Page 42 of Pinch of Love

She stood next to me and sucked in a deep breath. “No mosquitos yet.”

I chuckled and nodded. “Just be patient. They’re waiting for us to let our guard down.”

“You’re a bit of a psychologist yourself,” Maya joked.

“Only when it has to do with wildlife.” I turned to her, and there was nothing I wanted more than to kiss her. I soaked in her beauty, her smile, the lake.

But I couldn’t ignore the sadness behind her eyes.

“What I don’t understand,” I said softly, brushing away some loose hair from her cheek, “is if he is the one who stood you up on your wedding day, why is he still tormenting you?”

It was Maya’s turn to let out a heavy breath as she crossed her arms in a solo hug.

“Control,” she said simply.

I waited a few seconds, and she shivered, even though the evening air was balmy.

I draped my arm over her shoulders, and she stepped into my embrace.

“Rob thought that he’d ditch me at the altar, go to work on Monday, and torment me in person, tell me all the reasons he couldn’t possibly marry me until I changed. Then the cycle would start all over.”

Her body flinched under mine as she recalled the memories.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve been left at the altar?” Now I really wanted to pummel this guy.

She chuckled and shook her head. “No, not at the altar. That’s a new one. But with every step in our long and very tedious relationship, there were gigantic hurdles and even more enormous letdowns. He knew I wanted a family and hung an engagement over my head based on how well I behaved.”

Shock registered through me.

This kind of abuse was ruthless.

Maya went rigid under my arm, but she dug in deeper somehow. “He’d taunt me about how terrible I’d be as a mom or how horrible of a boss I was to my employees. He loved to point out to me my parents’ own failures and how I was doomed to repeat them. Yet, I stayed in the cycle until I just couldn’t.”

“The guy did you a favor by not showing up.” I hugged her.

“He just didn’t expect me to stop the cycle.” She shook her head. “And that’s the part that is killing him inside. He’s always wanted the last say, the last action, the last...”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go back there, Maya. You said yourself that you can work remotely, and you’ve even wanted your employees to have that option.”

The thought of her flying back to North Carolina, where he could dig his claws into her again, made my chest tighten. Maya didn’t deserve this. She deserved the world and every chipmunk in it.

She nodded. “Our lease at headquarters is up in ten months. It would be a huge cost saver if we just set everyone up at their homes.”

Maya stepped away from me and let her arms dangle by her side. “Thank you.”

I shook my head. “For what?”

“For talking me down from a ledge I didn’t know I was on. Life doesn’t have to be black and white. It never has been, so I don’t know how I got myself into a relationship where my partner believed it was.”

I ran my palm over my chin and nodded. “Love is a curious thing.”

“I hate to say it, but I’m not even sure I was in love with Rob. He was just there.” She bit her lip and turned toward the lake. “Forty is only a hop, skip, and a jump away, and I’m not even sure I’ve ever been in love.”

Her words caused my throat to tighten, which forced me to clear it. She glanced over at me.

“Have you been in love?”

I nodded. “I have.”

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