Page 81 of Flirting With Forever
And because she’d been up over twenty-four hours and counting and had endured an emotionally wrought few days, tears stung her eyes before she rapidly wiped them away, refusing to give into them.
There was only one reason for that wall to have been painted in the short time frame she’d been gone.
Gage’s anger.
His upset.
He’d erased the memory. Their memory.
Erased the night they’d met so he wouldn’t have to look at it every time he entered and exited the building.
Did that mean he’d also erased her? Any chance of forgiveness? Was she making too much of a painted wall?
But what if her feelings for him were all one-sided?
She’d left town because risking her heart meant risking Gage’s safety, and until her past was settled, she could never have a future with him.
But what if Gage’s need for control and his pride wouldn’t allow him to understand why she’d done things the way she had?
She parked away from the building in the shadows where the cameras couldn’t see her. Then she sat and stared through burning eyes at the freshly painted wall and wondered if coming back to Carolina Cove had been a horrible mistake…
She wasn’t sure when she’d dosed off, but the flashlight shining in her face was a harsh wakeup call.
Sloane groaned and lifted her hand to block her eyes from the glare, noting an older police officer stood outside her door. She’d fallen asleep staring at the blank wall, still behind the wheel and exhausted after all the driving and her caffeine and sugar crash.
“Open up, miss.”
She slowly reached out a hand and did as ordered, squinting despite the fact the man had angled the flashlight away.
“Haven’t seen you around for a few days. You’re Sloane, right?”
She blinked up at him, surprise sliding through her. The cold air blew into the car like a blast of awareness, but the cop didn’t ask for her to get out. “Yes. I—I work here. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was waiting on Gage to show up for work.” She glanced toward the bare wall, and the man’s gaze followed.
“He painted over that a few days ago. Was the talk of the town since it had been there for so many years.”
She frowned at the news, her heart taking another jab. “I wonder why.”
“Some memories glare at you as you walk by them,” the man said. “I’d say that was one of them.”
She realized this man knew way more than he was letting on. “You seem to know Gage well.”
“I’ve watched over those boys from a distance ever since their parents were killed in the crash. Everyone knows them. Loves ’em, too.”
She nodded, hearing the chiding tone in the words and because she’d seen evidence of that as well. From the locals stopping in to support their various businesses to the tourists who made a point to visit every year, Sloane had seen how the brothers had handled the interactions.
They were beloved on the island. The locals, and everyone else who had heard their tragic story, had adopted them for themselves over the years. “I can’t imagine. I’m not sure I’ve ever really belonged anywhere,” she said softly.
“Well now, that’s a shame. Maybe if you decide to stick around, you’ll find out what it’s like firsthand.”
“Maybe,” she mused. “I’d like that.”
“Would you?”
The question was pointed enough—terse enough—that he drew her full attention once more. The man looked concerned, and her ribs squeezed around her lungs. “I hurt Gage when I left, but believe me when I say it was for the best. I had something I had to take care of, and I had to do it on my own. Gage is a good guy. Protective. He would’ve wanted to handle the issue for me, but—that wasn’t possible. I had to stand up for myself.”
A long stretch of silence followed her words.
“I see. I suppose I can understand that,” the cop said. “Sometimes a person has to find their own way, no matter how much others want to help.”
