there.” She gestured with her chin.
“I’ll get them,” Eddie said.
There wasn’t much point arguing with her when she’d already organized her escape plan. He found her bags on her bed, along with a folded piece of paper with his name written on it. He flipped it open and read it quickly:
Thanks for your awesome hospitality, but Lena’s offering beach views with my rehab, so I’m going to head down to her folks’ beach place and hang with her for a while. Might as well enjoy being messed up, right?
Dinner was great last night. Pity you won’t take me up on that offer to be my personal chef.
Blue
He slid the note into the front pocket of his jeans and hefted her overnight bag and backpack. He glanced around. She’d left the room as she’d found it, tidy and neat, the blanket folded across the foot of the bed.
As though she’d never been there.
She was standing beside the taxi when he exited the house with her bags. He didn’t take his eyes off her as he walked down the path and through the gate, but for the first time in a long time she couldn’t hold his gaze.
He dropped her bags into the open trunk, shutting the lid with more force than was strictly necessary.
“Thanks,” she said, still not looking him in the eye.
He waited until she was settled in the rear seat of the cab before bracing his hands on the roof and leaning in so he could talk to her with a semblance of privacy.
“You want to tell me what’s really going on?” he asked. Because he wasn’t buying the I-want-beach-views bullshit. Not for a second.
She licked her lips nervously, something he’d never seen her do before. Then she looked at him.
“It’s nothing for you to worry your pretty head about. That’s all you need to know.” There were shadows behind her eyes, and a muscle flickered in her jaw as though she was working hard to control herself.
This was serious, he realized. Something heavy was dragging her down — and she was running away from him.
“This is crazy, Blue. Come inside and talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Just let it go.”
Everything in him wanted to keep at her, but there was something incredibly final about the tone of her voice and the angle of her chin.
She wanted to leave, and nothing he said or did was going to stop her.
“Okay. Enjoy yourself. Get well.” He had no idea if his words sounded sincere. In his heart, he meant them, but he was also angry with her right now. He felt…discarded. Disrespected. Devalued.
He stepped back and pushed the door closed. The driver was already behind the wheel, face forward as he pretended he wasn’t eavesdropping on their every word. Eddie signaled he should go as Blue wound down her window.
“I left you a note.”
“I saw it.”
Her gaze was sad but determined. “I’m sorry, but it would never have worked out, us living in each other’s pockets.”
Eddie watched as the taxi drove her away, then turned toward the house. Her words echoed in his ears as he pushed through the gate.
It’s nothing for you to worry your pretty head about. That’s all you need to know.
Right, like he could turn off his feelings for her, erase his concern because she’d told him to. Didn’t she realize how much she meant to him? How much he cared? He’d put his whole world on hold for her this past week. He’d bent over backward to make sure she was comfortable and safe and well looked after. He’d even made freaking brigadeiros for her last night.
That’s right — then you let Leanne eat them instead of Blue.
He came to a screeching halt on his porch as the realization hit him, closely followed by another humdinger: he and Blue had been arguing about the issue of him putting his women above their friendship the night of the accident, too.
And yet he’d done it again, almost the very first chance he’d got.
To answer to your question: no, she probably has no idea how much she means to you, since
“I’ll get them,” Eddie said.
There wasn’t much point arguing with her when she’d already organized her escape plan. He found her bags on her bed, along with a folded piece of paper with his name written on it. He flipped it open and read it quickly:
Thanks for your awesome hospitality, but Lena’s offering beach views with my rehab, so I’m going to head down to her folks’ beach place and hang with her for a while. Might as well enjoy being messed up, right?
Dinner was great last night. Pity you won’t take me up on that offer to be my personal chef.
Blue
He slid the note into the front pocket of his jeans and hefted her overnight bag and backpack. He glanced around. She’d left the room as she’d found it, tidy and neat, the blanket folded across the foot of the bed.
As though she’d never been there.
She was standing beside the taxi when he exited the house with her bags. He didn’t take his eyes off her as he walked down the path and through the gate, but for the first time in a long time she couldn’t hold his gaze.
He dropped her bags into the open trunk, shutting the lid with more force than was strictly necessary.
“Thanks,” she said, still not looking him in the eye.
He waited until she was settled in the rear seat of the cab before bracing his hands on the roof and leaning in so he could talk to her with a semblance of privacy.
“You want to tell me what’s really going on?” he asked. Because he wasn’t buying the I-want-beach-views bullshit. Not for a second.
She licked her lips nervously, something he’d never seen her do before. Then she looked at him.
“It’s nothing for you to worry your pretty head about. That’s all you need to know.” There were shadows behind her eyes, and a muscle flickered in her jaw as though she was working hard to control herself.
This was serious, he realized. Something heavy was dragging her down — and she was running away from him.
“This is crazy, Blue. Come inside and talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Just let it go.”
Everything in him wanted to keep at her, but there was something incredibly final about the tone of her voice and the angle of her chin.
She wanted to leave, and nothing he said or did was going to stop her.
“Okay. Enjoy yourself. Get well.” He had no idea if his words sounded sincere. In his heart, he meant them, but he was also angry with her right now. He felt…discarded. Disrespected. Devalued.
He stepped back and pushed the door closed. The driver was already behind the wheel, face forward as he pretended he wasn’t eavesdropping on their every word. Eddie signaled he should go as Blue wound down her window.
“I left you a note.”
“I saw it.”
Her gaze was sad but determined. “I’m sorry, but it would never have worked out, us living in each other’s pockets.”
Eddie watched as the taxi drove her away, then turned toward the house. Her words echoed in his ears as he pushed through the gate.
It’s nothing for you to worry your pretty head about. That’s all you need to know.
Right, like he could turn off his feelings for her, erase his concern because she’d told him to. Didn’t she realize how much she meant to him? How much he cared? He’d put his whole world on hold for her this past week. He’d bent over backward to make sure she was comfortable and safe and well looked after. He’d even made freaking brigadeiros for her last night.
That’s right — then you let Leanne eat them instead of Blue.
He came to a screeching halt on his porch as the realization hit him, closely followed by another humdinger: he and Blue had been arguing about the issue of him putting his women above their friendship the night of the accident, too.
And yet he’d done it again, almost the very first chance he’d got.
To answer to your question: no, she probably has no idea how much she means to you, since
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