Real Men Don't Quit(38)

“I was j-just offering you a place until you got back on your feet.” Somehow she forced the words out of a throat raw with unshed tears. “I w-wasn’t expecting anything in return.” Oh God, why couldn’t she keep the stutter from her voice?

Luke stared grimly at her. “This afternoon I regained a big chunk of my self-respect. I’m not going to squander it by mooching off you.”

Gulping, she made herself flick back her hair. “Who said anything about mooching? I expect you to share expenses.”

“Tyler”

He rubbed his hands across his face, emerging with an exhausted expression that made her lungs constrict. Was she just the final item on his list to be ticked off before he made his escape? She had only been a pleasant interlude, a bonus that came with the agent’s house, and now that he’d split with his agent he didn’t want to hang around anymore.

Luke was the rolling stone who traveled light. Whatever couldn’t fit in his car had to be ditched. How could she and Chloe, with all their clutter, hope to squeeze into his Range Rover? Big dummy. From the start she’d known they didn’t have a future together, but somehow she’d forgotten and stupidly allowed herself to fall in love with him. It wasn’t his fault. He’d never given her any false promises, and she wouldn’t let him regret the little time they’d spent together by laying yet another messy breakup on him.

“Where will you go?” As soon as she spoke, her stomach dropped. She’d accepted he was leaving. She wouldn’t make things uglier for him.

His eyebrows drew together in a grim frown. He didn’t look as relieved as she thought he would. “I’ll probably go back to my mother’s house for now.”

“Makes sense.” She gripped her hands behind her back, digging her fingernails into her palms. “Now that you don’t have to write your sequel. And you still need to sort out your father.”

“Yes.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled a deep gust. “Tyler, I’m sorry—”

“For what? Leaving?” She lifted her shoulders. “I always knew sooner or later you were going to, so there’s no need to apologize.”

“Don’t be so bloody understanding.”

“Would you rather I made a scene?” Her fingernails were so embedded in her flesh her palms must be bleeding, but she kept her gaze on him, determined not to lose her composure, her dignity.

“Maybe.”

“I’d oblige, but Chloe’s dozing in the living room, and I don’t want her upset.”

He grimaced, eyes pitch black. “I feel like a coward leaving without saying good-bye to her.”

“She’s young. A week from now, she won’t remember.”

The lines bracketing his mouth deepened. “Maybe I’ll drop in sometime when I’m settled—”

“Don’t,” she said more sharply than she’d intended. “You’re leaving, and that’s fine. I always knew we were temporary. But don’t confuse matters by dropping in.”

He compressed his lips. “I thought we could at least still be friends.”

Friends! How dare he? Here she was breaking up inside like a leaf in a storm, and he wanted to be friends? To hell with that, she felt like yelling at him. But he didn’t know how she really felt about him; she had broken the rules, not he.

“We can be cyber friends if you like. After all, you won’t be at your mother’s place for long. You’ll be wandering off soon, I expect.”

“I suppose so.” His eyes grew even bleaker, and she wished she could read his mind. What was he thinking? Would she ever understand him? He squared his shoulders. “I guess this is good-bye, then.”

Her knees trembled, and she had to lean against the door to stop herself from crumpling. “Yeah” She wrung the syllable past the spiked knot in her throat.

He hesitated, his unreadable eyes pinned on her. Did he want to kiss her? Pat her shoulder? Shake her hand? Damn it, she didn’t want any of that. Summoning all her strength, she stepped back, away from him, and held on to the door.

“Look after yourself,” she said in a dry rasp.

“You too.” Still, he hesitated as if he couldn’t let her go.

Hurt and anger crashed through her. She wouldn’t stand here with bated breath waiting for his final words.

“Good night, Luke.”

She shut the door in his face, once and for all.





Chapter Fourteen

“You’ve been working too long,” Aunt Daphne said as she popped her head into Tyler’s workshop. “I’ve made us some tea. Why don’t you take a break?”

Stretching out the crick in her back, Tyler gave her aunt a rueful grimace. “Okay, but just a quick one.”

“Oh, your poor hands!” Aunt Daphne exclaimed as she set the mugs on Tyler’s workbench. She picked up Tyler’s hands and inspected the blisters and shorn nails, concern filling her expression. “Love, what have you been doing to yourself?”

Just trying to get over a broken heart by filling in all my waking hours. Damn, what a horrible cliché she’d become. Disentangling her hands, she picked up the mug and sipped at her tea.

“I need to get this done.” She gestured to the workbench littered with bits and bobs for her jewelry making. “Since Crystal Kerrigan reneged on her custom piece, I’ve decided to take it apart and make a lot of smaller pieces I can sell.”

Aunt Daphne pulled up a stool next to her. It was the weekend, and her aunt had come over to mind Chloe while Tyler worked.

“Crystal was dumped from that celebrity dancing show she was supposed to host. That’s why she didn’t want your jewelry anymore. Not that that excuses her behavior. She should still have paid for it.”

Tyler shrugged. “I don’t care anymore.” There was a lot she didn’t care about anymore, ever since she’d shut the door on Luke two weeks ago. She hadn’t expected it would hurt so much, but the past weeks had been a lesson in mental torture. Only working on her jewelry gave her any relief. “I need the money.”

“I see you’ve finally got your car fixed at least.”

The mug wobbled in her grip and some tea splashed onto her workbench. “Yes,” Tyler said, concentrating on mopping up the spill.

The Monday after Luke had left, a mobile car service mechanic had turned up on her doorstep and told her he’d been sent to fix her car, the bill already taken care of. She’d contemplated telling the guy to bugger off, but in the end practical considerations overrode her pride, and she told him to go ahead. She needed a car, and if Luke wanted to salve his conscience by fixing her clunker, then she wouldn’t complain.

“Is everything okay, love? You seem so distracted these past few weeks.”

“Oh, it’s the store,” she improvised. “Now that Ally’s on honeymoon I’ve had to work extra shifts.” Not that she minded, as it helped distract her from brooding over Luke for too long. “And I’ve had a couple of phone calls from Gretchen, too.”

“I see.” Her aunt set down her tea mug and eyed her cautiously. “She still wants to see Chloe?”

When it came to Gretchen and her demands, Aunt Daphne had always been curiously neutral, refusing to criticize her as much as Tyler hoped.

“She wants Chloe to stay a weekend at her farm. Naturally, I refused.” She compacted her lips at the memory of Gretchen’s hectoring request.

“Hmm.” Aunt Daphne took another sip of tea.

“Instead, I offered to take Chloe there for a few hours one Sunday afternoon.”

“Oh.” Her aunt’s face broke into a smile. “That’s so kind of you. I’m glad you’re working things out with Gretchen.”

“As long as she drops this insane idea that I’d ever give Chloe up to her.”

“I think she knows that’s wishful thinking. It’s good you’re learning to cope with Gretchen. One day hopefully you’ll be able to forgive your mother, too.”

Tyler inhaled sharply. “Why do you have to bring her up?”

“Because you’ve never forgiven her for putting you in foster care, and that clouds your entire relationship with Gretchen and Chloe.”

“Why should I forgive her?”

“Some people are simply not made to be parents, especially single parents, and your mother is an extreme case. After your father died, she went to pieces. She couldn’t cope with you, maybe because you reminded her too much of him. Your mother was well aware of her shortcomings, almost too aware. She worried she’d start abusing you if you remained with her. So she did what she thought was best. She put you in foster care, knowing you’d be safer away from her.”

Hurt and bitterness filled Tyler’s lungs to bursting. “And that excuses her lack of feeling?”

“NoI don’t know why she couldn’t love you.” Tears filled her aunt’s eyes. “I would have taken you gladly with all my heart, but I wasn’t here at the time. I’m sorry for that.”

Aunt Daphne had been nursing a sick husband overseas and had only returned after his death. Tyler stood and hugged her. “Don’t be. I’m so grateful you rescued me in the end.”