Page 58 of Blame it on the Kiss
He chuckled. “Do I regret not marrying Veronica? Yes and no. She ended up marrying a great guy and they’ve got a boatload of grandkids. Do I regret all the days I spent with her? No. Hell no. Some of my greatest memories are of the two of us. So you see, there’s good wrapped up in things we might regret, too.
“I’ve learned to wake up with the conviction that I’m better than my past. And you are too, Sunshine.”
She blinked back tears. “I can’t… I don’t…” She’d gotten so used to the idea that she couldn’t commit to anything for the long haul that she didn’t believe anything else. She and Bryce had said goodbye on good terms. But if there was the possibility of more… “I’ll fail him. I know I will.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. Fish are very simple creatures.”
The corners of her mouth lifted up. Tuck smiled in return before he said, “So are men.”
Yes, but she wasn’t.
Tuck studied her. “I can see your mind working between what if’s and what not’s and whether or not you deserve to be happy. You do, Sunshine. For a long time now, you’ve been lost, and here’s what I want you to do.
“Find yourself in the present. See the possibilities right in front of you and hold on tight to the ones you want to keep.”
She let all his words sink in. She did that already, didn’t she? Lived impulsively and for fun. Independent and uninhibited.
“Regret isn’t real,” Tuck said. “It’s something invented to punish ourselves.”
Thathit her like a two hundred pound punching bag. Shewasstill punishing herself for what happened with Lance.
“So,” he said standing up, and slapping his hands on his thighs. “You eat yet? How about some French toast?”
“Sounds good.” She followed him into the kitchen where he shared more stories that centered around his lack of clothing.
And for the first time in a very long while, she didn’t feelallthe weight of her mistakes on her shoulders.
She left Tuck’s a little while later for her antique store so she wouldn’t have to face Shirley again. The floor shined like new. Danny had put her shelves together. “Pay, it’s starting to look really good in here.” Her painted wall still looked like it had been brushed with kid fingers instead of bristles, but if she squinted, it didn’t look half bad. She plopped down in the middle of the room to soak it all in just as her cell rang.
“Hello?” she said with hesitancy. She didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello. Is Honor Mitchell there please?”
“This is she.”
“Hi, Honor. My name is Beth Rhodes and I was hoping to hire you. Bryce Bishop gave me your number.”
Caught off guard and a little confused, she didn’t answer right away.
“I’m sorry,” Beth said, “Did I catch you in the middle of something? I’m happy to call back later.”
“Uh, no. No.” She jumped to her feet and went to her desk. “Now’s fine. How do you know Bryce?”
“He represents my husband. He was at the house this morning for a meeting and we got on the topic of antiques since I’ve been hoping to find a chest from the Victorian era similar to the one my great grandmother had. Bryce mentioned you were the best antique dealer on the west coast.”
Honor didn’t know what to say. She could barely catch her breath.
“Hello?”
She scrambled for a pen and paper. “Yes. I’m here. Let me just write down your name and number and if you could email me exactly what you’re looking for, I’d be happy to help you out.”
“That’s wonderful. Thank you.”
Beth recited her phone number and Honor shared her email address. She asked for Honor’s fee next and Honor spit out the first number to come to mind. A ridiculously high hourly rate she wished she could take back the moment she heard it aloud, but Beth simply said that sounded great.
Wow. Honor put her phone on the desk and brought her hands to her face, covering her mouth and nose in utter surprise and…excitement. She had her first real client thanks to Bryce.
She smiled against her palms. His faith in her made her believe anything was possible.
