Chapter 3 #2
“Of course you don’t, but that’s not reason enough to stick with something that’s not working.
You deserve to be happy too.” Hailey withdrew her hand and sat up, grinning.
“When I first met you, I asked you what had attracted you to Micky, and you told me he was good at wrenching on your lug nuts. Do you remember that?”
A hiccup that was part giggle escaped Amy’s chest. “Kind of?”
The grin faded from Hailey’s face. “What else did you like about him?”
“He was attracted to me?” Good grief, that sounded lame, even to Amy’s ears. You like a man simply because he’s attracted to you? You fall for him because he smiles at you? Talk about easy! Where’s the pride?
“I also remember you telling me you weren’t too fussy about men because you weren’t pretty enough to catch their eyes—which I still call bullshit on, by the way.”
“He was charming,” she protested. “He went out of his way to make me feel special.”
“I’m sure he was charming. Nonetheless, you were vulnerable when you first started out here.
People were looking at you sideways and asking why you were opening a shop that served ‘frou frou’ coffee.
They thought you were snobby and that you were trying to cater to other snobs, like Keating or his Aspenite friends with their fancy designer boots stuck up their butts.
When Micky approached you, maybe you agreed to go out with him because you thought no one else would ask, and you were desperate to fit in.
I know what being a transplant feels like, wearing the big O on your forehead.
I’m an outsider too, though I don’t feel like it anymore. ”
“Because you do fit in, with your pretty blond hair and your blue eyes.”
“And so do you, with your beautiful black hair and your big brown eyes. But looks have nothing to do with who does or doesn’t belong.
I belong because the people I really care about have made me part of their circle, and guess what?
That started with you, Aims. ’Nuff said.
” Hailey bobbed her head, signaling she was done with this part of the conversation.
“Maybe now that you’re more comfortable in your adopted hometown and your relationship with Micky has …
evolved, you’re looking for something more than great sex. ”
“Not so great,” Amy muttered.
“Okay, so plain sex then.”
“Not plain either.” And without that, what did she and Micky have? Zip. Zero. Nada.
Amy liked sex. Micky did too—once upon a time—and they’d had that in common.
She missed it, but even if they were still sleeping together, it wouldn’t have been enough.
And while she hated to admit it, she wasn’t even attracted to him anymore.
Whatever veneer had covered up his rough surfaces had been scrubbed away, and now that she saw the man underneath, her desire for him had gone cold.
Could she feel that spark again? Truthfully, it had been more of an ember, but there was always a chance it could flare. Right?
“If we have some time apart, maybe we’ll find our way back to each other again.
” Even as Amy uttered the words, they rang hollow.
She could hear her own resignation in them.
In that moment, she knew deep in her gut there weren’t enough threads holding the two of them together.
They had frayed. There were big gaps in the fabric of their relationship.
Hailey raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Is that what you truly want?”
No. “I …” Amy was at a loss.
“So not something you want, then. Are you maybe clinging to the notion of getting back together because you truly love him? Or are you worried about hurting him? Or is it because you don’t want to step into the unknown?
That’s scary stuff, especially when you’ve been together as long as you and Micky have. ”
“I don’t know.” Amy twirled her cup. “How do you think the locals will react when they know I broke up with one of their own?”
“Does it really matter?”
“It could affect my business.” Crap! She was a mercenary if her profits were her biggest priority when it came to breaking off a yearslong love affair.
“Well, if there is any fallout, I bet it’ll be short-lived.
And staying with him because you’re concerned about your bottom line is the wrong reason.
On so many levels.” Amy didn’t disagree, though she didn’t say so before Hailey ran on.
“You’re part of this community. People have accepted you, Amy Caufield, as you are.
What you do or don’t with Micky is irrelevant. ”
“Yeah, well, acceptance only goes so far before the judginess comes out. You married a Hunnicutt, so of course you’re in.
At most, the locals tolerate me.” Amy palmed her face.
“Gawd, that came out all wrong. I’m not whining, honestly, even though I totally sound like I am. I don’t have Hunnicutt envy.”
“Good to know you’re not setting your sights on my husband or my brothers-in-law,” Hailey laughed. She patted Amy’s hand. “But seriously, you need to change your mindset. You have a town full of people who are behind you, who support your business. The locals do way more than tolerate you.”
Amy snorted. “Because I serve good coffee.”
Hailey shook her head. “You do, but also because it’s you. They flock to your store because you fill a need in this town and because they like having you here. I guarantee that if anybody messed with you, they’d be all over them like cockroaches on a bag of sugar.”
“Ew! Don’t you dare use that word in my establishment!” Amy shuddered.
“Sorry. Throwback to my past life as a food inspector. What I’m trying to say is the people who care about you are the ones who truly matter in this town. That’s a long list that includes the entire Hunnicutt family. And they carry a lot of clout, unlike the Bruno Keatings of the world.”
Hailey’s husband Noah was one of those Hunnicutts—a founding family that dated back to the town’s origins in the late nineteenth century on both sides.
There were three brothers in all—Reece, the oldest, Noah the middle, and Charlie, the youngest—and their parents had left a huge stamp on the town, including jumping through hoop after hoop to win its designation as a historic district.
Hailey polished off her coffee, leaned forward on her elbows, and narrowed her eyes. “Now, are you ready to get your head out of your ass and look at the situation objectively? Or do I need to keep blithering about how much everyone loves you? Sheesh. Who knew you were such a glutton for praise?”
“Oh, please don’t hold back, sister!” Amy burst into a fit of laughter, and Hailey joined in. When they were finally done, Amy’s cheeks were wet with tears, and her sides ached. “Moving right along. I am now ready to pull my head out of my ass and see things through your rose-colored glasses.”
Hailey bubbled with a few more giggles. “You do that. Seriously, though, you are a truly amazing human being. You’re one of the sweetest, smartest people I know, and whether you believe it or not, you are gorgeous.
Like in an alluring I-hate-you sort of way.
” Amy gave Hailey a playful eye-roll, though her friend seemed to ignore it.
“You deserve someone who sees and appreciates everything about you and worships the ground you walk on. Unless he changes his spots, Micky is not that man.”
Amy nodded, and though her friend’s words caused fresh tears to burn behind her eyes, she didn’t feel that dart to her heart she would have expected. Maybe because she knew Hailey was right.
“So when are you going to tell him?”
Amy looked at her nails. Jeez, she could use a manicure. After several stalling beats, she canted her head and stared at her bestie. “Tonight, assuming I’m not lights out when he gets home.”
“Good.” Hailey stood and held out her hand for Amy’s coffee cup. “I should get back to the bookstore so it’s ready to go for the Big Event.”
“Need any help?” Amy took the cups from her and headed for the kitchen sink, where she rinsed them, along with Shane’s.
“Nope. There’s a rumor that a hunky dark-haired bartender is taking the afternoon off to help me. If I have my way, there will be some serious hanky-panky happening that’s definitely not safe for work. I don’t want to expose you to that.”
“So instead you’re going to expose yourself to him?”
Hailey grinned. “Ooh, I like that idea. Wonder what he’ll do if I greet him in nothing but one of those Miners Tavern aprons?”
“You do that, and he will have you bent over one of your bookshelves so fast you won’t know what hit you. And then you won’t get any work done.”
“You’ve got a point there. I do need his help moving stuff before I go and distract him. Think I’ll wait until we’re done before slipping into the apron.” With a sultry laugh, Hailey picked up her boxes and steered toward the back door.
Amy felt a pang of envy dig into her chest as she followed Hailey to her SUV.
If only she could find the kind of intimacy Hailey shared with Noah.
Having a relationship was one thing, but Micky and her version felt more like a placeholder for something better, and she wanted that something better—before she got too old to have kids.
Hailey was right. Amy wouldn’t find that special connection with Micky.
It was the same conclusion Amy had come to …
months ago, but she hadn’t been able to admit it to herself.
She’d lived in her bubble of denial, hoping the relationship would spontaneously improve, until she’d spotted that “For Rent” sign in the window above the town’s clothing resale store, and realization had hammered her.
And now, hearing her friend say it somehow validated the path Amy was about to careen onto.
Amy helped Hailey get the bins arranged inside her vehicle, then stepped back. “Have fun.” She winked and waved as Hailey drove off.
Amy went back inside her store, locked the door, and leaned against it, her blood effervescing with what she was about to do. And not in a good way.
“Tonight. You’re telling him tonight,” she promised herself aloud.
Oh Lord, this was really happening, wasn’t it? She had taken that critical first step when she’d signed the lease and set her course. She was about to unwind her life from Micky’s and step into a void.