Page 132 of Reckless Harmony

“No,” he said hoarsely, “but it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re right. You’re not my type, and whatever this was between us is now over.”

Hot fury replaced the hurt on her face. “Of course it is. Because what Isaac Stark wants, Isaac Stark gets. Right?”

“Precisely,” he snapped, his anger suddenly as hot as her own. “My involvement with you was a mistake, Ms. Abrams. It won’t happen again.”

As fast as it appeared, her rage disappeared, leaving behind a sick hurt that nearly destroyed him despite his anger with her.

“I want you to leave,” she said, her voice dull and void of emotion. “Leave and don’t ever speak to me again, Stark.”

“Happy to,” he bit out. His stomach churning, he grabbed his jacket and stalked out of her house, slamming the door behind him.

CHAPTER 44

“I’m worried about you, honey.” Emma pushed Bea to the side and sat beside Rayna on the couch, sliding her arm around Rayna’s shoulders.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Oh, that is some bullshit right there,” Emma said. “It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and you called in sick to work. You never call in sick.”

“I’m taking a mental health day,” Rayna said. “Also, you know you don’t have to sit here with me, right? I’m sure you have a ton of stuff to do at the store.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Emma said. “You’ve been a mess since you and Stark broke up, and you need my support right now.”

“We didn’t break up. We’d have to be dating to break up,” Rayna said.

“Right, but Lucas said -”

“That Stark was going to tell me how he felt,” Rayna said tiredly. “Yeah, I remember. But instead, he talked about tearing down my house. I appreciate you telling me what Lucas said, Em, but he obviously misunderstood what Stark meant.”

“Maybe,” Emma said doubtfully.

Rayna wiped at the hot tears sliding down her cheek. “I miss him so much, which is ridiculous, but I…”

“You’re in love with him,” Emma said softly.

Rayna started to cry in earnest before burying her face in Emma’s shoulder. “I am, and I am so goddamn stupid, Em.”

“No, you’re not.” Emma kissed the top of her head, rocking her lightly back and forth. “Have you seen him at all in the last week?”

“No,” Rayna said, sitting up and scrubbing the tears from her face. “I’m doing everything in my power to avoid him. I leave the house and basically run to my vehicle without looking at his place, and I haven’t gone for coffee once at Grind My Beans, not even if I think there’s zero chance he’ll be there. Lucas returned the gym pass to Hollis for me, right?”

“He did,” Emma said.

“Thank you,” Rayna said. “I couldn’t risk going there myself.”

Emma sighed. “Honey, spending the rest of your life trying to avoid Stark isn’t going to work. You know that, right? Forgetting how small Harmony Falls is, he’s your next-door neighbour. You’ll see him eventually.”

“I know,” Rayna said, “but for now, I just need some space and time.”

She glanced at her phone when it rang, her brow creasing when she saw the number. “Why is the bank calling me?”

She hit the answer button. “Rayna Abrams speaking.”

“Hello, Ms. Abrams. This is Carla at the Harmony Falls First Bank. I’m calling regarding some overdue payments for Little Whiskers Rescue.”

“Oh, um, right. That’s typically handled by my accountant, Mack Roberts. I can give you his number if you -”

“We have Mr. Roberts’s contact information and have been trying to reach him for quite some time now,” Carla said. “He hasn’t returned our calls.”

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