Coming Home(97)

“This thing with you and Danny,” Holly finally said, “I think your paths crossed for a reason. Maybe it was meant to be fleeting. Maybe you were just supposed to help each other move on from certain things in your past. Or maybe you’re supposed to be together forever.”

She looked up at Leah as she said, “I wish I could help you, but I don’t know what the right choice is, Leah. The only person who can figure that out is you. And you’re capable of doing it. I know you don’t think you are, but you need to stop doubting yourself. What happened with Scott wasn’t your fault. He was an opportunist. That doesn’t make you incompetent; it makes him an *.”

The corner of Leah’s mouth lifted in a smile as Holly said, “So you take some time to think about it, and you figure out what’s going to make you happiest, and then you do it.”

Leah kept her eyes on the floor as she nodded.

“And you know that whatever you choose, I’ll support you. No matter what happens.”

Leah smiled as she lifted her eyes. “I know. And thank you.”

“Of course,” Holly said. “You’re my girl, and I love you.”

“I know that too.”

Holly smiled before she looked down and tightened the last screw, and then she held up the board with the shelf she had just attached. She grinned triumphantly just as one side of the shelf disconnected, the plank of wood slipping until it was hanging awkwardly by one screw.

Leah pressed her lips together, fighting the laugh she felt bubbling up in her throat, and Holly closed her eyes before she took a deep breath, putting the board back on the floor.

“The things we put ourselves through for love,” she sighed as she picked up the screwdriver, and Leah nodded, wondering if it was really the entertainment center she was referring to.



Leah turned the corner and popped her head into the main office, saying good night to the secretaries before she made her way out to the parking lot. As soon as she was sheltered in the refuge of her car, she dropped her head back on the seat and exhaled heavily.

It had been over a week since Danny came to her apartment and told her everything, and with the exception of two “good night” texts, she hadn’t spoken to him at all. She missed him more than she was prepared to deal with, but she knew it would be unfair to continue calling him if she hadn’t yet figured out what she wanted.

But she thought of him all the time.

Work was the only thing that provided her with a reprieve; she’d gotten much better at putting on a happy face during the day, but as soon as she left school, her mind and her body began functioning as separate entities. Her body would be occupied with driving, or cooking, or cleaning, or getting ready for bed, operating entirely on autopilot as her mind surrendered to the thoughts of Danny she’d avoided all day.

She would imagine what it would feel like to be with him, reveling in the way he made her feel, the way he made her laugh, the way he touched her, the way they seemed to connect on every level, and she’d find herself swaying toward that decision. And then she’d imagine standing in a courtroom, watching Danny being led away through a set of doors she wasn’t allowed beyond, and her throat would instantly close up as she found herself retreating.

Leah opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in the rearview mirror. She didn’t want to go home, because she knew what was waiting there for her—another night of restless sleep after an endless battle of logic and emotion.

She sat up and started the car, pulling out onto the road and going in the opposite direction of her apartment.