I groan my disgust. I’ll neverembracethe attention, but I will do what I need to do to get it off me... at least for a while.
“Now that you’ve settled into your new life out of the billionaire closet, it’s time for you to make things right with Grace.” I open my mouth to protest but he holds up a hand and continues. “I know. You pushed her away because you felt you were holding her back. But it’s time you stop that wave of ‘good intentions’ nonsense and apologize to that woman. She deserves at least that.”
I’m not even going to play tough and act like what he’s telling me isn’t the truth. “She does. She deserves so much more. But I’d rather live with the regret of losing her than with the regret of knowing I held her back from the future she deserves.”
Matt’s expression softens. “You thought you were doing something good for her. That’s commendable, but since you and both know what a grouch you can be sometimes—especially since you’ve been injured—I can only imagine the things you said to get her to leave.”
Like a little boy being reprimanded by his father, I duck my head to study the floor. After a while, I confess, “I feel like I’m losing my mind without her.”
“It’s up to you to fix your mistake. Make it right,” Matt says.
“I will.” I’ll try, anyway. But what if I’m too late?
What if this was the last straw for Grace?
Chapter 12
Grace
Two weeks later...
I step inside Ashley’s apartment and drop my bags.
“She’s back!” Ashley does a little dance that makes my lips lift slightly. I don’t think I’ve fully smiled in weeks—not since I got dumped.
Maybe Ashley sees my misery because she stops dancing and frowns.
I’ve been staying with her since Rowan told me to get lost. I couldn’t bear to stay in his apartment. Now that I’m back from New York, I’ll be staying with Ashley for a while.
“How was it?” she asks, watching me with the same expression of sympathy she had the night I showed up here in tears.
“I hated it.”
“The gallery? The owner? The hotel you stayed in? Which part?”
Plopping onto a sofa, I shrug. “Mr. Price was friendly and the gallery was amazing, but I knew a new city wasn’t for me the moment I stepped off the plane.”