Page 86 of Secret Surrender (Harlow)

“Frank told me I’d find you here.”

She jolted and peered up at Blaine standing over her, his lips pressed in a tight and lopsided smile, his hand outstretched in an offer to help her up. She swiped at her eyes again and reached for his hand. “I can’t believe I fell for it.”

“You didn’t fall for anything.” Blaine squeezed her shoulder and made a shooshing sound, his attempt at helping her find some calm. “You took a risk, and it didn’t pay off. It happens to the best of us.”

“No, no. I’m sure this stuff only happens to me.” Tension pulled the muscles on her face, probably making it obvious she included him in the stuff that only happened to her. “I was sure he cared for me too. The fact I even care—”

Blaine pulled her in, allowing her to bury her face in the soft fibers of his gray flannel shirt. “Shoosh now. From the looks of things, he did care about you.”

She shook her head and mumbled into his shoulder. “So now you’re on his side? How can someone who did all those things really care about anyone else?”

“I don’t know.” He drew a slow, tense breath and patted her between the shoulder blades. “You spent a heck of a lot more time with the man than I did and have a better sense of his nature. Don’t get me wrong, I’d kick his ass all over again if I could, but you know, I guess it’s possible for a person to be two things at once?”

She stepped out of his hold and nodded to the ground, just as Blaine gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Sheriff Marlin stopped by my house earlier.”

She peered up now, at his mouth pulled into a tense smile, his spare hand jammed into his jeans pocket. “He wanted to check if Emilia was holding up okay. And she is. After all that’s happened, she’s developed a pretty thick skin, but the sheriff dropped by for another reason too… He wanted to tell us Dean’s been released.”

“What? How?” Her pitch slipped from her control, and she stumbled back a little. “It’s not even been a week and all those things he did…”

Both hands now shoved into his pockets, Blaine scrubbed the toe of his boot into the dry dirt. “Turns out he had quite a story and a whole bunch of information to turn in about some criminal kingpin. That information checked out, and he cut a deal. As long as he continues being helpful throughout the investigations and trials to come, he gets to keep his freedom.”

Sarah frowned, struggling to believe what she heard. “And what’s to stop him from simply disappearing?”

“No idea. Seems you’re not the only one he made a good impression on.” Blaine’s lips curled in a sign of jest, and for the first time in days, she mirrored the humor. “Sarah, if he comes back to town, do you plan on reconnecting with him? I’m only asking for safety’s sake.”

“No.” She shook her head at the ground again. “No. There’s just too many lies to sift through. Too much I’d have to overlook.”

“Okay.” He gripped her shoulder again. Another undeserved show of support. “In case you start having doubts, just remember Emilia and I are here for you. Believe it or not, we might find it in us to be objective. From what the sheriff had to say about Dean, I kind of feel sorry for the guy.”

Sarah snapped her attention back to Blaine’s face, his expression unexpectedly open and relaxed. “He attacked you and played a part in taking Emilia away ten years ago, then came back to Harlow to finish the job.” A manic sort of laugh tore through her. “Meanwhile, I’m drowning in guilt over being the reason he stayed in Harlow.”

“Hey.” Blaine held both hands up as if to profess innocence. “All I’m saying is I know what it’s like to be a victim of circumstance. Dean might have played a part in me being forced out of LA, but he wasn’t the reason. If it hadn’t been for him that night, Anthony would have found someone else. And don’t get me wrong, I’ll probably always be suspicious of the man, but if you think about it, his lot in life has been horrendous. I can’t begrudge him that.”

She held a long silence while she stared Blaine down. How was it that he could dredge up forgiveness so much easier than her? Was it that he’d had ten years to process the worst of what Dean had done, while she’d had mere days? She couldn’t say her gripe with Dean was more personal than Blaine’s. The man had literally pulled him away from the love of his life.

“You’re being awfully forgiving here.”

One corner of his lip rose. “All for selfish reasons. Emilia and I have wasted enough years holding on to anger and what-ifs. At some point, it’s impossible to hold on without turning that hurt onto yourself. Sarah, you should try letting go a little too sometime. Even if you do decide to justifiably keep your distance from Dean.”

She held his gaze for a moment more, a man she’d loved, but perhaps in the wrong way—a love that still existed, even though it had changed to an extreme degree. She gave another small nod, still confused but a little lighter. Who’d have guessed that a man who’d broken her heart could also help soothe it?

He stepped into her now. She wrapped her arms around him, comforted that at least someone else in this town saw the man behind the crime, even if she had no intention of forgiving Dean. Not for what he’d done to her, anyway.

Blaine had the biggest reason, other than her, to hold a grudge. The fact he didn’t, meant maybe she hadn’t been completely irrational for falling for someone so critically flawed. Maybe she too would get to a point where her heart didn’t hurt so much—where she could trust her judgment once more.

They pulled apart, and Blaine followed her inside where she bought him a drink and finally settled into the rest of her shift. Though he didn’t stay long, her next few hours passed quickly, and she even stayed back to close up.

With the venue cleared, she wandered about the dining area lifting chairs onto the tables, making room for the morning cleaners to access the floors. A dull click cut through the space. The sound emanated from a far-off point toward the back door, as though someone had entered, even though Gordon had left over half an hour ago, and she should have been alone.

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