Page 59 of Sweet Escape

I nod but don’t say anything, my throat tight.

He licks his lips and turns to Murphy. “I need to take a walk.” Then, before she can even respond, he turns and storms out of Rosewood Roasters. Back on the street, he heads away from where Theo went.

Letting out a long breath, I drop down into my seat. An emotional swell builds in my chest as I begin collecting my things.

“Can we hang out another day?” I say, the reality of dealing with Theo making me want to go back to the hotel and crawl into bed. “I’m really not in the mood ...”

“You don’t have to explain anything. I’ll call you later, okay?”

I sling my bag over my shoulder, but Murphy doesn’t let me slip away. She wraps her arms around me and gives me another big hug.

“I love you.”

“You, too,” I tell her, before hightailing it out of the coffee shop.

The tears begin to fall only seconds after I’ve pushed outside. I bat them away, hating how they streak down my cheeks and onto my neck.

I rarely cry. Mostly because I don’t think there are that many things in my life that have been cry-worthy. But also because I’m usually one to laugh away my discomfort instead. This, though ... this was a completely different monster.

Maybe it’s foolish of me to cry right now, when I haven’t really cried yet. Over any of it. Not the cheating, or the end of our relationship, or purging everything of his from our home.

But him showing up here was a violation that was somehow worse than the cheating.

Being in Rosewood has been ... such a balm on my soul. A true opportunity for me to take a break from the real world and the real problems going on in my life. And him being here felt like a baseball bat to the back of the head.

A reminder of everything I’m trying to escape.

Him being here shoved my face back into the mess I was trying to avoid thinking about, and what little peace I’d begun to feel is now rattled.

I glance both ways and then walk quickly across the street, the Firehouse coming into view in the distance.

It makes perfect sense, though. That Theo would come here to try and make things work out the way he wants them to, putting his own desires and preferences ahead of mine.

It’s always been that way.

And it’s just more proof that being with him was a mistake.

One I’m more than happy to be moving on from.

“Vivian!”

I stop at the sound of Memphis’s voice calling out to me. I wipe away the tears as best I can as he jogs over. He comes to a stop in front of me a little ways away from the Firehouse.

“Hey. Are you all right?”

“You already asked me that.”

“Yeah, but I was angry when I asked before,” he says, giving me a tight smile. “And now I’m asking for real.”

A few fresh tears roll out from my eyes. “It might not seem like it, because I’m crying, but I’m actually a lot better now than I was before.”

His head tilts to the side as his eyes flick across my face.

“I knew I did the right thing, ending my relationship with Theo. We weren’t meant for each other. But sometimes you just need ... something to confirm it for you. You know?” I shake my head, surprised at the honesty as it rolls out of me. “Him showing up here? Acting like that? That might have actually been exactly what I needed.”

Memphis’s hands flex at his sides. “Can I walk you back to the Firehouse?”

Something warms in my chest at his words. We can literally see the inn from where we’re standing, so it’s completely unnecessary. It’s not hard to see that Memphis, Mr. I’m-Busy-All-The-Fucking-Time, is going out of his way.

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