Love In Slow Motion (Love Beyond Measure #2) - E.M. Lindsey Page 0,14

her.”

“You have to stop using your dog as your baseline for trust,” Corinne complained.

Fredric leaned all the way forward and buried his face in the fur on Sebastian’s head. “I will once he stops leading me in the right direction.”

Corinne didn’t stay much longer after that, and he was grateful for it. He missed his family like they were pieces of him he had to carve away, but he knew he couldn’t do this with them under-foot. Jacqueline was waiting for him to fail—would be waiting for him to fail, even as she stepped into a new marriage and new life.

And maybe it would bring her some relief, in the end. She had looked at him like a burden—every accommodation, every visible aid that Fredric needed that told the world he was blind had been a reminder that nothing she’d wanted from her life and marriage had gone to plan.

He wasn’t quite sure she deserved a reprieve, but if her finding her own happiness meant he was free to do the same, it was a worthy sacrifice.

It took a week for Fredric to feel comfortable venturing beyond the straight path from the railed walkway to the ocean. The idea of being alone—utterly and completely—was almost suffocating, though he felt a measure of relief the first time the gentle surge of the Atlantic washed over his bare feet.

He’d always prided himself on his independence, which was borne out of a need to free himself from his wife’s strong grip, but it wasn’t until burning the bridge behind him as he left his old life that he realized he’d only transferred his dependence to others. His assistant at work, his daughter, his son, his partner at the office.

The walk to the beach was the first step to true independence. The week of training Sebastian to find his way back to the house had been the most anxiety Fredric had felt in a damn long time, but when he spun in a circle and then picked a random direction to walk—knowing he’d get home without having to panic call for help—was worth it.

He knew the house had been a good choice. The neighbors were few and far between, and a long stretch of beach had no signs of other people for miles. His grip on the harness loosened after a few paces, and he turned his face up toward the sky, enjoying the way the wind whipped at him the sun warmed him to his core.

As they walked, Fredric noticed his dog stiffen for a second and lean slightly to the left, which meant there was a person coming at him. Before he could begin to wonder, a familiar voice called across the distance, just over the waves.

“I haven’t seen you all week!”

Fredric smiled at the sound of Agatha’s voice. She’d been by the morning he was unpacking, and he told her to give him time. He’d braced himself for offense, for her to be angry, but she’d agreed readily and then put her number in his phone and told him she’d let him make the call.

He wasn’t sure what to do with the kindness. It terrified him to trust a total stranger, and yet his gut was telling him that this was what he was looking for. Not just being hundreds of miles away from his past and his ex, but also from his never-ending self-doubt.

“Out for a morning walk?” he asked.

“Run,” she corrected. “I broke my ankle a couple years ago and started running on the sand to regain some of the muscle I lost. I got kind of addicted. Your dog’s on the harness—I shouldn’t pet him.” She said it half like a question, and Fredric wasn’t sure if she meant it that way.

“I have to keep him really focused since this area is so new. And it’s my first week without having a PA at my beck and call,” he admitted, feeling like an asshole for it, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. “So far he’s doing well.”

Agatha made a humming sound. “Can I walk back with you?”

Fredric was surprised by the offer, and he half considered turning her down because he wanted to know he could do this alone. But he liked her. She was nothing like the people he’d known, nothing like his children or any of their friends.

“Of course, you can.” He turned and gave Bas the command to head toward the railing, and they started on a slow path home. “How was