Page 60 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

“No,” he sounded confused. “What does that have to do with anything, love?”

I smoothed his lapel like I always used to, for old time’s sake. “It has everything to do with it.”

He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “Are you seeing someone else?”

I smiled. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

Tristan turned a shade of green before turning bright red.

“He’s the best to snuggle up to in bed, and he has this amazing gray hair. Don’t even get me going on his eyes. And oh, my goodness, when I scratch his ears, it drives him mad.”

Tristan’s expression went completely blank.

“The best part is when he purrs.”

Dawning washed over Tristan’s face. “Are you talking about a cat?”

“Yes. Oscar the cat.”

Tristan looked relieved. “Bloody hell, you had me worried there.”

I giggled.

“Kins.” He took my hands. “Please, don’t tell me it’s over. I’ll do whatever you ask. I’ll even move here,” he tripped on his words.

That was a huge leap for him. He’d never wanted to leave London. If ever we had talked about the future, he’d always envisioned me moving there. “We both know you would be miserable here.” Pine Falls and Carrington Cove were too quaint for him.

“I’ll make it work.” He didn’t sound all that convincing.

“I don’t want you to make it work. That’s not fair to you or me.”

He drew me closer and let out a heavy breath. “Is there nothing I can do?”

I gave it a moment’s thought, even though I knew I wasn’t changing my mind. “Tristan, thank you for this past year,” I got a bit choked up. “You were a gift, but you’re not mine to keep. You want glitz and glamor, and I want to be home curled up on the couch with babies at my feet.” I wanted that so badly I could taste it.

He pulled my hands up and kissed them, lingering for a bit as if he didn’t want to let go. And part of me didn’t want him to because it meant I was truly alone. But deep down, I knew it was better to be alone than to be with the wrong person. Well, in my case, it seemed to be any person. I had the worst track record ever. Even so, I wasn’t willing to cross the finish line in the wrong race. I’d done that too many times, and I’d always come out the loser.

“Kinsley,” he whispered, “I love you.”

My eyes filled with tears, and my heart broke just a little. “I love you too,” my voice cracked.

“I hear the but in there.”

“There is no but; I do love you. I want you to be happy. It’s just that I want to be happy too.” I wanted someone who I could be a hundred percent me with when we’re together. Someone who wants to settle down and be the father of those babies at my feet.

He kissed my forehead. “Be happy, love.” He abruptly turned and walked away.

While I watched him go, I waited for the gut-wrenching pain to come, but it never did. Instead, I felt a sense of peace. Because for once, I’d closed the wrong door instead of it being slammed in my face. Now all I had to do was find the right door to open.

Chapter Fifteen

“What do you think of these?” Sheridan slid a sketch pad across the table. There was more light in her eyes than when we’d been together at the release party a few days ago. She’d called me last night and asked if she could come have lunch with me at the restaurant. She had something she wanted to show me. That, and she’d told me Brant had approved Amelia’s salary and starting date, which was thankfully just in time for the busy holiday season. Brant was obviously still keeping his distance. Now he couldn’t or wouldn’t even call me. I don’t really know what I’d expected. He had been up-front when he’d said he wanted to be my silent partner and that his mother would be the go-between. I guess I hadn’t realized how silent he would be. Or how much it would hurt. Maybe if everyone would quit telling me that he had feelings for me, it would help. Then I would quit having some hope and kill the dream once and for all.

I took the sketch pad and flipped it open to find some beautiful pencil drawings of a restaurant’s interior. I loved the concept of a mixture of brick and wood walls. The layout was perfectly intimate—square tables that sat four armchairs were staggered down the length of the restaurant, and the back wall and corner were lined with cozy booth-style seating and communal tables. The bar was made of stone and had what looked like square stools I envisioned with padded velvet seats. It was then I realized that the layout was my restaurant—well, at least a vision of it.

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