“You know Noelle’s show is tonight, right?” Lucy asked, as if I could forget something so important.
I nodded once and looked at my friend, frowning. “I can’t go.” I wrung my hands. “I’m not welcome.”
“You’re not the tough person I thought you were.” Getting to know Lucy these past few weeks, I’d learned she was candid and blunt.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why’s that?” I humored her.
“Because you’re not fighting for your relationship, which was a good one. Take it from somebody who knows bad relationships. You guys aren’t bad. You have the sparkle. The twinkle that you see in the movies. And you’re throwing it away. You broke his heart, and for what?” She shook her head andstood up from the floor, brushing off her knees. “You’re acting foolish if you ask me.”
“He broke up with me, Lucy,” I reasoned, rising off the floor and going to tape the boxes she’d packed up for me.
“Potayto, potahto.” She rolled her eyes, peeling another piece of tape to close the cardboard box filled with designer shoes. “And he only ended it after you let him believe you slept with that sleazeball. What’s his name again?”
“Grant. Grant Abernathy.”
“Sounds like an asshole.”
I nodded. “Give Noelle a hug for me?” I asked weakly.
Lucy smiled and squeezed my arm. “It will all work out.”
Lucy had gone to the gallery for Noelle’s art exhibit just moments ago. Where I should be. Where I wanted to be.
Instead, I was being a loser. A stalker of sorts. I decided to take a peek from across the street. Knowing about Noelle’s show, I couldn’t stay away. But I would stay out of sight.
I dressed in black leggings and a black sweater with a black trench coat over it. I figured it would help me blend into the night. The only pop of color I had was my tan, fur-lined boots. The stupid things crunched on the snow coating the ground, making me not very inconspicuous.
The train ride was quiet. I had gotten used to my life being filled with loud. Laughter in the bar, rowdy people talking affectionately, and Noelle just being a kid.
To say I missed it was an understatement.
Anne’s art gallery was surrounded with large crowds. Each side of the gallery had a restaurant attached so the foot trafficwas busy from the dinner rush. I stood across the street and watched my pseudo-family.
The clear windows of the gallery were in full view. Grand Haven was relatively busy in the winter months. Filled with people needing an escape post-holidays with family. Getaways were more common, I’d learned from Fiona. I saw a glimpse of Anne, carrying what looked like a canvas, but she soon moved out of view.
I waited a few minutes and then the door opened, and Max exited the building, talking on the phone.
“Oh, baby,” he barked so loud to whoever was on the other end of the phone, I could hear him across the street as I ducked behind a street pole. I rolled my eyes, still annoyed with him for invading my privacy.
I shivered against the bite in the January air, ignoring the passersby, who thankfully didn’t recognize me. Sure, I probably looked ridiculous, crouching behind a streetlight, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
Once Max moved away from the building, I got a clear view into the windows. Caleb was leaning against a wall of art. He was dressed in a suit and his usually natural hair was gelled back. He looked sexy as all hell even with the sneakers he wore.
I smiled softly to myself and used my opera binoculars to get a better view.
Noelle was pointing at one of her paintings. I couldn’t see her face since her back was to me. I remembered her telling me it was her favorite because it reminded her of her family.
My heart tugged. A family I longed to be a part of. I shook my head.This is for the best.
I was no good for them. All I would bring was chaos to their calm, safe haven. I needed to go back to what I knew. But if that were true, why did this hurt so much?
Speaking of hurt, Caleb was approached by a young brunette. She was dressed in a pencil skirt and low-cut top. My hands tightened on the binoculars as I saw her eye him up and down.
Caleb laughed at whatever the woman said, and she grazed his arm, continuing to flirt with him. My breathing became ragged. I couldn’t watch anymore.
I lowered the binoculars and held back tears.
Noelle’s head spun as if she felt my gaze. Her mouth gaped open and she pointed in my direction. I hid once more, not ready to face them. It was childish and cowardly, but I should give them what they needed. A clean break.
