Page 42 of Sweet Southern Heat

Chapter 36

Olivia

I stared at the door,unseeing as I attempted to blink away the tears forming on my lashes. It didn’t work. I covered my mouth as a sob broke loose and pinched my eyes shut. Tears streamed unbidden down my cheeks. Landon had given up on us. At the first sign of trouble, he threw away what we had just started to build. I didn’t blame him for making his brother a priority, but that didn’t mean he had to cut me out of his life completely.

An ache began to form behind my ribs, and I pressed a hand to my chest. I didn’t want to acknowledge what this crushing sensation was, but the truth was right there bubbling beneath the surface. Landon meant more to me than I ever could have imagined. Our relationship might’ve been new, but I was falling for him.

That revelation slammed into me and stole the air from my lungs. The room spun, and I caught myself on the entry table as my legs wobbled beneath me. I was falling for my ex’s brother. Not only that, I let my feelings for him sway my decision to stay in Magnolia Grove. I promised myself long ago I would never let a man come before my career and my goals, and that was exactly what I’d done. I was still undecided when we went to the lakehouse, and after one night of passion, I threw away the dream I had worked toward for the past six years. Perhaps it was time to get back on course and forget that Landon Crawford stole my heart only to crush it beneath his well-worn work boot.

I was a zombie at work the next morning, merely going through the motions as I prepared baked goods for the day. After a fitful night of sleep, I was barely functioning. I burnt the croissants and messed up a batch of cookies by adding salt instead of sugar. Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I dumped the dough in the trash and started over.

Bracing my hands on the counter, I drew in a deep breath and let my eyes fall closed. I needed to pull it together so I could make it through the day. Running this bakery suddenly felt like an insurmountable task.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late to return to my life in Atlanta. The business was doing well, so it wouldn’t be hard to sell. I still had my apartment in the city since the lease wasn’t up for another couple months. It had only been a few weeks since I’d resigned from my job. Surely they hadn’t replaced me yet.

I decided to call my old boss to see if they still had a place for me. To my surprise, they had already filled my position.

“When you asked for an extended leave to go home, I just knew in my gut you weren’t coming back, so we started looking right away,” he admitted when I asked how I’d been replaced so quickly. “The day you called to say you were staying in Magnolia Grove, we offered the job to our top prospect. We waited as long as we could,” he added apologetically.

“I understand,” I replied, my heart slowly crumbling inside my chest. He was quiet for a beat before speaking again.

“I don’t mean to pry, but why the sudden change of heart?”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat before answering and tried to keep my voice steady. It wasn’t like I could tell him I’d decided to stay because of a man, but it didn’t work out.

“Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan,” I replied vaguely. “It turns out small town life isn’t for me, after all.”

“I can’t believeyou’re thinking about leaving me again. I just got you back,” Honey said before placing her half-full glass of wine on the table.

“I’m sorry.” A steady ache thrummed in my chest. I didn’t want to leave her. She’d been my saving grace the past two months. Reconnecting with her was the only thing that had kept me sane after I first came back.

Until Landon.

I pushed that thought out of my mind before taking a generous gulp of my wine.

“I just…” I began but couldn’t find the words to articulate my feelings. “I was never certain about staying. The only reason I even considered it was for my grandmother. She wanted me to take over the bakery, to keep her legacy alive, but she never once told me of her plans.” My chest tightened with the memory of her and the guilt of letting her down. “She knew I loved my job in Atlanta. She knew what my dreams and aspirations were, so why did she leave the bakery to me, knowing I never planned to come back?” That was the one thing I couldn’t reconcile since being home. Nan knew I didn’t want to be here and that I was happier after leaving my life in Magnolia Grove behind. So why had she left me the bakery in her will knowing it would make it harder for me to continue on with my plans?

“All I’m saying is, maybe you need to give it a little more time. Don’t make a hasty decision because you got your heart broken,” Honey said, her eyes filling with sympathy.

“I’m not heartbroken,” I denied hastily. It was a lie, but she didn’t call me out on it. “I’m just mad at myself for letting Landon get under my skin and influence my decisions. I’m so stupid.” I dropped my head in my hands and drew in a frustrated breath. It was incredibly irresponsible for me to let my budding feelings for him sway my choices. I should’ve known our relationship was destined to fail from the start. Having to sneak around to be with each other should’ve been my first clue, but I was too dickmatized to see it.

“You are not stupid,” Honey declared, her voice stern and unwavering. “You’re human. You were following your heart. Sure, things didn’t work out how you hoped, but that’s the risk you take. Now you’ll never have to wonder what could’ve been. Besides, maybe once the dust settles, Landon will come back around, and you can try again.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I declared. “You didn’t see his face. He was determined not to let anything come between him and his brother. You and I both know Lyle will never be okay with Landon and me being together. The reality is we have no future, and if I’m being honest, we never did. It was only a matter of time before Lyle came between us. I’m just glad it happened sooner rather than later.”

“You don’t know that,” she pleaded, gripping my hands in hers. “Lyle might come around. Maybe once he gets better, he’ll see reason and realize you and Landon have a real chance at being happy together,” she added hopefully. Everyone seemed certain Lyle would finally get clean this time. Unlike his last overdose, he had enough drugs on him to be charged with a crime. He was most certainly going to prison where he’d have no choice but to abstain. Still, I doubted that would change how he felt about me.

My chin quivered, and tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head. “He won’t. He hates me, and he’ll never let Landonand me live in peace. And Landon will never choose me over his brother.” My tears ran freely now, and I cried in earnest. Honey pulled me into her arms and ran a hand soothingly over my back.

“I know it hurts right now, but it will get better. Just give it time. Don’t let Lyle Crawford’s actions run you out of town again.”

Chapter 37

Landon

It had been nearlytwenty-four hours since I let go of the only thing that brought me joy these last six years. I couldn’t shake the image of Olivia’s devastated expression from my mind, nor could I forget the way she’d straightened her shoulders and fortified her walls against me. She’d stared at me—no,throughme—with the cool indifference and propriety one would a stranger. It caused the knot in my chest to tighten, the guilt threatening to eat away at me one piece of my heart at a time.

A rattling cough drew my attention to the hospital bed next to me. I lifted my gaze from my phone and hastily stuffed it in my pocket. If Lyle was finally waking up, I didn’t want him to catch me looking at selfies Olivia and I had taken together, especially the ones when we were in her bed with only her sheets covering our naked bodies.

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