Page 52 of Sparks Still Fly

“I need a break from him. I need a break from everything here.” I can tell she’s not going to elaborate, but knowing my sister needs a change and that she’ll be living so close to me for the first time in years is enough for now.

“I’ll look for something for you. I can ask Taylor and Jen if they know of anything in a nice area of the city. All right?” I won’t even offer to buy a place for her because I know exactly what she’ll say…

“I don’t want you to pay for it. I need to do this on my own.” She clears her throat. “But I’d appreciate any leads. Maybe something furnished as I don’t know how long I’ll be staying?”

“You got it. And Char?” She murmurs a response. “I’m here, all right? I’m always here.”

“I know, Mae. Thank you.” She lets out a sigh, and I send a silent prayer that she’s okay. I hate being so far from her. “Anyway, what else have you been up to in Ojai, other than reconsidering all of your life choices?”

I laugh because she’s right, and her boldness is one of my favorite things about her. “Well, I’ve been riding horses again. I’m sure we can go see them when you visit. Rafael’s very tattooed, very quiet, very tall, dark and handsome brother runs the stable.” I make no mention of my last conversation with Arthur. I’m not sure I’ve fully processed it yet.

“Other than his unfortunate familial relation, I like him already.” The sass is back in her tone, and the relief washes over me. She’s okay. We’re okay.

“Come to LA soon, all right? You don’t have to stay at my house if you don’t want to, but the sooner I get to have you staying close by, the better. I can’t wait to see you, Char.”

“I will. And me too. Love you most.” I can hear the smile on her face as she says our typical goodbye to one another.

“Love you most.”

Charlie hangs up first, as she always does. I make the decision to not overthink every single thing that has happened here in Ojai. To do what feels good in the moment, regardless of what my 5, 10 and 15-year plans are supposed to look like. Because I never planned for Owen. I tossed out those plans long ago and gave up on the possibility of anything but mutual civility being the norm between us.

But it seems like that could change. Maybe. If Owen even shows up in LA tomorrow.

28/

i’m right where i want to be.

owen

Her car is gone by the time I wake up in the morning, but it’s fine, because I woke up with a renewed determination to not let the opportunity of tonight’s event slip by. I’m gonna keep showing her what she could have here. With me. And if in the end, she decides that she doesn’t want it, then fine. I’ll learn to let her go. But she’s going to know exactly what she could have before she makes the decision.

If there’s even a small chance she still wants me like I want her, I’m taking it. Because I’ve seen the way she looks at me and how flustered she gets. The blush on her cheeks gives her away every time. She might be able to put on a mask for other people, but not for me. I know her. And I’m going to do everything I can to keep her.

I check the rearview mirror for what must be the twentieth time since I left Ojai to make sure my tux is still hanging up in the back seat. I keep running through the list of things I needed to bring, wondering what I forgot, but there’s nothing. I pat my pocket to make sure the one thing I didn’t want to forget is here. It is.

Lately, I just seem to live in this constant state of mild anxiety. But I’ve got everything. I did what I needed to do.

I rub at my sternum, trying to ease the pressure there. It seems to be coming from everywhere, this compulsive weight trying to pull me under, but I’m determined not to let it.

The closer I get to LA, the more nervous I get about tonight. I haven’t heard from Maeve since she took off after the meeting with Jessica yesterday, and her words to me after the shower incident keeps playing over in my mind.

Time to put on the performance of your life, O—pretending to be madly in love with me.

She has no idea I won’t have to pretend. No. My plan for tonight is to act exactly how I want to act around her. Touch her the way I constantly need to, without holding back.

There are a few cars in her driveway when I pull into her house. The gate code is the same as the last one I changed it to, so I make a mental note to amend that as soon as possible.

The house is oddly quiet as I walk through the front door, so I call out her name. No response. I decide to call her, knowing that her phone will ring loudly after I set her ringtone the night we got married. That much I remember. And it does. Our song starts playing.

I take the steps two at a time to get upstairs and follow the sound, still not hearing any voices or signs of life. I walk into a room full of people. Maeve stands in the middle of it with her phone in her hand and a look on her face that’s somewhere between disappointment and annoyance. She’s looking at the phone screen, but she hasn’t picked up the call yet. It stops ringing as it goes to voicemail, and she lets out a sigh, eyes closing briefly.

I clear my throat and all eyes turn to me at once, but I only see one pair of blue ones, wide and clear, looking straight into mine.

“You’re here?” She sets her phone on the table next to her, and I walk slowly toward her, trying to read her deer in the headlights reaction.

Did she think I wouldn’t show?

“Where else would I be, Maevey?” There’s an audible sigh from somewhere in the room at my use of her nickname. She still hasn’t moved, but I’m standing right in front of her, my hand going to her waist, where her silky robe is tied.

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