Chapter 24 Eliza #2
I wrapped my arms around myself. “Graham came by this morning.” I opened my mouth, searching for a way to explain, but the words tangled up.
The truth felt heavy, like a stone pressing on my chest. “I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently,” I managed.
“I thought if I kept quiet, it would all just fade away on its own. That’s why I never said anything to anybody about him. ”
Her face darkened. “What did he say?”
“He apologized. Sort of.” I hesitated. “But it felt fake. Like he was warning me more than anything.”
Cara straightened. “He threatened you?”
“No, not directly. But he made it clear he knows people are talking. And he doesn’t like being embarrassed.” I hesitated. “And I think he blames me.”
“Eliza—”
“He was awful when we dated,” I said quietly.
“Mean. Controlling. Always making me feel like I owed him. That I was lucky he chose me to be with.” I bit my lip, anxiety twisting in my stomach.
“I just—every time I think it’s over, he finds a way to remind me it isn’t.
” My voice was barely a whisper. “It’s like he’s always lurking in the background, waiting for me to slip up. ”
Cara’s face crumpled for a second, then set. “I wish you had told us. I wish I had known. Oh, Eliza, I’m so sorry—”
My breath stuttered in my throat, the old memories scraping raw at the edges.
I hadn’t meant to say so much, hadn’t planned on letting it spill out, but Cara’s steady presence made it impossible to keep everything locked inside.
The silence between us felt safe, almost protective, as if nothing Graham said or did could reach me here.
For the briefest moment, I let myself lean into that comfort, wishing it could last.
“I didn’t want to deal with the fallout,” I admitted. “Or the pity. Or the I-told-you-so from my mother over dating an older man. And now I have a chance with Nate, and I’m scared that if Graham decides to be vindictive, he’ll hurt the Pennywhistle. Or Nate. Or both.”
Cara leaned across the counter and covered my hand with hers. “Then we don’t let him.”
I blinked. “What?”
“We don’t let him scare you. Or hurt Nate.
Or make you feel like you’re alone in this.
” Her voice shook. “You’re not.” She squeezed my hand a little tighter, her eyes fierce with determination.
“We stand together, Eliza. No matter what he tries, we’ll protect you.
You’re not alone, please believe it.” The words settled around me, heavy and reassuring, like a warm blanket against the chill of old fears.
I swallowed hard.
“You have us,” she said firmly. “Piper and Paige are probably planning another takedown as we speak. And Lucy and I will do anything to help, too. We’re not going anywhere. He can’t hurt you now that you’re home with your family. I promise. We’re here, let us be. Okay? Please.”
Something cracked open in my chest—something small and lonely and scared.
I squeezed her hand.
And for the first time in a long time, I believed I would be okay.
Cara didn’t let go of my hand.
“I mean it,” she said, her voice softer now. “You’re not alone, Eliza. You never were. Even when you didn’t tell us what was going on, we were here for you. We are here.”
I looked down at our hands on the counter—hers warm and steady, mine pale and trembling.
“I thought maybe if I didn’t say it out loud, it would stay small. Contained.” I shook my head. “But it wasn’t. Not even close.”
Cara’s eyes shimmered. “Why him? Do you feel like talking about it?”
I let out a humorless breath. “He was polished. Confident. Everyone liked him. I think I wanted to believe he liked me the same way. He made everyone else feel—seen. Chosen. I wanted that.” My voice wavered.
“But then he made me feel like I had to earn everything. His approval. His attention. Even the right to break up with him.”
Cara flinched. “That’s not love.”
“I know that now. It’s why I left and came here. I had to get away. I have no idea what his game is now.”
We sat with that for a minute. The hum of the espresso machine. The soft sound of a car driving off after I handed them their order. Sunlight shifted across the floor in golden stripes.
“Can I say something kind of sisterly and slightly unhinged?” Cara asked finally.
She leaned in closer, her presence keeping me together.
The quiet comfort between us felt stronger than words, filling the empty spaces I’d carried for so long.
For the first time, the weight of what I’d been through didn’t seem so impossible to bear.
“Always.”
“I want to egg his car. Or slash his tires. Or write fake reviews about how his risotto tastes like vinegar and smells like feet.”
A laugh burst out of me. “Risotto of Remorse.”
“Exactly. Served with a side of ‘this man peaked in high school.’”
I sniffled, then smiled. “Thank you.”
She squeezed my hand again. “Also, you and Nate?”
I blushed.
“I saw the way he looked at you at the grand opening,” she said with a teasing lilt. “Like he’d fight a bear for you. Or a restaurant snob. Same thing.”
“He’s a good man.”
“You deserve good. You deserve the world.”
Her words landed like a balm I didn’t know I needed.
“Is Graham going to let this go? You knew him. What do you think?” I cleared my throat. “Do you think Piper and Paige were too much?”
Cara snorted. “I mean, they annihilated him. They were absolutely too much. But in the best way. You should’ve seen Paige when Graham tried to talk about wine pairings. She raised her hand like the restaurant was a classroom and asked if pretentiousness was a grape variety.”
I laughed again, louder this time.
Cara grinned. “Then Piper faked a Yelp review out loud. It started with, ‘I came for the steak, but I stayed for the misplaced arrogance.’”
“Oh my god.”
“I’ve never been prouder to be a Darlington. It’s gonna be fine.”
I wiped my eyes, laughing and crying in equal measure. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you guys.”
Cara’s smile softened again. “You’re our baby sister. We love you. You were born. That’s it. That’s all it took.”
A car pulled up to the drive-thru, and I composed myself, ready to greet the next customer.
Cara stood, brushing imaginary crumbs from her skirt. “You know where to find me if you need to disappear into a pile of used paperbacks and unsent therapy texts.”
“I might take you up on that.”
“Do. Anytime. We can alphabetize our trauma over hot mugs of tea.” She hugged me, then brushed my hair back over my shoulder. “I’m going to take care of you, Eliza. Like I should have been doing all along. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
“What do you mean, take care of me?”
“It’s not for you to worry about. I got you, okay?”
And I stood behind the counter, hands still trembling, but heart a little steadier. She was probably going to come back tomorrow with a stack of books to help me sort out my life.
I helped the waiting customer then stood behind the counter long after everyone had left, hands still trembling, heart steadier than it had been all day. I loved her for that—for the way she showed up, no questions asked, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I would let my sisters love me, I decided. I would let them stand close. But I couldn’t let them stand in the line of fire.
Graham didn’t get to the top of Portland’s restaurant scene by being careless or kind, and I knew better than to underestimate what he was capable of when he felt cornered. If this was going to end, it had to be because I faced him myself.
Outside, the Coffee Cabin lights hummed softly against the dark, and I drew in a breath, squaring my shoulders as I tried to figure out what to do.