Page 10 of Your Soul to Keep

Four days later, I scurried through Sage Ridge’s downtown furtively scanning the street like a runaway fugitive hoping against hope I wouldn’t run into one of the girls. I couldn’t bear it if they knew, and it turned out to be all for naught.

Steeling myself for what was to come, I stopped under the sign of a dancing coffee bean in a beret and pulled the heavy door open. Once inside The Beanery, I automatically headed for the far back corner that, a lifetime ago, was ours.

Sprawled in a chair with one arm hanging over the back, Gabe’s sharp eyes found and locked on mine. His long legs stretched out in front of him, those firm lips unsmiling as they toyed with a toothpick.

My steps slowed the closer I got.

Without breaking my gaze, he lifted his foot and pushed the nearest chair out for me.

Gingerly, I eased myself down and set my small purse on the table in front of me before folding my hands in my lap.

Leaning forward, he braced his forearms on the table as he scanned my face. “You all right?”

I swallowed. “Nervous.”

He nodded minutely. “I see that. What are you nervous about?”

I pressed my lips together then observed, “You’re not smiling.”

He shot back, “You haven’t given me anything to smile about yet.”

I sighed. “You’re mad.”

He twirled the toothpick to the other side of his mouth as he widened his eyes and huffed out a breath. “Yeah.”

He gave no quarter. He never had. I guessed I should take comfort in the fact that not everything had changed.

“Still?” I asked quietly.

His eyebrows flew up. “Have you given me a reason not to be?”

I dropped my gaze. Was this the reason I hadn’t sought him out? I didn’t want him to hate me, and I’d given him every reason to do just that. “No. I haven’t. But I am sorry.”

When the silence stretched too long between us, I hazarded a glance.

Eyes soft, he studied me. “I loved you, you know.”

Loved.

Past tense.

I almost gasped as his words pressed against a wound I thought healed. Regret wrapped her merciless fingers around my throat and squeezed.

Well, of course. What did you expect?

We. Were. Kids.

I opened my mouth, but my voice failed. Instead, I simply nodded and jabbed my index finger into my chest.

“You loved me, too,” he correctly interpreted.

“I did,” I choked out.

I do.

I gave my head a sharp shake. This was ridiculous. It was a million years ago.

You can’t have it both ways.

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