Page 25 of Second Chance with Seth

“As far as I’m concerned, yes. I have to tell him before he finds out from someone else. No matter how much he hurt me, he has the right to hear it from me.”

Owen nods his head. “I’m guessing you won’t get much sleep tonight.”

“I doubt I’ll get any,” I murmur, letting my head rest in my hands as I wonder how the man who was my dream come true has suddenly turned into my worst nightmare.

Chapter Six

Seth

I don’t feel like going back to the hotel, and instead of turning left out of the coffee shop, I turn right.

If I go back to the hotel, all I’ll do is kick my heels in my room, and blame myself for how badly that went. Okay, so it wasn’t a disaster. It wasn’t the worst case scenario. She didn’t yell at me and throw me out. But it wasn’t a roaring success, either.

And that was entirely my fault.

I didn’t mean to lead with a jealous accusation. I screwed up, just like I did twelve months ago, when I made it all about my need to spend more time with her, rather than my desire to help her through her grief. This time around, I had so many chances to back out of it while I was questioning her about who Owen was, and what he meant to her. Did I take any of them? No. I kept going until, in the end, she lost it with me. She didn’t yell. She whispered, but there was no mistaking how mad she was.

And she was right to be.

Because I should have led with an apology, and while I got that out there in the end, it fell kinda flat. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hear what I had to say. She listened, and she asked questions, so she didn’t dismiss my regrets out of hand. No, the problem was that when she paled, for some reasonwhich I still don’t understand, I quizzed her about Owen again. I wanted to know if I’d left it too late, and even though she reassured me her change of mood was nothing to do with him, I couldn’t leave it there. I couldn’t accept that there was nothing going on between them. And just to make things even worse, when she told me she wasn’t free tonight, I had to ask if she was seeing him. Naturally, I regretted it the moment the words left my lips… although nowhere near as much as I regretted her reply. She told me she wasn’t mine anymore, and that hurt… more than I’ll ever be able to tell her.

She is mine. She’s always been mine since the moment we first met. I knew that, but I wanted her to admit it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s always gonna be that way, although whether she agrees about that, I can’t be sure. She didn’t deny her feelings out loud, but there was a hint of doubt in her eyes and a look of distrust. I hated seeing that and knowing it was aimed at me.

I couldn’t blame her for it. I’d earned it when I left her… and I knew I’d have to work hard to win her back.

I guess I should just be grateful that she’s agreed to see me again… even if I have got to wait until tomorrow afternoon. What I’ll do with myself between now and then is anyone’s guess, although I suppose I could kill a few hours and go for a drink at Dawson’s bar.

Everly and I used to go there every so often, and I know Dawson is a quiet guy… bordering on miserable. He rarely speaks, unless he absolutely has to, so I know he won’t ask too many questions, and that’s just what I need right now.

I make my way along Main Street, past the beauty salon and the bookstore, and come to an abrupt halt, gazing at what used to be Dawson’s bar. The building itself is still there, and it looks exactly the same, except for the sign. It’s called MD’s now, and I stand, staring, and wondering what can have happened to Dawson.

He was always a fixture here, like Tanner in the bookstore, Nate at the Hart’s Creek Courier, and Brady, the sheriff. The idea of him leaving is unthinkable… but maybe the reminders of his broken marriage got too much for him. Maybe he couldn’t handle life here without Stevie. I can empathize with that. If Everly had left me, I’d never have been able to stay. Not that I really belong here. This is her home, not mine… although I’d like to make it mine, if she’ll let me.

There’s a chance she won’t, though. After our conversation just now, I’d say there’s more than a chance. Let’s face it, I still don’t know for sure if she’s seeing someone else, do I? She didn’t really answer me, even though I asked her several times, and that means I’m gonna have to find another way of phrasing the question. Because I need to know.

The thought of Everly with another man is enough to put me off going inside the bar… just in case I meet someone I know, and they choose that moment to tell me all about her life with ‘him’… whoever he might be. I couldn’t face that. At least if I have to hear about it, I’d rather the words came from Everly.

And that means waiting until tomorrow.

In which case, I may as well go back to the hotel and find something to do.

I turn, retracing my steps, speeding up when I get to the coffee shop, just in case Everly sees me and thinks I’m gonna stop and ‘interrogate’ her again. That felt like an overstatement, but I guess, in her eyes, that was how it felt, and I regret that… like a lot of other things I’ve said and done.

“Seth?”

I look up, coming face-to-face with Nate Newton. He’s just exiting the offices of the Hart’s Creek Courier, and I stop, unable to avoid him.

“Hey, Nate. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. I didn’t realize you were back.”

“I’m not sure I am. Not yet.”

He tilts his head in the direction of the coffee shop next door. “Is this a flying visit, then?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“But you’ve seen Everly?”

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