Page 73 of Best Kept Secret

Mira stayed silent, her gaze fixed straight ahead, her steps never faltering. She clutched her bag as if it was the only thing anchoring her to the present.

"Hell, even Nina can't stop talking about how good your menus are, and she's hard to please," I added, hoping maybe mentioning Nina would get a reaction. "You've built something there, Mira, in a real short time, and that, too, without a proper kitchen. People love what you're doing. But I've got to say, I miss your cooking. So do Pari and Roxy."

It was like I wasn't even speaking. She moved like a ghost through the fading light, untouched by my words. She didn't slow, didn't stop. Just kept walking.

We crossed through the intersection, and the sound of a few birds calling to each other echoed above us, but all I could hear was the sound of her shoes against the pavement, and the aching silence between us.

I clenched my fists. I wanted to reach her, to break through whatever wall she'd built around herself, but nothing I said was getting through. She was a million miles away, and it was killing me.

"I miss you," I whispered, the ache inside me feeling like it had taken up permanent residence. "I missus."

We turned onto Jones Street where Nova's apartment was. It was quiet, except for the rustle of the breeze through the Spanish moss hanging from the oaks that lined the sidewalk.

We arrived at Nova's building, an old, beautiful structure with ivy creeping up its walls and wrought iron balconies overlooking the street. It looked like something out of a postcard, a perfectly preserved piece of Savannah's history. In the evening light, the building seemed to glow softly. The air held a lingering warmth, but it did little to ease the cold silence between us.

Mira stepped up to the door and pulled out her keys. She still hadn't said a word.

"Mira," I tried again, my voice breaking, stepping closer to her. "I'm sorry. For everything. For not believing in you, for pushing you away. I'm so fucking sorry, darlin'."

Without looking back, she opened the door, and stepped into the hallway, the warm light from inside casting a soft glow on her face. For a split second, I thought she might turn around, that she might give me something—anything—that showed she was still in there, that there washope.

But she didn't.

She walked into the building, shutting the door quietly behind her.

I stood there on the street, staring at the old wood door, my heart pounding, like I'd just run a marathon.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, my fingers curling into fists. The streets around me felt too quiet, too still, like the world had moved on, and I was stuck here, frozen in place.

I wanted to break down the damn door, pull her back, make her see that I needed her, that Pari needed her. But standing outside that door, I feared that Mira wasn't just shutting me out. She was shutting the whole world out.

Well, I wasn't going to give up. I'd finagled my work schedule so I'd be here every day when she left Savannah Lace. And thanks to Rachel, Nina's EA, I knew exactly when Mira left work.

We were all worried about her—and I was fortunate that her colleagues and my friends were willing to help me bring her back to the land of the living.

I walked down the street to where my car was parked. Pari was with Roxy. We decided not to hire a nanny because Roxy wanted to take care of my daughter herself—and she wanted Mira back so she could look after her, too. She'd stopped blaming me but that was because I was so fucking pathetic without Mira that she felt sorry for me.

The mood in our house was dull—despite Pari who was happy and talked aboutMiramashibut now without the tears. She looked forward to listening to the recorded lullaby every night. I did as well. I played it again and again while I lay alone in the bed in the guestroom, where I'd spent the best nights of my life, missing her, craving her, wanting her.

The moments right before I was fully awake, I'd forget that she was gone, and I'd feel immense peace and joy. Then I'd turn to look at her beautiful face on the pillow next to mine and it would hit me—I'd lost the best thing in my life.

It was nearly three weeks after I started walking silent Mira home that Ifinallycaught a break. I'd just dropped her off and was walking to the Rogue Water Tap House close by to meet Gabe and Noah.

I'd texted Roxy to remind her I'd be home in an hour or so for bath and bedtime with Pari. She told me to enjoy my evening and not to worry about my daughter. But how could I not? My life had become a cycle of work, worrying about Mira, and taking care of Pari—but not necessarily in that order. Still, I'd agreed to meet Gabe and Noah for drinks.

The Rogue Water Tap House was packed, like it always was on a Friday night. The low hum of conversation filled the place, undercut by the deep thrum of bass-heavy music bleeding from the speakers. The air was thick with the smell of fried food, beer, and something sweet—probably from that cocktail menu they'd been pushing lately, the kind of drinks that came in glasses way too delicate for a place like this. Not that I'd ever touch one!

Gabe and Noah were already seated at our usual spot in the corner, a high-top table that gave us a good view of the bar and the rest of the room. They had a pitcher of IPA between them, froth spilling over the lip of their mugs.

I slid into the seat across from them.

I poured myself a beer, took a long pull. Bitter. Cold. It didn't hit the spot, but nothing would. Not with the way my heart hurt.

"You look like hell, man." Gabe leaned back in his chair, drink in hand.

"I feel worse than I look." I set the glass down hard, not caring if the beer splashed over the edge. "Mira's completely shut me out."

Noah leaned forward, forearms on the table. "No crack in the wall?"

---