Page 83 of Finding New Dreams

My stomach sank, and I pulled my hand away from Rose. Everyone’s attention was now on me. “When was this?”

Louis’s light eyes darted around the table as if he’d just noticed everyone’s stares. He flushed. “Uh, about six months ago.”

Shit.

Probably right around the time Lorraine had dumped me, and I’d done all I could to be the playboy artist she’d said I was destined to be. Damn it, I hadn’t thought about her or that humiliating breakup in weeks.

Now that life—the one that was most certainly waiting for me back in L.A., along with a wheedling agent and a demanding client—came back to haunt my thoughts.

“What happened six months ago, Flynn?” Chloe asked, her brows pinched in concern.

I sighed. This was the last thing we should be talking about on her wedding party weekend. “Don’t worry about it, Chloe Bear. I went through a temperamental artist phase, if you can believe that.”

She didn’t smile.

A small hand crept over to my leg and gave it a comforting squeeze. My Rose.

Louis cleared his throat. “Have you ever been out to the beach—Malibu Lagoon, I think it was called? Kristine took me there. First ocean-front beach I’ve ever been to.”

I smiled gratefully at his attempt to steer the conversation away from the awkwardness. “Yeah, I’ve been there. But my favorite is…”

For the next several minutes, the whole table debated which beaches were the best around the world. If Leo had been there, he would’ve been the king of that conversation, as well-traveled as he was. Suddenly missing my old friend, I promised myself I’d hang out with him before I left.

I rubbed my thumb over Rose’s hand. She was the only one who knew the whole story of the past six months. And she didn’t judge me for it. She still accepted me. Wanted me.

That had been so rare in my life. And yet, I was going to walk away from it. I had to. Because as good as this life felt, it wasn’t truly mine. I was merely living out a temporary fantasy.

The server stopped by again, and we ordered our dinners. A moment later, my phone vibrated. I dug it out of my pants pocket.

Chloe: Can we talk out in the hall for a minute?

Holding in weary sigh, I typed back.

Flynn: Sure.

“Be right back,” I whispered to Rose as I slid out from under her hand.

She nodded. Hunter gave me a piercing look, but otherwise, no one else seemed concerned that Chloe and I excused ourselves from the table.

I followed my sister’s blond ponytail out of the steakhouse and into the hall connected the restaurant to the hotel. Dread crept into my gut at her serious expression. Confrontation had never been my forte. I avoided it whenever possible. A smile and a quippy line were good for getting out of more than just my pants.

She folded her arms over her chest and fixed me with her business stare. “I want to know what happened six months ago.”

My eyebrows went up. “That’s what you want to talk about? Now?”

“Yes, now. Other people seem to know what happened, and you’ve been squirrely since you got back home. I didn’t want to push you, thinking you’d eventually want to talk about it. But you didn’t. Even after our video call with Mom and Dad when you avoided all their questions too, you still wouldn’t talk to me.” She sighed heavily. “Now I’m commanding you to tell me. As the bride,” she added with a small smile.

I let out a half-laugh. “Low blow, sis. Fine, fine. But it’s really not a big deal, so I don’t need you freaking out over it, okay? And for the record, I didn’t want any of my issues to be a dark cloud over your wedding.”

“Acknowledged. Proceed.”

I told her everything in a few minutes. About Lorraine, the botched proposal and subsequent dumping, my creative block, and my spiral into party animal territory.

When I finished word vomiting, she gave me a fierce hug, which I returned whole-heartedly.

She let me go, quickly swiping at her eyes. “See? I’m glad you told me. I want us to be closer, Flynn. You talked me through some stuff back when I was falling for Hunter, and I want that openness to keep going.”

“I do too,” I said softly. I truly did feel better for telling her.

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