Page 94 of Heart Set on You

“Don’t worry about me, Ryls. Tomorrow’s a day off, so there’s nothing work-related on my calendar. I’m having lunch with the guys at Catch 22 before my flight.”

“That sounds fun. You need it. Call me before your flight?”

“I will.” He gazes at me wantonly.

“I better run. I can hear the kids in the kitchen and it’s getting late. I better help Gran with the s’mores.”

“Okay, babe. Say hi to everyone for me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He takes a breath like there’s more he wants to say. But he doesn’t.

“Bye, Miles,” I say, blowing a kiss into the screen and then tapping the end call button.

I force myself to get up from the swing and walk into the kitchen, where I’m met with Belle and Lainey, who wrap their little bodies around my legs.

My phone buzzes in my hand and I immediately swipe the screen to life hoping it’s Miles. But it’s not him. It’s Meg. I stuff my device in my back pocket. I’ll text her later tonight once everyone has left.

For the rest of the night, Cole, Cara and the kids, Gran and Gramps and I sit around the firepit eating s’mores. We talk for hours, about the kids taking riding lessons, about the photography sessions I have coming up, about Miles.

He is the only thing missing in an otherwise perfect night.

I hope we can get through this. We have to.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Miles.

My morning started off with a 7-mile run. It wasn’t that I needed the extra cardio, I get more than enough from the sessions with my personal trainer. What I needed was to blow off some steam, ease the ache in my chest, calm the frayed nerves in my body that felt like they were misfiring. I needed a distraction from the storm in my mind. In other words, I was a mess.

Seeing Rylee three days ago was supposed to help – it should have been the salve to the pain in my heart, but it only seemed to make things worse. It only left me wanting more.

I ran in the direction of the beach, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I pumped my legs as fast as they could go, past the coffee shop on the corner of First Street that I brought Rylee to when she visited last month. I shook the memory from my mind and kept running to the boardwalk and along the edge of the beach, hoping to escape my thoughts. But my mind continued to swarm with images of Rylee. Her barefoot in that same sand, walking home after dinner at Catch 22. The night she met my family. All of a sudden, even Reed Point reminded me of her.

When I got back to the house I showered and changed then went down to the kitchen to make an egg sandwich. I check my emails while I eat, hoping for news from ActionFlix about the role I’m hoping to land. My inbox is empty. I refresh and still nothing.

My mom finds me there, sitting at the kitchen counter. Her shoes clack against the hardwood floor as she crosses the room to the stove and lifts the kettle from the burner to fill it with water. “Your sandwich looks good. I didn’t know you could cook,” she says, returning the kettle to the stove.

“I can’t, but I’ve seen Rylee make these enough times so I figured I would try.”

“And?”

“It’s okay. Not half as good as hers are.” The eggs aren’t fluffy like she makes them, and the spice is all wrong.

My mom sighs, walks over to the island, and rests both of her hands on the counter. “What’s wrong, Miles? I know you. You’re not yourself. I hate seeing one of my favorite guys on the planet so sad.”

Shaking my head, I look down at my breakfast. “I’m fine, Mom.”

“Are you seeing Rylee next weekend?” My mom asks, the tone of her voice careful, like she is afraid to pry.

I shrug like an idiot. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

“She’s shooting a wedding which will take up most of her Saturday,” I say, pushing from my chair, walking to the refrigerator, opening the door reaching for the orange juice. When I turn back I see my dad is in the kitchen doorway. He tops up his coffee and takes a seat at the kitchen table. In typical fashion, he will let my mom do the talking, then add his two cents worth at the end.

“You should surprise her anyways. I know she would love to see you.”

She would love that.

“She has a lot going on, she doesn’t need me there getting in the way,” I reply, my mood getting the best of me.

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