Chapter Sixteen
Chrissy’s eyes ached when she woke up the next morning after crying her heart out the night before. Now she had a three-hour car ride with Wyatt to look forward to. At least she’d have Bonnie and little Gunner there as a buffer. If she and Wyatt could avoid any serious conversations for the duration of their trip home, that would be best. Chrissy couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t start crying again, and that was the last thing she needed to do in front of him.
She was supposed topretendto be his girlfriend. Crying over the guy was not only ridiculous, but he’d probably think she was being overly emotional and clingy.
Chrissy sighed. It’d taken about everything she had to ignore his knock on the door last night and the texts he’d sent. She would’ve turned her phone off completely except she needed to keep it on in case Mom or Emma needed her.
As much as she might like to, she couldn’t put the day off any longer. Chrissy dragged herself out of bed, took a shower, and repacked her things. She and Wyatt had agreed to head back at nine, and she managed to make it downstairs with only ten minutes to spare. She handed her luggage over to one of the employees who promised it would be loaded into Wyatt’s car when they brought it around.
There was no sign of Wyatt. She wandered to the patio door and stepped out on the deck. The numerous topiaries made it a little difficult to scan the deck effectively. She was just about to head in again when hearing someone mention her name made her stop.
The voices were coming from the other side of one of the topiaries. She remembered from yesterday that there was a wooden bench nestled there against the railing. Chrissy held her breath and tried to figure out who was talking.
“I don’t know what came over Wyatt inviting that gal like he did. She had no place here.”
Chrissy was almost sure that was Mrs. Tabor.
“She most certainly did not.”
As soon as she heard the man’s voice, she knew it was Wyatt’s father. She shouldn’t listen in on his parents’ conversation, but knowing they were talking about her meant she couldn’t quite walk away. No one else was close by since most people were either eating breakfast inside or getting ready to leave.
Mrs. Tabor clicked her tongue. “You’d think he would’ve learned his lesson before. He should’ve married Ashley. She certainly would’ve put a stop to this ridiculous charity he’s so obsessed with.”
“One thing is for certain.” There was some shuffling. “If Wyatt doesn’t come to his senses soon, he’ll see none of that money. I expect him to commit to the family business, and I expect him to marry someone who isn’t looking for a handout.”
His words drove a stake straight into Chrissy’s heart. She bit her bottom lip to keep quiet. More shuffling told her they were leaving the bench. Her throat tightened as she pushed on the door and went back into the resort. She needed to get as far away from this place—and these people—as she could.
Just when she was starting to feel like the walls were closing in on her, she noticed Wyatt visiting with some people. He quickly excused himself and strode in her direction.
“Hey. I was getting worried about you.” He cupped her elbow with one hand. “I didn’t invite Ashley—”
“Let me guess: Your parents did.”
“Actually, it was Violet. She—"
“Oh, good! I didn’t miss you guys.” Bonnie approached with Gunner on her hip. “Teething makes it rough on sleep. I sure hope we didn’t keep our neighbors awake.” She stifled a yawn. “Thanks for letting me go back with you. Gunner’s dad is supposed to be home right after lunch, and I could use the afternoon to chill before going back to caring for this little guy again tomorrow morning.”
Chrissy tried to ignore the feel of his hand on her elbow. It dropped away moments later when he offered to take Bonnie’s diaper bag. He turned to take Chrissy’s small handbag as well, but she shook her head. “I appreciate it, but you’ve already got your hands full.”
Grudgingly, he led the way toward the front of the lobby. Moments later, one of the doormen had his car brought around and all of their luggage loaded in the trunk. Someone else got the baby’s car seat strapped into the back where Bonnie secured Gunner and then sat beside him. That left Chrissy with the passenger side in the front. Wyatt waited for her to get in before closing the door behind her.
The drive home was weird and awkward. Bonnie carried on the conversation about family members who looked different from last year, who didn’t come, and all the news she’d heard. Wyatt chimed in, although he kept casting concerned glances Chrissy’s way.
Chrissy knew not talking at all would be worse, so she asked for clarification about who different people were and commented when she could. For the most part, she rode in silence and listened to the siblings chat.
At one point, Gunner fell asleep. Not surprisingly, Bonnie joined him shortly afterward with her head leaning against the window.
Wyatt reached over and placed a hand over hers. “We need to talk.”
“Not now.” Chrissy removed her hand under the guise of having to fix the strap of her seatbelt and then straighten her hair. The last thing they needed was for Bonnie to hear any conversation they had. Besides, she didn’t even know where to begin. It was bad enough that he might have been engaged before and didn’t tell her. But if he really was trying to marry someone to get access to the money his parents had promised him…
There was part of her that wondered if Violet hadn’t just made up the whole story. Chrissy certainly wouldn’t have put it past her, and if she hadn’t heard something similar from Mr. and Mrs. Tabor, she might have been inclined to think that.
As far as Chrissy was concerned, the best-case scenario was that Violet had been lying, and any relationship Wyatt might have with Chrissy would result in his parents refusing to give him the money he needed to start Joyful Hope. That would make it even easier to cut ties. His dream was worth fighting for, and she wasn’t about to jeopardize his chances at succeeding.
No, it didn’t matter what he told her or what the truth might be. She had to walk away, and it was as much for Wyatt as it was for herself. They weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. It ought to be as simple as a handshake and a thank you. The weekend had been wonderful up until last night, but now it was time to face the fact that real life was calling her back.
Chrissy’s stomach ached and her heart hurt. She just wanted to be home again.
