Page 4 of The Hang Up
“Maybe,” I agree. “It’s more likely she’ll burn it before she reads it.”
“Still, can’t hurt to try, right?”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
“I’ve got to go. Good luck. Call me if you need anything.”
“Will do. Thanks, man.”
We end the call, and I try to get back to work, but my mind races with all the things I want to write to my girl.
Wade is right—it can’t hurt. Lena has been shutting me out for months, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve exhausted all my options, and I’m about to lose my mind.
I need to shake up my approach, or I’ll end up alone, still trying to get a second chance with the only girl I’ve ever loved.
THREE
Lena
“You have got to be kidding me,” I say, tossing the towel over my shoulder and glaring at the front door of Clay & Cupcakes.
Auden glances up from the espresso machine where she’s wiping down the counter, her brows lifting. “Let me guess…”
“Holden,” I grit out, glaring at him as he heads toward our shop.
Arlowe lets out a low whistle before popping the last of a raspberry tart into her mouth. “Persistent guy, isn’t he?”
“He’s something,” I mutter, locking the door and turning the sign to Closed before he can open it. “That’s the third time this week.”
“He really wants to talk to you,” Auden says, her tone gentle and cautious.
Too cautious. I know that tone—it’s the kind you use before touching something that might bite.
Auden thinks I should give Holden a chance. She’s a romantic at heart, and since she got with her boyfriend, Wade, she’s been all gung-ho to see me head over heels in love. She’s cautious around the subject because she knows what his leaving did to me.
“So what if he does? I’m not interested,” I tell her, my tone brokering no arguments.
“Are you sure about that?” Arlowe arches one perfectly sculpted brow.
Arlowe only knows what I’ve told her since she’s new in town. She’s seen Holden chasing after me, and I know she’s hoping I’ll give him a second chance.
“Yes,” I say firmly.
Auden and Arlowe exchange a look—one that says they don’t believe me and see through the carefully erected wall I’ve built around my heart.
Arlowe shrugs. “You dated him for years. It’s okay to hear him out and see what he has to say. You’re allowed to be curious.”
“I’m not curious,” I say too quickly. “I’m annoyed. I’m exhausted. I’m—” I break off, my throat tightening as I rip off my apron and toss it onto the hook. “He left me.”
“We know,” Auden says gently. “And hearing him out might get him to leave you alone. Why not get it over with?”
“He didn’t just leave,” I go on, needing to vent. “He walked away from me, from this town, from the life we were supposed to build together. I waited for him to call, to explain, to say something. Nothing. Not a word for four years. And now he thinks he can show up and…what? Pick up where we left off? He thinks I’ve been sitting around, wishing and hoping he’d come back?”
Auden and Arlowe are quiet for a moment. Only the soft hum of the cooler can be heard as Arlowe brushes crumbs into a dustpan.
“No,” Auden says finally. “But maybe he wants to explain.”
I sink onto the stool behind the counter, rubbing my eyes. “And what if I don’t want to hear it? What if it makes everything worse? What if it makes me remember how much I loved him?”
