Page 105 of Hard To Leave

“Hello, Chloe.” A deep voice said from behind me. I turned to see my neighbor Phil in the next lane over, loading his groceries on the conveyor belt.

“Hey, neighbor. You still stopping by tomorrow?” Phil has been coming around less and less. I still saw him quite frequently since we lived next door to each other, but our conversations were short, and our interactions were cordial. No doubt thanks to my boyfriend or ex-boyfriend, or whatever the hell he was.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it,” he replied and gave Kristen an appreciative once-over.

I raised my eyebrow. “Have you met my friend and coworker, Kristen?”

Phil eagerly reached over and extended his hand. “No, can’t say that I have. I’m Phil, nice to meet you.”

“I know who you are. You’re the hot neighbor who lives next door.”

Phil laughed while rubbing his tattooed hand across his jaw. “I kinda like that title.”

I pulled on Kristen’s arm, as the cashier was finishing up with my bags. “It was great seeing you,” I added and swiped my card through the machine. I really needed to get to a couple more stores and didn’t have time for Kristen to latch into an hour-long conversation. Most women were shy around hot guys. Kristen, however, didn’t know how to shut up. She could chat and flirt for days, and time was not my friend at the moment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” she asked with a smile that even made me blush.

“I’ll be there.” He winked, and I swear I thought I heard her ovaries explode. I looked away, feeling embarrassed. These two were going to eat each other alive.

We walked out of the store and loaded up my car. “He’s hot.”

“He is,” I admitted, after closing my trunk. “You guys can flirt with each other tomorrow.” I looked at the clock on my dash. “But right now we need to finish up this shopping. I have a party to plan.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re no fun.”

I hopped in my car, cranked up the air conditioner, and laughed as we drove to the next store. Kristen was the perfect distraction. She was funny, loud, and said some of the most outrageous things. It allowed me to focus on something other than the empty hole in my heart.

After a quick trip to the mall, and a last-minute stop at Target, I finally pulled into my driveway. Having Kristen with me allowed me to cover the ground twice as fast as I could have on my own.

I unbuckled my seat belt and noticed a white Mercedes parked in the road out front. Kristen looked at me. “Whose car is that?”

I squinted my eyes to get a better view. “No clue. Maybe a friend of Brogan’s.”

We grabbed all the bags and balloons and walked toward the house. Brogan met us at the door.

He pulled on the back of his neck. “You have company.”

I glanced over his shoulder as he opened the door wider so I could pass by. Jack’s mom sat in a chair in the middle of my living room, looking completely out of place.

“Mrs. Jenson.” I paused, setting the bags down by the door. “What are you doing here?” I adjusted my purse along my shoulder, feeling uncomfortable in my own house. Seeing her set off a layer of unease that I wasn’t expected to feel when I walked through my front door.

“Hello, Chloe.” She stood and folded her hands in front of her looking polished and perfect. “My son asked me to close up his house for the season, and I misplaced my key. He mentioned that you had a spare.”

My heart fell to my stomach as I let her words settle in. I knew this was going to be a long and painful road, but never once did I allow myself to believe that this was the end.

He told me he needed a break. Time to figure things out is what he said. I gave him the distance he asked for, but at what cost? When he left me at the baseball field, I still thought we had a fighting chance, even though he told me goodbye.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Tears stung the back of my eyes with the realization that he wasn’t coming back. He was gone, along with any hope I had of us working things out.

“The key is in the other room. Let me grab it.”

I walked into the kitchen feeling tired, exhausted, and completely gutted.

I’ve gone back and forth, trying to find a way to make him understand. Prayed to God that he could forgive me. I hated myself for the pain I’ve put everyone through. I couldn’t change the fact that Brogan was Tanner’s father. Just like I couldn’t erase the doubt he had about us.

I pulled open the junk drawer where I kept his key and stared at it. My bottom lip trembled as a powerful ball of anger pulled at my insides. How could I fight for someone who didn’t believe in us?

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