Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43
“T here’s no way to know if he’s lying or not.” Paige stood on her deck, looking over the water. Blake had been gone a week now, and going back to her hermit ways had been so easy.
Stormy cursed on the other side of the phone. “I’m sorry you’re going through this. Have you talked to him?”
“No. He’s called me a bunch, and he sends me a text every day telling me that he loves and misses me. But I haven’t responded or answered. Lukas did call me though to try to convince me to talk to him.”
“Why?”
“Because he seems to think that Blake is telling the truth.”
“Where is Blake now? Do you know?”
“Yeah, he’s staying on Mackinac with other friends.”
“And is Debbie there?”
“If she was, Lukas wouldn’t be standing up for him.” In her mind, she knew this logically, but she still couldn’t ignore what they had.
“So I’ve listened to your whole story now. Do you want my opinion?”
“Stormy, I always want your opinion.”
“Okay, so the way I see it, everyone talks about Debbie being the love of his life, but he went on a work trip, and she was there. She dumped her hubby and probably wanted to get back together with him, but he’s not with her right now, is he?”
“No.”
“Everyone who knows him is telling you to trust him, and based on what I can see, I’m telling you the same thing. If something really had happened between them, he’d be with her, not moping at a friend’s house. You need to let your guard down a little and just be happy with him.”
“But I don’t know if I trust him or not.”
“Why? Because of Emery? They are not the same people, and you know it. Give him a chance to prove that. He sounds like a good guy who once upon a time had bad taste in women. Go, embrace what you have. Not many people get that.”
Maybe Stormy was right. Paige had missed him terribly since he’d left. She said goodbye and looked at the phone.
One phone call and he’d be on his way back to her.
But she didn’t want to call him. She wanted to see him. To look in his eyes and make sure he was telling the truth. Then she’d know for sure.
She slipped into the house and stared at the keys hanging on the rack by the door.
She hadn’t driven since the accident, and she wasn’t sure she was ready now, but she had to see him.
She plucked the keys off the rack and grabbed her purse. She opened the garage door to the small SUV that had taunted her the last few months. She slid into the driver’s seat and waited.
Was she ready for this?
She tapped the ON button and felt the engine start up. Then she put her hands on the wheel.
She could do this.