“Zach our past is over,” she interrupted when she realized that she was leaving the door wide open for whatever Zach wanted to say. She needed to control the flow of information between them. If she let him speak to freely, he just might say something that they could never take back.
Her meaning wasn’t lost on him as he cleared his throat and straightened, pushing his hands through his hair. “Danielle, we were friends. Why can’t we be that again?”
A hollow ache settled in her chest at his words. They had been friends. Why couldn’t she bring herself to let them be friends again? But then so many reasons began rushing through her thoughts.
Jesse. Isaac. His parents. Her heart. She didn’t want to face any of those things, but if she allowed Zach back into her life she would have to. It was much better for everyone if she just walked away. Cut ties before either of them became too invested. It really was the best thing for all involved.
“It’s just not going to work. We”—she waved her hand back and forth between them—“are not going to work. The sooner we realize that the better. We need to move on. The one thing connecting us is gone. Isaac is gone.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as the pain and heartache that had taken her years to get over was creeping back into her soul.
Zach was silent as he kept his gaze trained on the stain in front of her feet. “And if I want it to be different?” he asked, slowly bringing his gaze up to meet hers.
The amount of pain and heartache in his eyes took her breath away. He was hurting just like she was. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t telling the truth. That she needed him in ways she couldn’t explain. That having him around was filling a part of her soul that she didn’t know was missing—or at least a part she’d never admitted was missing until the moment she spoke to him again.
But there was too much pain and history between them. If she cared about him, she’d let him go. It made the most sense. For everyone.
“It’s for the best, Zach. We can’t keep going down this path. We’ll only hurt each other in the meantime. Let’s call it what it was and move on.”
He considered her and then a forced smile spread across his lips. “Move on.” He began to pace, his agitation as palpable as the humid as Georgia air. “I’m not sure—”
“It’s for the best.” Her heart ached with each word she spoke, but she had to say them.
He cleared his throat and then paused. Then, as if he’d realized that this was a fight he wasn’t going win, his shoulders sagged and he nodded. “Fine. We’ll go back to interviewer and sports player getting interviewed.” He nodded as he gave her a weak smile.
“Zach…” His name escaped her lips before she could stop it. Here she was forcing him away and then in one word, she was pulling him back. What was wrong with her?
He studied her face as he waited for her response.
“You’ll be just fine without me,” she said as she nodded and then before she could stop herself, she turned the door handle and slipped into her apartment before he could respond.
Just as she shut the door, she swore she heard him say, “What if I’m not?” But then she shook away that thought. It wasjust her imagination making things up. She was an emotional wreck and was making things up. It was better to just move on.
Zach Stedman was out of her life.
Hallelujah.
Chapter Thirteen
Zach leaned next to the large picture windows in his condo a week later, staring out at the glistening buildings that surrounded him. The sun was sinking just behind the buildings, setting the sky aglow.
It really was breathtaking, if Zach were in that kind of mood. But he wasn’t. His heart felt as if it were hemorrhaging in his chest. It’d only been seven days since Danielle kicked him out of her life for the second time. Only seven days of feeling as if he couldn’t breathe. Seven days of pure ache for losing the one girl that caused his mind to swirl and his stomach to lighten.
His phone vibrated, making him jump away from the window and grab it. One look at who was calling and his stomach sank. Why was he such an idiot that he thought Danielle would call him and confess that she’d made a huge mistake? But, that was not the case at the moment. Instead, it was Joy.
Taking a deep breath, Zach pressed the talk button and brought his phone up to his cheek. “Hello?”
“Mr. Stedman.”
“Zach.”
“Zach,” she replied, slowly. “I just got all the papers signed, the listing on 2ND street is yours.”
“Awesome,” he said, his voice as flat as his actual enthusiasm. He turned and stared out at the city once more. If Danielle was actually living there, maybe he’d be happier, but she’d flat out refused him. Now the joy of finding a rental property wasn’t as exciting as it had started out to be.
“Well, then,” Joy said after clearing her throat. “I’ll fax the documents over and once you sign them, send them back.”
“Sure.”
Silence.
