7. Dawson
CHAPTER 7
DAWSON
I wake up to the devastating glare of the sun cutting through the curtains, an uninvited reminder that the world outside still exists. Yesterday, day five of heaven with Rosalie, the ice had started to melt. But I made my case for staying and it stretched the fantasy a little longer.
Today, I already know that won’t work.
This place will shift back into the Hollow Tree Inn in no time. I half expect to see tires crunching up the path at any minute. This week has been a taste of a life that could have been with Rosalie and it’s more than I ever imagined. But the spell is breaking and I’m not ready. Not now. Not ever.
With a sigh, I pull on clothes for the first time in days, the fabric stiff and foreign against my skin. I don’t love it. But the odds of someone who isn’t Rosalie walking through those doors are getting higher by the second.
I scan the room. It’s too quiet. Too empty.
Where is she? A flurry of movement followed by a flip of an orange tail catches my eye. “Cat, have you seen her?”
Cat, my reluctant, asshole of a roommate lifts his head from his nest on the armchair but offers no answers. Rosalie’s side of the bed is cold and that’s what really gets me moving.
I find her behind the front desk, hunched over the computer with her fingers tight on the mouse. Her forehead is lined with worry and her lips are pressed in a way that makes my chest go tight. The shift is here. I can feel it. The way the air between us isn’t charged with heat anymore, but something heavier can’t be a good sign. I don’t like what’s coming. Not one damn bit.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hi.”
I circle the desk, slipping my arms around her from behind. I press a kiss against the side of her neck. But I already know something is off. She feels stiff and distant… I don’t like it.
I continue, “What are you up to this morning?”
Rosalie exhales, her hands still on the keyboard. My stomach clenches because I already know the answer before she says it
“The only thing left to do, I’m getting ready to go back to my real life.”
The words cut straight through me and leave a hollow feeling in my chest. But I’m not going to let her walk away that easily. I’m going to stop this before it starts. I spin her chair so she’s facing me. Then plant both hands on her shoulders in an effort to anchor us into place.
“So don’t,” I say, firm but gentle. “Don’t leave. Let’s do this the right way this time. Me and you against the world.”
She shakes her head. Her eyes fill with something that twists in my gut like a blade. “Come on, Dawson. Don’t make this any harder than it already is... You don’t even have a plan,” she says, voice steadier than I’d like. “I looked. Your reservation here is for three months.” She gestures toward the computer like it’s the final nail in the coffin. “What am I supposed to do? Move in with you here at the inn?”
“What?” My head jerks back. “You're sticking with your plan and just taking off? You have no?—”
“No… right?” Her voice rises, heat flaring in her eyes. “I have no right to question the plans of the man who put me in second place to his plans for the entirety of our marriage?”
I flinch. “That isn’t at all what I was going to say, but clearly you aren’t done.” I fold my arms across my chest.
“We tried this before, Dawson. It didn’t work and I told you from the moment you arrived that I was on my way out of this life.” She presses a hand to her chest, her breathing sharp. “I never cared about money. All I wanted was you. But you wanted your career and your plan. You wanted the dream more than you wanted me. And for what? To end up living in a hotel?” She lets out a shaky laugh like she’s disgusted with herself for even entertaining this. “Come on. Don’t put me through this again. I have to choose myself this time… You can see that, can’t you?”
My pulse pounds in my ears and I try to control my fury. “You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.” My voice is low and rough. “I know I messed things up back then, but give me some credit here. I’ve grown. I’m not the same person, and I would hope you can see that after the last few days.”
She swallows hard, but her eyes are already retreating. I can all but see her pulling back from me and it’s breaking my heart.
“My sister has a job waiting for me,” she says quietly like she already knows this is the final blow. “I’m going to start my life on Kingridge Ranch.”
I bark out a bitter laugh. “The fucking ranch again. Yeah.” My jaw locks, hands fisting at my sides. “If it’s that important, you better go then.”
She lingers for half a second—just long enough for hope to crawl up my throat like a damn fool. I should’ve never let my guard down. Should’ve known better. There isn’t a single thing I can say that will change her mind. I’m going to have to show her. And that’s not something I can do at a moment’s notice.
She exhales, shifting on her feet. I want her to say something… anything.
“Dawson, will you make sure Garth?—”
Anything but that.
“I’ll take care of the damn cat.” My voice is tight, clipped.
Her lips part like she might respond, but instead, she just nods. “Thanks.”
And then she turns and walks away. This time, I’m the one being left behind. And damn, does it sting. I’ve got to get to work.