road, Mr. Hawthorne pointed in the other direction. “Isn’t your house this way?”
“Yes, but I need to make another stop first,” I replied.
His lips fell into a frown. “The muscular fellow?”
“Baxter, yes. I want to tell him that I’m leaving and we won’t be starting over.” I resisted the urge to smile when Mr. Hawthorne’s eyes brightened.
“Oh, I see.” He walked beside me, beaming with such cheer it would make one’s eyes ache.
“You don’t need to look so chipper about my upcoming breakup, if one should even call it that.”
“I’m not chipper.”
He was entirely chipper, as was I. This felt right. There was no dread or concern or anything to stop me. We walked toward the baron’s estate, where Baxter worked, and somehow, I knew what I wanted to say, what I wanted to do, and there was no guilt or worry. I didn’t care if he no longer fit in my life or I in his. We were stories that crossed paths but were not meant to be. I had an entirely new story to write.
My letter asked Baxter to meet outside the estate’s gates. At this hour, he would be at work, but if he had a moment, we needed to talk.
Walking up the long trail through the fields, far from the village, an iron gate rose out of the land. Baxter waited under the shade of a tree, wearing a suit that I had once found so flattering on him. Now, I found his eyes weren’t as blue as before, his smile lacking charm, and my heart didn’t so much as waver. There was nothing, and I couldn’t have been more grateful. Mr. Hawthorne waited a bit further back, giving us space.
“Indy, when did you get back? What happened with the curse?” Baxter reached for me, his eyes straying toward the fluffy ears on my head.
I held up my hands, keeping him at bay. “I’ll be dealing with it tonight.”
Frowning, Baxter nodded toward Mr. Hawthorne. “What is he doing here?”
“He’s still helping. I wanted to stop here first to let you know that I won’t be staying long in Westshire once this is over.”
Baxter shuffled his weight from one side to the other. “What do you mean?”
“I’m going to stay with my family for a bit before returning to Ivory House. In short, I’m leaving Westshire to find what I want to do with my life, and the beginning to that is letting you know that we’re done. I thought I should tell you in person.”
I felt Mr. Hawthorne’s stare warm against my neck.
Baxter ran a hand through his hair, mouth ajar, then snapping closed. “Done?”
“Yep.”
He released a strangled snort through his nostrils. “That’s all you have to say?”
I thought it was. Keep it simple and clean, then move on. But another urge revealed itself, one that I normally would ignore. However, I held the pendant, felt Mr. Hawthorne’s supportive attention, and said, “No, actually. You treated me poorly. I was too desperate to feel wanted to see that. You knew my situation, but you often held that against me. The way you broke up with me was rude, and I never should have accepted your offer of starting over. I deserve better.” I gave him a smile that put a harsh shade of red on his cheeks. “Goodbye, Baxter.”
He sputtered a strange noise that I left behind. Even as he called, I didn’t look back. We were truly done, and I was more than happy to accept Mr. Hawthorne’s arm.
“So you’ve accepted my offer of returning to Ivory House?” he asked, with a sly grin thrown over his shoulder that had Baxter shouting a curse.
I squeezed his arm, liking the feel of it in mine and how great it felt walking by his side. “You said I should be greedy today. That’s what I want to do. I’d like to use the conservatory.”
“Of course. Anything you want.”
“Your smile is indecent.”
He practically skipped at my side. “I will admit I am pleased. Youcando better.”
Tapping a hand against my chin, I teased, “I suppose with all our potential traveling, I could find someone.”
