The rook left, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Hugh stared at the bag in his lap as he slowly went numb from the impending loss. His bones felt as heavy as lead, his muscles watery, his brain mush. The only thing good in his life was sitting downstairs, feeling like she’d done something very wrong and not knowing why.
Maybe he deserved to be alone. Certainly Delaney deserved someone better than him. Someone who couldn’t hurt her. Someone who could return her love with his whole heart, unshackled by the fear that his love would end in her demise.
Starting tomorrow, he’d begin the process of widening the gap between them. Eventually, Delaney would leave him and truly be safe.
His hand went to the amulet, his fingertips tracing the ancient carving on the stone. Whatever decisions he made after she was gone would be his and his alone to deal with.
Morning for Delaney came around eleven a.m. She slipped out of bed, pulled the curtains back and stared into the garden. Blue sky, lots of sun, all in all, a gorgeous day for the parade.
And an apology.
She walked out into the hall and, based on the quietness of the house, decided Hugh was still asleep. That would give her time to get ready and figure out what she was going to say. She went back into her room and shut the door.
Captain had jumped onto the window sill and was basking in a warm ray of sun. She scratched him on the head. “You probably want a little outside time, huh?”
He leaned into her hand and purred. If only Hugh was that easy. She laughed. Actually, that would be boring.
After a shower, hair and makeup, she dressed in one of the tops she’d bought at the secondhand store, a pair of cuffed boyfriend jeans and some cute flats. Little gold hoops, the moonstone ring that had been her mom’s and she was done. Well, except for a fresh bandage on her cut hand.
This time when she walked into the hall, faint kitchen sounds greeted her. Stanhill was making breakfast.
Hugh rarely slept longer than it took to brew the first pot of coffee.
She walked down to his room and knocked tentatively on the door. She was a little nervous, but this needed to be done. They’d both feel better afterward, and they’d be able to enjoy their day out.
She was about to knock again when he answered, wearing only a towel and a few droplets of water. Oh my. She smiled. “I hope I’m not interrupting, but—”
“I just got out of the shower. What do you need?”
Okay, so maybe he was still mad. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I’m sorry for trying to force you to do something you didn’t want to do. That was wrong. And I’m sorry.” She’d said that twice. Stupid nerves.
A flicker of something passed through his eyes, then was gone. “Good. Don’t do it again.”
“I won’t.” She blinked, trying to find the man she’d fallen in love with, because the one in front of her was so cold and distant she didn’t recognize him. “Do you still want to go to the parade or should I go by myself?”
“I said I would take you.”
He hadn’t smiled once. What the hell was wrong? “Okay. Thanks. The parade starts at one. I’ll be downstairs whenever you’re ready to go.”
He nodded and shut the door.
She stared at the paneled wood, unable to process what had just happened. Clearly she’d upset him more than she realized. Finally, she trudged downstairs. Maybe he just needed coffee. She sure did.
Stanhill was in the kitchen. He stood as she came in. “Breakfast?”
“Um, sure, I guess.” She plunked down in a chair.
He poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of her. “Something wrong, miss?”
She stared into the dark liquid. “I apologized to Hugh this morning, but he still seems really upset by what I did last night. I thought he’d be over it by now. Or at least after I said I was sorry.”
He placed the sugar and creamer beside her cup and sighed like he was worn out. Or frustrated. “Don’t let him upset you too much. He can be like that. Too many years of navel gazing and what have you. He’ll get over it. Just be yourself. You’ve apologized. That’s all that’s required of you.”
She hoped he was right. After all, he knew Hugh better than she did. She dumped some sugar and cream into her cup and drank.
“Omelet okay?” Stanhill asked. “I can do ham and cheese.”
“Great, yes. Thanks.” She sipped her coffee.
“Are you still going to the parade then?”
She nodded. “I asked him that too. He said he was going to take me so…” She shrugged.
“You’ll have a good time. It’s quite a laugh what some of the floats get up to.” He cracked eggs into a bowl. “The theme of panic has come to mean what scares you, so most of the floats try to pick a fear and run with it.”
Stanhill was a little chattier than usual today, but she was glad for it. Better than obsessing about Hugh and his cold shoulder. The look of sympathy in Stanhill’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed, but by the end of breakfast and her delicious omelet, she was feeling better.
Until Hugh came downstairs. She met him in the foyer. It was clear his mood hadn’t changed.
He looked handsome in his jeans and button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to show off his toned forearms, but the seemingly permanent scowl on his face made him look intimidating. He’d added a pair of dark sunglasses, making it even harder to judge his disposition. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She nodded. Stanhill said just to be herself. She focused on that and smiled brightly. “This is going to be fun, huh?”