Page 95 of The Candlemaker

“I wasn’t going to leave, Lou. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” I exhaled raggedly. “I lied when I told you I was going back to Boston. Not lied—” I broke off with a curse. “I told you what I wanted to believe, but it wasn’t the truth.”

“Then why did you take the money in the first place?” Her brow creased.

My chest tightened. “Because I didn’t want your sister to ever doubt why I was staying,” I rasped. “And afterward, I knew you wouldn’t accept a donation from me—or if you would, Frankie wouldn’t. So, I gave it back to you this way.”

“I want to believe you.” Her throat bobbed. “But you left…you left her.”

“I had to. You have to believe me. I need to explain what happened to Frankie, but she won’t listen to me,” I said, watching her chew on her bottom lip, still debating whether or not to believe me. “It was out of my control, Lou. I swear. I’m not like your father.”

Her head snapped up. “She told you about our father?”

I nodded slowly, watching her expression relax. “My father left my mom and me, too. It’s why I didn’t want this inn.”

Understanding filtered into her eyes, not only about me and my actions but also how Frankie and I had connected.

“You tried to talk to her?”

“Every day for the last week. I bring her breakfast. I order lunch or dinner for her, depending on how long she’s working.But she won’t—” I broke off with a huff and dragged my hand along my jaw. “She won’t let me explain.”

“What happened? What did she say?”

My fists balled, pain shooting through me to recall the pained look on Frankie’s face.

“Everything,” I croaked.Everything she could to make it clear what we had was over.“And then she told me to leave. That there was nothing to talk about. That it was a fling and it’s over, but that’s not true. You know it’s as far as hell from true.”

Her eyes widened. “Frankie told you…everything?”

“Yes, of course.” Frustration coursed through my words. Like it mattered that she faked the haunting and the ghosts. Like I’d really believed it was spirits that kept moving and stealing our stuff. So why did Lou seem so surprised? I gritted my teeth and added, “What would be the point in keeping it from me now? It’s not like I didn’t realize it immediately anyway. I might be a lot of things, but I’m not an idiot.”

She still looked shocked. I didn’t get it. The color was gone from her face. Her mouth opened and shut several times like she’d lost the ability to speak. And all because Frankie had told me about her prank? Was she afraid I’d try to take the inn back or something?

“Lou.” I shoved my hand through my hair. “How do I get Frankie to listen to me?”

Her eyes fluttered like the gears in her mind were finally clicking back in sync.

“Well, I think the first thing she needs to hear isn’t why you left, but why you’re here to stay.”

I inhaled sharply, a fresh burst of understanding flooding my brain. “Got it. Easy,” I said. “What else?”

“If you came back for her…” She hesitated, but only for a split second. “If you came back for her, Chandler, she needs to know you’re not staying out of obligation to the baby.”

My heart stopped.Baby.Everything stopped. Not everything. Lou’s mouth kept moving, but I heard nothing except the crash of my world coming down around me.

I checked the floor like it had opened up beneath me. I looked at the walls, sure that a wrecking ball had come straight through the building. But no, everything was stable. Intact. Everything but me.

Baby.

“Chandler? Are you okay?”

“What baby?”

I couldn’t recall the last time in my life when I’d run. Lifting. Rowing. The occasional bike. Sure. But running—full-on sprinting. At least two decades. Until now.

I didn’t trust myself not to break every speeding law and jeopardize any pedestrian who got in my way. Not to mention my fucking car—I couldn’t even remember where I parked it, my brain was on fire. Ablaze with a single, scorching fact.

Frankie was pregnant.

Later, I’d remember the stares I got sprinting down Maine Street in dress pants and shoes. A full-on fool to get to the Candle Cabin and talk to her. Because we were definitely fucking talking now.

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