I paused for half a beat and then kept on going, letting the door swing shut behind me.
Maybe hewasright.
But I wasn't about to admit it.
Not tonight.
All I wanted now was to forget.
Forget me.
Forget Maisie.
Forget why I'd come here in the first place.
And most of all, forget any plans I'd been making to stay.
72
Look Who's Back
Maisie
All night, I'd been dreading this – returning to the bike shop after the blowup with Griff. I wasn't even sure what or who I would find.
Probably, I'd find nothing and nobody, especially no billionaire in disguise.
And yet, a stupid part of me still fantasized that Griff would magically show up and explain away the lies with something that actually made sense.
Foolish, I know.
But hey, IknewI was a fool.Why not embrace it?
Today, I was walking to work, hoping to clear my head and shake off the gloom before facing the workday all on my own.
Instead, I got a surprise.
I was about three blocks away when I spotted a familiar figure, lounging against the front door of the shop. He wore jeans, classic white sneakers, and a familiar shirt sporting the name of my shop.
It wasn't Griff.
It wasn't Ryder either.
It was Trevor, the college kid who'd quit with no notice nearly a month ago. My steps faltered, and I stopped to stare. What washedoing here?
As if feeling my gaze, he turned to look. When our eyes locked across the distance, he gave me a tentative smile and friendly wave.
On auto-pilot, I waved back but skipped anything resembling a smile. I wasn't even sure Icouldsmile after what had happened with Griff.
I'd been wrecked.
Devastated.
Thoroughly played.
I'd spent most of last night crying like a fool. Even worse, I'd done it all alone. Wherever Tessa was, I had no idea. All I'd seen of her was a pink note on the fridge with three little words.Be back soon.
But how soon was soon?
