The San Diego Mom buyback went smoothly, which helped ease my mind about taking the next day off. However, for the rest of the day, Eden was quiet and kept to herself. Had I not been so busy, I might've gone to her to make sure she was all right, but every time I finished one thing, another was brought to my attention. When she didn't come to my office at a quarter till five like she always did to ask if I needed anything before she went home, I closed down my computer and went to her.
"I'm getting ready to leave … are you still working?"
She shook her head, keeping her back to me, but other than that, she didn't say anything.
"Okay. So are you about ready to get out of here."
This time, she nodded, but again, said nothing.
"Are you okay, Eden?" I stepped farther into her office and only stopped when she held up her hand.
"I'm okay." Tears filled her voice, and it worried me.
I moved to the side of her desk and took a look at her, concerned by the fact she'd been crying. "What happened?"
"It's fine, Dane. Nothing to worry about. It's personal, and nothing I can't deal with." She tried to smile, although it was weak and lifeless. "I'll be okay. I just need to go home and get some sleep. I'll be back to normal tomorrow."
"Speaking of tomorrow … I won't be here. I have … uh, I have some business to take care of and it should take all day. So I'll need you to fill in for me in case someone needs something right away."
She wiped her face and grabbed her purse off the back of her chair. "Yup. Sounds good."
I didn't want to leave her like this, but I wasn't sure what else to do. She'd erected her walls again, reverting to not speaking of personal matters to me. "Okay. Well, I have to get going. I have a lot to do at home before tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
"I'm sure. Go, Dane. You don't need to wait around for me. You're a busy man."
I nodded but stood back to wait for her. We walked out of the building together, neither saying a word. And when she headed toward her car, I went to mine. It didn't sit well with me, but I was resigned to the fact there wasn't much I could do if she wouldn't let me. But still, it festered for the rest of the evening, which made packing and cleaning take that much longer.
Which also meant I didn't get much sleep.
My alarm went off bright and early the next morning. Moving day was here and encouraged me to get out of bed. Like every morning, I went out to the balcony and leaned over the banister to take in the sight of the pier. This would be the last time I'd get to see the spot where I'd fallen in love with Eden. It was a little bittersweet, yet also slightly painful and worrisome.
I was giving it up for a chance of having a new beginning with her, but with the way things had been between us, and how I'd left her yesterday after work, I began to question if I'd made the right decision. Yes, my choice to move on and look toward the future with Eden was right. But it was how I'd gone about it that made me apprehensive. Nothing had gone right between us all week. The fight, the avoidance, inadvertently leading her to believe I was embarking on a new life without her.
It was all too much.
But today was the day I'd get everything in place so I could set the record straight.
Since I didn't have much more than personal effects to move, I'd rented a small truck and was able to get everything moved in one trip. While I waited for the furniture to be delivered, I headed to the condo to do one final sweep, making sure I'd gotten everything out, and cleaned up what little mess I'd made this morning.
Once the furniture was brought to the house and set up, everything else was easy. Unpacking helped the time move quickly, and I found myself impatient for the day to be over. I finally had everything put away and cleaned up just in time to grab a beer from my newly stocked fridge and head out to the dock. As soon as I sat down with my legs dangling over the edge, ready to take my first swig of the cold beer, my phone vibrated in my pocket. My heart clenched when I saw it was a text from Eden.
Will you be back in the office tomorrow?
I was a little stunned that she'd reached out to me, considering she hadn't done that since before everything went to hell in a hand basket. But I didn't waste any time responding.
Yeah. Why? Do you need something?
It took her a few minutes to reply. But once she did, I began to worry.
I don't think I'll be able to make it in. Just wanted to make sure you were gonna be there.
I immediately began to blow her phone up with questions, wondering if she was okay, if she was sick, if there was anything she needed. But she never answered. By my third beer, I'd gone beyond obsessing over her, and had even tried to call her, which proved to be unsuccessful. Rather than leave her a message, I chose to go back to texts. If she wouldn't answer, then I'd just have to type everything out, knowing she'd at least read it.