Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
On the drive to her parents’ house, Landry told herself she would use this evening to relax and recharge.
She would eat Chesapeake Bay blue crab cakes, laugh at her father’s corny jokes and listen to her mother’s latest garden club adventures.
She would keep the conversation light.
No talk of her novel. No mention of the coffee shop. Definitely no discussions about life plans or the future.
She would tell them all about the Summer Serenade Under the Stars at Grace Gardens, maybe even mention that she was considering signing up for a weekly yoga class instead of just dropping in.
Most importantly, she wouldn’t think about Chad.
Wouldn’t think about what she needed to say. Wouldn’t let the weight of it settle over her like a storm cloud before she’d even stepped through the door.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be soon enough for that.
A small smile tugged at her lips as she turned onto the familiar street where she’d grown up, the one that still held the echoes of childhood bike rides and neighborhood games that had stretched long into summer evenings.
Her smile faded when she spotted Zesty Z parked at the curb.
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
Her mother hadn’t mentioned inviting Chad to dinner. If she had, Landry would have remembered.
Could he have just dropped by? She supposed it was possible. But why?
A flicker of unease crawled up her spine.
As she pulled into the driveway, her pulse pounded in her ears.
She really, really didn’t want to see Chad tonight.
But before she could even take a steadying breath, the front door creaked open, and Chad stepped out onto the porch, all smiles, moving toward her with easy, confident strides.
There was no avoiding this.
Landry forced herself to smile, her voice coming out a little too bright. “This is a surprise.”
Before she’d even finished speaking, he was already in front of her, close enough that she could catch the faint scent of his cologne—one she hadn’t noticed before. He wore chinos and a shirt that made his eyes look extra blue, his hair appearing freshly cut.
Without thinking, she reached up, letting her fingers brush the shorter strands. “This cut is new.”
“Do you like it?”
There was something vulnerable in the way he asked, as if her answer mattered in a way it never had before.
“Very stylish.” She spoke the truth. “It looks good on you.”
Relief washed across his face, and he ducked his head slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting in a boyish grin. “I went to a salon over on Monroe. Sasha—she’s the one who did the cut—guaranteed my girlfriend would like it.”
My girlfriend.
The words twisted something inside her.
A sharp pang of guilt. Of unease. Of something deeper she didn’t want to name.
“The important thing is, do you like it?” she asked gently.
Chad blinked as if the question hadn’t even occurred to him.
“I did it for you.” The tips of his ears turned red, the way they always did when he was embarrassed. “I saw how you looked at that other guy’s hair at the Summer Serenade. I want you to be proud to be with me.”
Landry’s heart twisted. He’d gotten his hair cut in an attempt to please her—the same way he’d purchased the tickets to the concert.
She knew the man he’d referred to but hadn’t realized she’d been that obvious. Chad was right. Peter’s cut was stylish, but it wasn’t his haircut that had caught her attention.
It was the way he listened. The way he looked at her like she mattered. Like he saw her, not just a version of her that fit neatly into his world.
But she hadn’t been flirting.
Had she?
The thought sent another pang of guilt spiraling through her.
“You look nice,” she said instead, forcing a smile as they walked toward the front door. “I didn’t realize you were coming to dinner tonight.”
The red tint to the tips of his ears deepened. “Your dad invited me.”
He reached past her, pulling open the screen door, and gestured for her to go in first.
She smiled her thanks. Chad always had good manners. There were so many things to like and admire about him, which was why it would be so difficult to walk away.
Then she remembered what she’d written about standing at a crossroads and Kindred Spirit’s advice. It wasn’t fair to her—or to Chad—to continue this relationship.
“About time you finally got here.” Her mother fairly sang the words.
Landry blinked, then smiled. “You’re certainly in a good mood.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Donna’s gaze shifted from her to Chad. “You’re both here, and we’re having your father’s crab cakes for dinner.”
As much as Landry loved it when her father made crab cakes, it felt almost like a celebration when she saw the dining room table had been set with her mother’s wedding china. Crystal wineglasses gleamed under the warm glow of the chandelier. “Why so fancy?”
Her mother only shrugged, still smiling. “Why don’t you and Chad take a walk? It’s a beautiful evening. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
When Landry had seen Chad, she’d thought she’d wait until after dinner to break it off, but now it appeared she’d been given an opening to do it now.
Fifteen minutes.
This was it.
If she was going to do this, it had to be now.
She turned to Chad. “How does a walk sound to you?”
“Perfect,” he said, grinning.
When they turned the corner, they found themselves in an area that backed up to some woods. Unlike the homes in her parents’ neighborhood, the smaller homes along this stretch had been demolished years ago, replaced by what she and her friends jokingly called McMansions.
The large homes with their multigabled roofs sat far back from the street. The landscaping was like a work of art, with large leafy trees and various blooming plants and bushes.
The street was always quiet, and Landry couldn’t recall ever seeing anyone on the sidewalks. Which made it the perfect spot for her to speak from the heart.
They walked in silence at first, the weight in Landry’s chest growing only heavier with each step.
She stopped abruptly, turning to Chad, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Chad, I—”
“Landry, I—” he said at the same time.
She let out a shaky laugh. “You go first.”
His expression softened, and his blue eyes were so serious that when he reached out and took her hands, a sinking feeling filled the pit of her stomach.
Surely, he wasn’t going to propose. But it suddenly all made sense. His unexpected appearance. Her mother’s joyful mood. The fine china and crystal, not for wine but for champagne.
She couldn’t let him do it. This would be hard enough on both of them without having that memory in their heads.
“On second thought,” she blurted, yanking her hands away. “I’ll go first.”
A startled look crossed Chad’s face, his easy confidence faltering before he recovered with a smile. “Sure, whatever you want.”
Landry swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. He had no idea what was coming.
“Let’s walk,” she said, turning before she could lose her nerve. “What I have to say will come easier if I’m moving.”
Chad fell into step beside her, his usual swagger muted. “Did something happen at work?”
Landry forced herself to meet his gaze. The concern there was genuine, and for a moment, guilt threatened to swallow her whole.
“No. No,” she said quickly. “Nothing to do with work.”
The words she needed to say lodged in her throat, thick and unwieldy. But there was no stopping now. She drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly and stopped walking again.
Chad stopped, too, his brow furrowing as he turned to face her. “Landry?”
The weight of what she was about to say pressed against her chest like a thousand-pound gorilla. “I think we should break up.”
The words landed between them like a thunderclap.
For a split second, Chad didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
“Break up?” His voice rose. “Landry, what are you talking about?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Chad stepped closer and took her hands in his.
His grip was warm, steady. Familiar.
And yet, it felt all wrong.
Breaking up was for the best, she reminded herself. Not only for her but for him, too. But, God, it hurt.
She swallowed hard and could barely hear her words over the roaring in her ears. “I care about you, Chad. But we’re not right for each other.”
The words were clumsy, inadequate, but they were all she could manage.
“You and I are meant for each other.” The eyes that stared into hers shone with conviction. His voice was quiet but certain, his blue eyes boring into her with an intensity that sent a fresh wave of doubt crashing over her. “We have fun together.”
The look he shot her dared her to disagree.
And she couldn’t.
She did have fun with Chad. There had been so many good times, so many easy laughs, so many memories she’d once thought would lead to forever.
But that wasn’t enough.
Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded.
The tension in his shoulders loosened. His grip on her hands relaxed. “You’re just overthinking things. We’re good, Landry. We work.”
No.
The word screamed inside her, but she couldn’t force it out.
Instead, she watched helplessly as he pressed on, his conviction growing.
“I got the promotion.” His expression turned earnest. “I’m making good money now. It won’t be long before I have enough for a down payment on a house. A real home for us.”
Landry’s stomach twisted into a painful knot.
“Your father was excited when I told him my plans—”
“You spoke with my father?” Her voice rose as she jerked her hands from his and stepped back.
Confusion furrowed his blond brows. “I had to ask his permission.”
The outdated custom of a man asking a woman’s father for his permission was one Landry abhorred. Not only did it imply that the woman needed someone else’s approval for a life decision, but the tradition stemmed from a time when women had been considered the property of their fathers.
“It’s what a man is supposed to do,” he said confidently, though she saw uncertainty in his blue depths. “It’s respectful.”
There were so many things that Landry could have said at that point, but she kept her mouth shut. Chad, she knew, was trying to do everything right. She couldn’t fault him for that.
Besides, what did it matter? There would be no engagement. No marriage.
She exhaled slowly, trying to gather herself.
“Chad…” Landry gentled her tone. “I can’t marry you.”
Something inside him shifted. His posture straightened, and a muscle jumped in his jaw.
“I don’t understand.” His voice was quieter now, more controlled.
Landry swallowed past the lump in her throat. “What you want from life and what I want aren’t the same.”
She noticed Chad’s hands trembled when he clenched them at his sides. He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand.
“Please,” she whispered. “Let me finish.”
He gave a short nod.
Landry licked suddenly dry lips and prayed for the right words, ones that would soften the blow and help him understand that, however painful this was, it was for the best.
“You love the version of me that fits neatly into your world,” she said carefully, each word pulled from the depths of her heart. “The woman who wants a nine-to-five job so she can be home every night for dinner. The one who dreams of a house, a dog, a backyard where kids can play.”
“What’s wrong with that?” His tone wasn’t defensive, just…confused, as if he truly couldn’t comprehend why she didn’t want the life he had so carefully planned for them. “So I’m suddenly the bad guy because I want us to have good jobs and a nice house?”
“I’m not saying it’s wrong to want those things.” Landry let out a slow breath. “It’s just not for me.”
His brows pulled together. “Why not?”
She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. “I want to travel the world and become a novelist. I want to experience all life has to offer before I even think about settling down.”
“You want to travel.” His voice shifted again, eager, as if he’d finally grasped a solution. “We can travel.” His eyes brightened with an idea. “Florida would be a cool place for a honeymoon.”
A hollow ache formed in her chest.
She shook her head, a soft, sad smile pulling at her lips. “If I go anywhere, it’ll be to France.”
Chad’s face fell, just slightly, just enough for her to notice the flicker of something between frustration and resignation.
He let out a breath, reaching for her again, his touch light on her arm. “That would be expensive,” he said gently, as if coaxing her to see reason. “It would take away from what we want to build here.”
He smiled then, that sweet, easy smile that had once been enough to make her heart race. “C’mon, meet me halfway here, Lan.”
Landry stared at him, really looked at him.
He was trying.
Which only made this so much harder.
Because Chad wasn’t a bad guy.
He just wasn’t her guy.
And she wasn’t the woman he needed either.
The realization hit her all over again, a sharp, aching clarity that left no room for hesitation.
Her voice came out quiet but firm. “Chad…I don’t think there is a halfway for us.”
His smile faltered. “What are you saying?”
Landry exhaled.
Somewhere along the way, this conversation had veered off course.
It was time to set it right.
And this time, she wouldn’t back down. Or give him false hope.
When it was over, Landry turned and walked back toward the house. The weight of unspoken expectations, of a future that had never truly fit, lifted with each step she took.
She was leaving behind the life she could have had.
And stepping toward the one she was meant to live.