Page 38 of Yard Sale

Taking a deep breath, I turned to look at him. We’d found a quiet spot that was out of the way of all the passengers hurrying down to their cars, and he was now leaning against the railing with his cane in his hand and his dark glasses over his eyes.

“Can I give you a ride, or⁠—”

“My brother’s picking me up,” he said.

I think I knew that. I think he’d said something about checking his bags, but I hadn’t been paying close enough attention to him at the time.

He had all my attention now. Every atom of it.

“Okay. Well.” I rocked back on my heels, then stared at the winding staircase that was finally free of people. “I should, uh… My car’s at the front, so…”

“Yeah, no. Of course.” His body stiffened, and he tilted toward me almost like he was going to reach for me before stopping himself.

It shouldn’t have felt like a rejection. It shouldn’t have hurt.

But it did.

“See you,” I said, then froze. Was that insensitive?

The corners of his lips tilted upward into a half smile. “Yeah. See you.”

I didn’t know if he was making a joke or not, so I just turned, and with deliberately heavy footsteps, I walked away. There was a weight on my shoulders as I made my way down to the cars, and throwing my bags into the back seat, I slid behind the wheel and held it tight.

It would be another ten minutes before we were allowed to drive off, so I couldn’t help but turn in my seat to try and see him. I had no view of the top deck from my car though, so instead I pulled out my phone and glanced at the text I’d sent myself.

It was an eggplant emoji because if I was anything at all, I was a little shit that wanted to remind him of what we had. Of what we probably wouldn’t have again.

Groaning, I dropped my forehead against the steering wheel and tried deep breaths as I waited for the all clear to start my car. It was taking a thousand years, and I was half-convinced I’d have my first grey hair before the engines around me began to fire up.

The ferry eventually stopped moving though, and an eternity later, the front dropped down, and I was being waved out.

The parking lot was huge and mostly empty. On the far right side, there were lines of cars waiting to load up, and too many cars were idling behind me for me to be allowed to linger.

Only…I couldn’t make myself go. Something in my gut said to wait. I pulled out of the queue and drove toward the parking lot, grabbing an empty space near the passenger pickup, and put the engine in park.

There were cars in the pickup circle, and a few people were milling around, and I wondered which one belonged to Tiago’s brother. He was a professional hockey player, so his brother probably drove something nice.

Was he in the black BMW SUV? The Caddy?

I wasn’t really a car guy, but I appreciated luxury, and I think the fact that I was always grateful for what I got was the only reason my dad bought me a Range Rover for my twenty-third birthday. The thing purred like a kitten because I treated it like one.

I wondered if Tiago’s family appreciated him at all. He got weird when he talked about them, so I was betting no.

My phone buzzed, and I jolted, snatching it from the cup holder, but it wasn’t Tiago. Three texts were waiting for me.

Dad: Did you arrive on time?

Soma: We’re going to be late. My sister is having a crisis. We’ll be there on Wednesday. Please don’t starve to death before we can take over the kitchen.

Leon: Are we ever going to talk about us?

Oh, fucking really? He was texting me now too? Seeing my ex’s name gave me immediate indigestion, and I knew right then I should block him. Hell, I’d known that for a while, but I couldn’t make myself push that button.

I wasn’t actually a glutton for punishment, and I didn’t enjoy humiliation even in a kinky way. So why couldn’t I just do it and end the madness?

My phone buzzed again.

Leon: I have a box of your things. Where can I send it?