Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Vaughn
Kate’s taillights fade into the distance, joining with the rest of traffic, but I stand watch until I can’t see her anymore.
Truth be told, I need a minute to process all that’s happened in the last few days. From giving in to the incessant desire for Kate, discovering how responsive she is, and falling completely and wholeheartedly under her spell, to finding Gus face down in the field.
I don’t want to want her. Nothing good can come from this relationship, but I’ve fought it as long as I can.
I inhale as my phone rings. Carlos has left me a half dozen messages, and I’ve not been able to talk.
“Hey, man.”
“Dude, you finally answered. I was starting to think you were ghosting me.”
Carlos and I have been friends for a decade, so he knows the basics of my history, as much as I’ve ever allowed myself to speak, anyway. Until Kate.
But Carlos is more than just a friend; he’s also my business partner. And I’ve failed him by being absent. “Listen, man, I’ve sorry I’ve been out of pocket.”
“We had a massive break this week. I took the liberty of getting a deposit on some office space under contract. I did make a stipulation that you have final approval, and they agreed. So as soon as you can get here and sign off on things, we can move forward.”
And there it is. The reason I have to leave before everything here becomes too complicated. I trudge back into the hospital, torn between elation at Carlos’s news and dread at divulging that news to Gus and Kate.
Gus is dozing, or pretending to, when I get back to his room.
His color is already better, even in the fluorescent lights of the hospital room.
We’ve come so far in the few short months that I’ve been here, it’s hard to look back at the past and realize all the wasted time.
All the missed opportunities. I could’ve had one last hug from Gran…
“Your gran would be so proud of you.”
Jesus Christ, is he a mind reader? He’s not pretending to sleep now.
He’s gazing out the window over the open space that used to be farmland.
The hospital is still newish and was built right off the interstate for easy access to Atlanta and from neighboring southern communities, but it was constructed on old farmland.
Is this what would’ve become of our property if I hadn’t taken care of the taxes?
Would Gus have allowed it to be sold on the courthouse to some developer?
“I wish I’d made different choices, but I couldn’t stand to stay in the place I knew I’d killed them and broken your hearts, knowing you hated me for it.”
Gus scrubs a hand down his face. “And I wish I’d been the man you deserved.
I’ve carried a grudge against you for half your life.
And the truth is, Ginny was right all along, and I never should’ve turned my back on you.
As it was, my actions lost me all three of you, and you lost everyone and your home. ”
The recliner next to his bed is uncomfortable as all hell, but I drop into it anyway. The Price is Right plays silently on the wall-mounted television, and machines beep and hum in the background.
“I still had Gran. She’d send me emails and stuff, and little packages every now and then.
I even got to FaceTime with her every so often.
” I nudge the edge of the bed with the toe of my boot.
“She’d send you out to the grocery store or the hardware store, and we’d have nice, long conversations.
I even managed to sneak to town for her last birthday, but we only saw each other for a few hours at the nail salon. ”
“You went to the nail salon?”
“My first pedicure. Started a new favorite thing, though. You should try one. They’re amazing.” The mental image of Gus sitting and getting his feet pampered makes me smile. There’s no way in hell he’d go for that.
“It is hard to reach my toes nowadays.” The corner of his mouth tilts up.
“I bet Kate knows the best place to go. Maybe once you feel better, you can treat her to a pedicure for putting up with your grumpy ass.”
He nods like he’s pondering it, a soft, wistful look on his face.
“That Katie is sure something else. Reminds me of your gran. Tough as nails when she needs to be but got the biggest heart of anyone I know.” He falls silent for a moment.
“I can tell there’s something brewing between you two.
Just do me a favor and be the man she deserves. ”
In another life, maybe I could see a future with Kate. But her career terrifies me, and I’ve got a business starting. Coming back to Senoma was never meant to be a permanent thing. Finding peace with my grandfather wasn’t in the plan either.
Now that I’ve gone and caught feelings for them both, I don’t know what to do about it. It’s best if I start making sure they both have what they need sooner than later.