that Shane has a family, one who loves him and needs him more than she does. And that she should leave him alone, stop chasing after him so that he’ll come home. Back where he belongs.”
“Honey,” Maddie said, forcing her tone to be gentle, despite the urge to shout at her best friend. “Shane’s a grown man. She’s not forcing him to do anything he doesn’t want to do. To be anywhere he doesn’t want to be.”
“He’s confused. He was away for so long, he’s not sure where he fits with us anymore. But he’ll come back to us.” Mitchell fussed and Fay dug into her huge bag, pulling out a packet of graham crackers before handing one to the baby, her simple gold wedding band flashing in the sunlight. “He’ll come back,” she repeated shakily. “He has to.”
“No matter what happens,” Neil told Fay, his tone grave, his expression fierce—but he reached out and touched his sister’s arm with a gentle hand, “you’ll get through it.”
Fay didn’t look convinced. Then again, it didn’t seem to Maddie that Neil was trying to be convincing. He wasn’t being placating or offering his sister comfort.
His words were a demand. One Maddie didn’t doubt he thought would be heeded.
But getting over a broken heart was easier said than done. Especially for someone like Fay, who still believed true love conquered all and life was filled with fairy-tale endings.
Maddie stared at the floor and tried to control her ragged breathing, her racing heart. God, it was hard to believe she’d ever been like Fay—desperate to believe in the man she’d loved, the man she’d trusted.
Thankfully she’d gotten over her delusions right quick. Having the man of your dreams walk out on you while his baby grew in your belly did that.
Raising her head, she met Neil’s gaze. Yeah, he’d done a number on her. But she’d survived him.
He’d left. And they’d both moved on. If it wasn’t for Bree tying them together for the rest of their lives, they’d have no reason to see or speak to each other ever again.
But that didn’t mean she had to like their connection. Didn’t mean she had to put up with him for longer than absolutely necessary.
“Well, as much as I’d love to give you all that tour Neil requested,” Maddie said, which was about as much as she’d love to pound nails using nothing but her fists, “I’m afraid I really do need to get back to work.”
Neil stepped forward. “Maddie—”
“Of course,” Fay said, wiping wet crumbs from Mitchell’s chin before giving him another cracker. He shoved it into his already full mouth. “We don’t want to interrupt you. Do we, Neil?”
“No.” He ground out the word. “We wouldn’t want to do anything to put Maddie out.”
It didn’t matter what Neil wanted, if he was happy or got his own way. She didn’t owe him anything. Not even a few minutes of her time.
“Great,” she said, smiling at Fay. “Give me a call tonight or tomorrow morning and we’ll set something up.”
Except she planned on being extremely busy and unable to accommodate any and all tours, informational sessions or conversations until after Neil left. No, she was not holding a grudge.
But she wasn’t a saint, either.
She felt Neil’s eyes on her as she turned and flipped the music on. Knew he still watched her as she went back to work, his gaze like a touch, insistent and real.
She wouldn’t look back. Refused to give in to the itch between her shoulder blades, the one pushing her to turn, to meet his eyes one last time. There was no reason and very little sense in her giving him any more of her attention or thoughts. They each knew where they stood with the other. She had every right to her anger.
Anger he accepted without so much as flinching. As if it was his due. His penance. Sometimes she wished he wouldn’t. There were times, few and far between, that she wished he’d push back at her. That he’d lay into her for once or, at the very least, defend himself.
Maybe then she’d finally stop feeling so damned guilty about her own mistakes.
* * *
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGED, Neil thought two hours later as he chose a bottle of water and an exercise drink from the cooler of Jack’s Place, a small grocery store on Main Street. The sun rose in the east, the sky was blue, grass was green.
And Jack Placer, the store’s owner, watched him with