Page 132 of Spindrift

“Andyou look great. I thought you didn’t shop here anymore.” Too blunt. Too rude. Shedidn’t care.

“Ihad a showing up the road, and I was too hungry to wait.” Kate flashed her anapologetic smile.

“TheRusso place?”

“Russo?”Kate wrinkled her forehead.

“OnPleasant Street.”

“Oh.”Her face cleared. “No, she decided she didn’t want to sell. I’m not surprised,honestly. It’s a great property. Do you know her?”

“Iknew her dad.” Talking about Emilia with her ex was not how she wanted this—orany other day—to end. “What do you mean she’s not selling?”

“Iguess she could have gone with a different agent, but I haven’t seen the houseon any listing sites. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m. . .” The world went in and out of focus as she struggled to comprehend Kate’swords. Emilia wasn’t selling. “Is she renting?”

“Idon’t think so.” Concern laced Kate’s voice. “I’ve been keeping an eye on it. Ihave a few clients who I think would love it. So far, nothing.”

Emiliahadn’t changed her mind about staying then, even with Morgan out of thepicture. She was still here. The lights of the grocery store seemed overlybright suddenly, and the shelves swayed in the corners of her vision. She hadbeen so sure Emilia would leave.

Itstill didn’t change anything.

“Morgan?”

“Tellme something,” Morgan said, gripping her cart to keep herself upright. “Why didyou break things off?”

“Morgan—”

“Ineed to know.”

“We’vebeen over this.” Kate’s expression of sympathy was hardening into a defensivemask.

“Thisisn’t about us. Just please tell me, okay?” Her breath caught oddly in herthroat, like someone had let air out of her lungs and she couldn’t replenish itquickly enough.

Katecrossed her arms over her chest and spoke in a strained, raw tone. “It wasn’teasy. You know that. I just needed someone who was around more, and you deservesomeone who understands your work and what it means to you.”

“That’sit?”

“That’sit.”

“Whydidn’t you tell me sooner you weren’t happy?”

Katebit her lip. “What was I going to do? Ask you to leave your job?”

“Icould have tried—” Morgan broke off the rest of her sentence as a man pushing atoddler in a cart paused at a nearby shelf.

“Ididn’t want to be the person who made you miserable. I care about you toomuch.”

“Thereisn’t something wrong with me?” The question leaked out of her, poisonous,pathetic.

Kate’smouth opened in shock. “Of course not. Is that—that’s not what you’ve beenthinking, is it?”

“Whatthe hell else was I supposed to think?” The man glowered at her and strode off,his toddler still reaching for a box of crackers. Fighting with Kate feltfamiliar and good. “You never told me you were lonely. How was I supposed tobelieve you? I never knew. I missed every sign. How am I supposed to trustmyself now?”

“Trustyourself—oh, Morgan.” Kate’s face cleared, and she put her hands over Morgan’swhite-knuckled one. “I’mthe one you shouldn’t trust, not yourself.I’mthe one who didn’t say anything, who kept hoping I would find a way to makeit work instead of telling you I was struggling. None of that was your fault.Do you really not know that?”

Morgancouldn’t speak.

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