Garnet Flats (The Edens)

“You’ve got Vivi. Leave a message. Beep. Wait. Did you think that was the actual beep? Gotcha.”

I chuckled. “Hey, it’s me. Was hoping to catch you. I’ve got dinner plans tonight, so I won’t call at the normal time. I’m not sure when I’ll be free. So if I don’t get to talk to you, have a good night. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”

I hung up and set the phone on the coffee table. The scent of glass cleaner and whatever solution came with the Swiffer WetJet filled the apartment. From the moment I’d walked through the door from the hospital, I’d spent every minute cleaning.

Painting had been put on pause.

“What else?” Jesus, this place was empty. Tomorrow morning, I was ordering a dining set. Eating at the coffee table wasn’t a long-term option. And I needed window shades.

Granted, the view beyond the glass was beautiful. Darkness had already fallen, the days short this time of year, but tonight’s sunset had been breathtaking. The yellow and orange sky had reminded me of my favorite lemon and tangerine sherbet. I’d stopped cleaning long enough to take a picture and send it to Kadence and Jasper.

Still, even with the sunset, maybe curtains or blinds would make it feel homier. Decorating wasn’t my forte. Vivienne had taken charge of our house in Vegas, and I had no doubt that when she came to visit, she’d roll her eyes and demand my credit card so she could shop.

I walked to the gym, going to a window that gave a better view of the road. It was six forty-five and there was still no sign of Talia. I’d run into town to pick up pizza earlier. She hadn’t come and gone while I’d been away, had she?

Or maybe she wasn’t coming at all.

No, she’d come. She wanted me out of town badly enough to show tonight.

What the hell was I going to say? I’d spent years dreaming of this opportunity. One would think I’d have my speech prepared.

“Shit.” I rubbed a hand over my beard. My body felt like it was coming apart and my heart was beating too fast.

How did I tell her the truth? How did I start? There was no gentle way to do this. Maybe I could just start with the crux of it all.

That I was a fucking fool.

What I wouldn’t give for some equipment right now. Just something to punch. That’s when I was the most centered. When I had a target.

I strode to the middle of the room, to the space where I’d set up the ring once it arrived. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands, balling them into fists. Then I shifted my feet, getting into a good fighting stance, before I let my jab fly.

Pop. Pop. I followed both punches with a right hook.

I bent my knees, sinking into the balls of my feet and did it again. Jab. Jab. Hook. Then I added an uppercut and winced when a pinch came beneath my shoulder blade.

“Ah.” I rolled my left arm in a wide circle, loosening the muscles.

Jasper would have my ass if I injured myself while I was renovating this place.

I bounced on my toes a couple times, not exactly agile in my boots, but there was familiarity in the movements. Then I did the same combination again. Jab. Jab. Hook. Uppercut. No pinch this time.

“Thank fuck.”

I moved around in a circle, shadowboxing until some of the jitters eased. Then I took a long breath, filling my lungs until they burned.

Just lay it out there.

Whatever it takes.

My only job tonight was to share with Talia what I should have told her years ago.

The truth.

Headlights swept the wall and I hustled out the door, waiting on the landing as Talia parked beside my truck.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she rounded the hood. “A guy cut his hand open while he was working in his shop this afternoon, and I got caught up at the ER.”

“It’s fine. He okay?”

She nodded. “It was a pretty deep cut. I did my best to sew it back together. He’ll have a scar.”

“But he still has a hand.”

“Yeah.”

I held the door open for her. “Then I’d say it was a win.”

She stared up at me, and for the first time since I’d come to Quincy, there wasn’t any anger or resentment in her eyes. Talia just looked . . . exhausted.

She slipped past me, walking into the gym and taking the same path she had before, lapping the room. “You’ve been busy.”

“It’s been an undertaking.” I closed the door, hanging back and giving her plenty of space.

She went to the orange wall, trailing her fingers along the surface. Her shoulders were slumped, her ponytail hanging loose.

“You’re tired,” I said.

“I’ve had a hard time sleeping this week.” She moved to the paint buckets, examining the dot of color on the lids. “Didn’t want to keep the orange, huh?”

“It’s hideous.” I grimaced. “Should we do this another night?”

“No.” She stood tall and turned, her spine stiffening. “You’ll really leave if I ask you to go?”

“Yes.” I jerked my chin toward the apartment, leading the way. “Mind if we eat on the couch? It’s that or stand at the kitchen counter.”

“The couch is fine.” Inside, she stripped off her coat, laying it over an armrest. “I didn’t have time to go home and change.”

I walked to the kitchen, flipping open the pizza box. “Your scrubs are fine.”

“I don’t wear much else these days.” She took a seat, undoing the tie on her hair. “Good thing I look decent in blue.”

Decent? She was fucking stunning.

I stood frozen, afraid to blink because I’d miss it as she fixed her ponytail.

She was here, in my home. She was real, wearing scrubs from a long day’s work. Her fingernails were short because she’d never been a woman to fuss over manicures. No jewelry because she didn’t need it to make her sparkle.

She glanced over, caught me staring.

I jerked my gaze away, reaching for the paper plates I’d picked up with the pizza. “I don’t have anything fancy.”

“I don’t need fancy.”

No, she didn’t.

Except I’d thought she’d needed fancy. Or maybe that was just me. It had been my own hidden desire for an expensive life that had pushed me over the edge.

I plated a couple of slices, then took them over, setting them on the coffee table. “Water? Or Gatorade?”

“Water, please.”

I grabbed two bottles from the cooler, then a couple of paper towels for napkins, joining her on the sofa.

“You don’t use the fridge?” she asked.

“I opened it last week. Took a whole day with the windows open to clear out the stink. So instead of trying to figure out what died inside, I bought a new one. Should get here Friday.”

“Ah.” She nodded, taking a bite.

I did the same.

She chewed.

I chewed.

She took another bite.

So did I.

She didn’t look at me.

But all I could stare at was her profile.

A memory came rushing back, of the two of us at this small hole-in-the-wall pizzeria in Vegas. It hadn’t been long after we’d started dating. Before that day, I hadn’t realized that a woman could have a sexy chew.

But the way her lips moved, the flex in her jaw and cheeks. Another memory hit, this one of her taking me in her mouth. My cock twitched behind my jeans and I shifted to hide the growing bulge.

“How was Seattle?” I asked.

She glanced over, her eyebrows raised. “I’m not here for casual conversation, Foster.”

“Humor me while we eat.”

She sighed. “Seattle was rainy. School was time consuming, so I didn’t get out much, but I struggled with the gray days in winter.”

“You always liked the sunshine.” It was the reason she’d moved to Vegas for undergrad. “Remember that time we went hiking, and on the way down, we found that rattlesnake in the path?”

“Oh, don’t remind me.” She shivered. “I hate snakes.”

“You made us wait until it slithered off. By the time we made it to the car, I was burnt to a crisp.”

“I told you to wear sunscreen.”

“There’s always a bottle in my truck. I learned my lesson.”

The corner of her mouth turned up as she chewed. Not a smile, but the beginning of one.

There she is. There’s my girl.

Maybe if I could talk about the good times, it would help ease the sting from the bad.

“I stayed at The Eloise last week. Nice place. Saw your sister at the coffee shop.”

Her eyes widened, and when she spoke, her words were muffled with food. “Lyla?”

“She had another girl at the counter, so I didn’t actually talk to her. You don’t look as similar as I thought you would.” Having only seen Talia’s twin in photos, I’d thought they would be more identical.

“What do you mean?”

“She was actually smiling. Laughing. She didn’t have a murderous scowl on her face.”

“My murderous scowl is reserved for you. Other people consider me quite pleasant. And I’ve been told my bedside manner is unmatched.”

I chuckled, some of my nerves settling. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard, not if we could tease each other.

“Want another slice?” I stood and collected the box, bringing it to the coffee table. Then I took another slice while she did the same. “Do you like the hospital here?”

“I do. But I’m still trying to prove myself.”

“To who?”

“Everyone. I’m an Eden. My family founded this town generations ago. Most people have known me since I was a kid, including my boss and most of the tenured nurses. Not everyone looks at me and sees the adult I’ve become.”

The defeat in her voice was enough to give me a murderous scowl of my own. How could anyone not look at her and see a brilliant and capable woman?

“I used to babysit Dr. Herrera’s kids when I was in high school,” she said. “Every once in a while, he’ll call me kiddo. The patient tonight, the guy who cut his hand, asked if there was someone else to stitch him up. When I said no, he said he didn’t mean any offense, but he remembers me as a cheerleader when his son was on the football team.”

Asshole. Was that why she looked so tired? “Sorry.”

“That’s life in a small town. But it’s a good town. A great place for kids to grow up.”

I was counting on it.

Talia finished eating before me. She set her plate aside, balled up her napkin, and when she faced me, the casual conversation portion of our evening was over. “Why did you buy that ring?”

I set my own plate aside. “Because I couldn’t stand the idea of it being on any other woman’s hand. That ring is yours. Always has been. So I bought it. Promised myself if I ever saw you again, I’d give it to you.”

“You spent thousands of dollars just in case we’d see each other again?”

“Yes.” That ring was the most expensive purchase I’d ever made up to that point in my life. “I’d like you to have it.”

“I can’t.” She shook her head. “I just . . . I can’t. Sell it. Give the money to charity.”

Never.

Either she kept it.

Or I would.

“So.” She shifted again, straightening. I’d spent my life reading body language. Looking for the strike. Looking for my opponent’s tell. Talia was stiff, like she was ready to take a blow. “Your explanation.”

Just lay it out there.

Whatever it takes.

I opened my mouth, ready to delve into the past, but my phone rang on the coffee table, the chime at full volume because I hadn’t wanted to miss any calls while I’d been working on this place. “Shit. Sorry.”

Vivienne’s face flashed on the screen. She had her tongue sticking out and her eyes were crossed. She called it her goofy face.

I declined it, then faced Talia again. But her eyes weren’t waiting for mine. They were locked on the screen. On Vivi’s picture.

“Do you talk to her often?”

Shit. The honest answer wasn’t one she’d like. “Yes. Every day.”

“But you’re divorced.”

“Vivienne is my friend. We’re no longer married, but she’s part of my life.” She’d been my ally through years of hell.

A crease formed between Talia’s eyebrows.

“Hey.” I scooted closer, reaching for her shoulder, but before I could touch her, she shot out of her seat and snagged her coat.

“I can’t do this,” she said as she flew through the apartment’s doorway.

Fuck. “Talia, wait.” I jumped to follow, jogging to catch her in the gym. When I tried to touch her elbow, she yanked it away. So I lengthened my strides, passing her to block the door.

“Move.” She sidestepped to the right.

I shifted too. “You said you’d let me explain.”

“Get out of the way.” She sidestepped again, and I followed. “Gah. Just let me go, Foster.”

“I haven’t let you go in seven years. I’m not starting tonight.”

She rocked back on her heels.

“Please, Tally. Stay. Let’s talk.” I took her shock as my opening, stepping closer. Then I lifted my hand, tracing my fingertips across her cheekbone. A current raced up my arm as she gasped.

Her eyes locked with mine, the blue pools swirling.

Yeah, she felt it too. Of course she’d feel it.

What we had wasn’t the type of connection that went away with time. This was the spark that lasted a lifetime. This was lightning. It knocked you on your ass to make sure you realized just how rare it was.

I leaned in closer, bending until our breaths mingled. My fingers slid into her hair. She didn’t push me away. She didn’t step back. Her eyes stayed locked with mine as I closed the gap between us.

Another inch and that mouth would be mine. Another inch and I’d get the kiss I craved with every fiber of my being.

Just another inch and—

The chime of my phone echoed from the apartment. My reaction was habit. I lifted my gaze.

And because I lost focus, Talia found her opening. She ducked under my arm and slipped out the door.

“Hell.” I let her leave. I let her get a head start while I took Vivienne’s call and put the pizza away. Then I drove into Quincy.

This round wasn’t over yet.