“I know. You’re a world-famous model, and up until two weeks ago, you were engaged to your agent. The photographer with a dream became the subject in magazines.”
I sucked in a deep breath as the razor’s edge of pain sliced me open. “You heard about that, huh?”
“How could I not? For a minute, you were news. You were a fresh face with promise and talent, and you threw away everything for an agent that ran you into the ground.” His harsh words lanced through me like an arrow to the stomach—a gutshot and not even a clean kill.
“He didn’t run me into the ground.” Why was I protecting Anthony? “I started out taking pictures of models. Then Anthony saw me and told me I should be in front of the camera.” Thinking back, he’d been so sweet and sincere, or at least he seemed to be.
Noah snorted. “The guy was a predator. He was threatened by your skill, so he eliminated the competition.”
“He was an agent, not a photographer.” It was sweet that Noah thought so highly of my photography. “Are you saying you think he lied to me? That I shouldn’t have been in front of the camera?” I lifted my head to look at him.
He shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying. Obviously, you’re beautiful. You don’t need to fish for compliments.” His frosty tone chilled me to the bone.
Noah had always supported my dream to be a photographer. I could remember days spent stretched out on my bed, showing him the newest pictures I had taken. He confided that my images made him feel something. Now all he felt around me was anger.
Once, I showed him a picture I’d captured of an intimate family moment of him with his brothers and father laughing, and he said it was his favorite. That image still lived on the SD card in my camera because I never deleted it or several others of him and his family.
“So, how is your family?”
He tensed up and didn’t respond at first, and then said, “A lot has changed since you left, and I don’t feel like getting into it right now.”
“I get it.” I tilted my head back and rested it on the wall. “Nothing is working out as I expected. When I left, I thought I had all the answers.” I snorted. “Now, I’m pretty sure I didn’t know anything.”
“Were you happy?”
“I thought I was happy with Anthony—kind of. He was good to me for a while.” Not at the end, though. He tossed me aside like moldy bread. “Modeling was fun. It was a new challenge, and a skill I didn’t have at first. I had to work my ass off, but I enjoyed it.”
Noah sat quietly, but when I glanced at him, I noticed he seemed to be hanging on every word. His ability to listen warmed my heart and perforated it at the same time.
“Sadly, in the modeling industry, a woman is over the hill before she hits thirty. I was lucky to continue getting jobs for as long as I did. When the calls stopped coming in, I didn’t mind, because I thought I had Anthony.” Fresh tears stung my eyes, and my throat burned like I consumed rolls of sandpaper and chased them down with shots of vodka. “He always said I was charming and talented. He used to call me beautiful like it was my name.”
Noah let out a grunting noise that told me exactly what he thought of Anthony.
I continued talking like he hadn’t accurately figured out my ex.
“But in the end, it didn’t work out.” I couldn’t articulate what actually happened. Anthony had left me for someone younger, more charming, and far more beautiful. She didn’t have an ounce of fat or modeling talent in her whole body. Her only gift was her mouth, and it had nothing to do with her smile.
“Now I’m back in Cross Creek.” Sitting in the alley behind Roy’s Bar on the ground with the first love of my life made everything come full circle.
I studied the white clouds slowly floating across the darkening sky. Where would they go? Would they move someplace new, or would the blackness devour them and leave nothing behind? “You know, all my best memories here are with you. It’s strange coming back to find out you hate me.”
“Do you blame me?”
Inside, I heard the shattering of my heart. “No.”
We sat in silence for a moment. “Why did you come out here?”
He didn’t answer, and I wondered what Gypsy had said to get him to join me.
There was something else that tickled the edge of my mind, and I had to know.
“Roy said if he hadn’t stepped in when Benji was talking to me, table eight would have. Do you have a problem with Benji?” Did he have that same nagging sense of unease with the town columnist?
“I don’t care who you choose to see or talk to.” Noah’s crisp tone didn’t give me the backup I hoped for.
We sat in silence for another moment, and then I stood. “My fifteen is probably over. Thank you for listening.” My feet throbbed painfully. I was ready for this incredibly difficult first shift to be over so I could go home, run a bath, and cry.
As I walked toward the back door, I looked back at Noah. His eyes locked on mine, and emotions washed over me.
He once loved me, and seeing him again made me realize I never stopped loving him. Once you let someone into your heart, they stayed there forever. Noah would always own a piece of me—the young, innocent, and foolish piece. The heart of a girl who thought everything was butterflies and rainbows. Silly girl.
“Have a good night,” I said. “Get home safely.” I opened the door and let myself back into the bar. Why hadn’t I told him the whole truth? Why did I leave out the most crucial part of why Anthony dumped me?
Why hadn’t I told Noah that my ex left me when he found out I was pregnant?
Chapter Five
Noah
“It’s only Wednesday, and you don’t get to burn out yet.” Quinn clapped a hand on my shoulder.
I watched Miranda walk with Bayden toward one of the work trucks. Yep, there was absolutely something between them. Bayden would never let someone on-site unless they were part of our crew. Allowing Miranda to tour the new police department we were building for Cross Creek was a big deal. He didn’t even make her wear a hard hat.
A rogue week-long rain had slowed our timeline down. We couldn’t pour concrete in the deluge, and we were working double-time to get back on track.
Ethan didn’t like not being on schedule, and the rest of the crew seemed short on patience. Moods were sour, and the men weren’t at their best, and there was Bayden, escorting the sheriff around, anyway.
I shoved Quinn’s hand away.
“Leave me be and let me wallow in my misery.”
“You can’t be miserable. You’ve got one amazing brother.” He pointed to himself. “And you were part of the crew that built the Guild Creative Center in Aspen Cove.” Quinn’s infectious smile lit up his face. “What could you possibly be so sullen about?”
“That was a sweet build.” I thought about Aspen Cove and wondered if it was time to move. The town was charming, and there was no Kandra at Bishop’s Brewhouse.
I turned away, but Quinn fell into step beside me.
“It’s about her, isn’t it? Kandra?”
Without a word, I pulled open the bathroom door. Quinn backed off a step, and I walked inside, locking the door behind me. I could only hope he’d get the hint to leave.