Page 50 of Serenity at Seagrove
"Yes, I know. To need healing yourself."
Dixie's bangles clinked as she touched Luna's arm. "Honey, sometimes the best healing happens when we stop trying to control every little thing. When we just let ourselves be vulnerable and let the chips fall where they may."
"I can't." Luna's voice broke. "I can't watch him leave. Not after..."
"After what?"
"After he made me believe in magic again. In second chances. The way he looks at me sometimes, like I'm something precious. Nobody's ever looked at me that way."
"Then why are you pushing that away?"
"Because it will hurt less to end it now on my own terms than watch him choose California over—over me."
"Honey, has it occurred to you that maybe he's waiting for a reason to stay?"
Before Luna could respond, she heard a car door slam outside. Through the window, she saw Archer getting into his truck, his shoulders set in a way she recognized, like he'd made a decision about something.
Her heart clenched. The Oakland Hills deadline was today.
CHAPTER13
Luna stood at her window, unable to look away as she watched Archer load boxes into his truck outside of Dawson's Inn. She couldn't believe he was leaving. She didn't even get to tell him goodbye, but that was her own fault because she had turned him away when he came over. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed as she watched Julie hug him and then Dawson clap him on the back. He was leaving. He'd made his choice. That was that.
"Maybe he's just moving some things," Janine suggested from behind her. She'd come to their morning yoga session only to find Luna frozen at the window.
"No." Luna's voice was barely above a whisper. "The Oakland Hills deadline passed. He made his decision."
She watched as Archer climbed into his truck. He looked over toward Serenity for a long moment, and Luna stepped away from the window.
"Luna," Janine started.
"I have clients coming," Luna said, sliding on her professional mask once again. "We should cancel yoga this morning. You should be home with Madison anyway. You said she wasn't feeling well."
"Well, I'm not leaving you alone right now."
"I'm fine," Luna said. "This is what I wanted, remember? For him to be free to choose without complications."
"You're not a complication."
The sound of Archer's truck starting cut off Janine's words. Luna fixed her eyes on the desk until the rumble of the engine faded into the distance. He was gone, and she had no one to blame but herself. She didn't even fight for him. She just couldn't. She cared more about his happiness than her own.
She moved through the next few days in a fog, throwing herself into as much work at Serenity as possible. She was almost manic about it, calling up different contractors to fix things that didn't need fixing, adding more classes to her schedule, running into town to put up flyers—anything she could do to keep herself busy. She extended her hours just so she could keep her mind occupied from thinking about Archer leaving.
"You need to rest," Janine said on the third morning. "When was the last time you actually slept?"
"I'm fine," Luna said.
She knew it was a lie. The dark circles under her eyes told a different story.
"You're not fine at all. None of this is fine." Janine crossed her arms. "Do you have a therapist yourself? Have you even let yourself cry this out?"
"There's nothing to cry about, Janine. He made his choice. I'm happy for him. Life goes on."
But life didn't feel like it was going on. Every morning she expected to see his truck in her driveway bringing coffee. Every time the door opened, her heart jumped, thinking maybe he'd come back.
"At least go talk to Julie," Janine said. "Find out how he's?—"
"No." Luna's voice was sharp. "I don't want to know how he's doing. I can't. I need to focus on my business, on my clients. They're the reason I came here in the first place."
