immature and…you were leaving me.” She sighed, feeling ugly inside. “I was wrong about so many things.”
“You were. And I didn’t have the strength to fight for you—for us, I mean. It was an awful, upsetting time. I told myself it was for the best, so I could focus on my residency. A fresh start.”
“Right. And you did it,” she said, trying to smile. “I never congratulated you, Doctor.”
“Thank you.” His smile was as weak as hers.
Vivien looked away. She didn’t know what to do with herself right now. More than a decade, thinking the worst of the man she’d loved, and now to learn that things hadn’t been quite the way she’d remembered…or thought…and facing up to her own immaturity then…and now.
“I think I should probably leave now,” she said after a moment.
“All right.”
She was a little surprised that he didn’t argue, didn’t try to convince her to stay—but what had she expected? If she hadn’t been so stubborn and rash back then…and short and rude over the last few days…
Oh, damn, she was a freaking mess.
Chapter Eleven
Vivien helped Jake carry their dishes inside. “This was really nice,” she said. “Thank you for putting it all together. I didn’t deserve it.”
“Vivien—”
“No, really, Jake, I feel like crap right now—and rightly so. I really need to go and just try to get my head on straight. I’ve got a lot going on…a lot to think about.”
“Right,” he said. “Let me get my keys. I’ll drive you home.”
As he went to do so, he noticed her phone, which she’d left sitting on the side table next to the sofa. “Looks like someone’s been trying to reach you,” he said, handing it to her.
“Oh, crap—it’s Helga. She’s about ready to call in the Feds looking for me,” she said with a pained laugh. “Literally. I better call her. Maybe she’ll pick me up.”
Jake was all right with that. He needed a little time to settle his thoughts, because something had become very clear to him during their heated discussion and the churning up of the past.
Despite his own anger and pain, he very much cared that Vivien was hurting and grieving. He ached for her and the obvious shock and shame she felt…and even though he had things of his own to work through, he realized he wanted to be there for Vivien in her difficulty as well.
Damn. He wasn’t just not “over” Vivien…he was still in love with her.
And he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do about it.
“I really don’t want to talk about Jake,” Vivien told Helga. “I can’t. Not right now. It’s just too…painful.”
“All right, then,” said Helga, then muttered under her breath as she braked to avoid running into a pedestrian who seemed more interested in her huge elephant-ear pastry than looking both ways. “We can talk about other things—like who’s trying to chase you out of the Olivia Dee Theater.”
“Yeah, that’s only a slightly more appetizing topic,” Vivien muttered.
“But you never really told me about what happened with the two of you—just that Jake up and decided to move to Raleigh. And that he cheated on you.”
Vivien heaved a sigh. “I guess we’re going to talk about it anyway, aren’t we?”
Helga gave her a sunny smile. “That’s what friends are for. But seriously, VL, I’m worried about what’s going on at the theater.”
“I am too. I’m going to set up my own nanny-cams in the theater tomorrow,” Vivien said, having literally just made the decision. “I made the police report about my car, and you can come by and take a look at everything there at the stage. Maybe there’ll be some clue.”
“I’ll come first thing in the morning. Actually, I’ll have to pick you up, since you don’t have a car,” Helga promised. She looked smart and official in her crisp dark blue uniform and shiny badge. “I’m on till ten tonight, and there’s only two of us because Joe Cap is off on a college tour for his twins.” Police Captain Joe Longbow was better known as Joe Cap to both his staff and the locals. “I guess he figured things would be semi-quiet on a Thursday?” She shook her head.
Moments later, Helga had parked her police cruiser in a no-parking zone a half block from the tiny bungalow Vivien was renting until she found a permanent place.
“Perks of the job,” said the cop when her friend gave her a jaundiced look. “Makes up for being called out of bed in the