“Morton? As in, the Mayor Morton?”
“It was his father, Chet’s grandfather,” Stan clarifies. “We were together. We were in love, but then his family found out and gave him an ultimatum. Either he left me and married a suitable girl that they had already lined up for him, or they would disown him.”
My stomach sinks and I know what’s coming.
“I begged him to choose me. He didn’t,” he says brokenly.
Suddenly I’m starting to understand Stan more. Everyone that he has loved, everyone that was supposed to love him back, deserted him. They abandoned him. Over and over again he was let down. Is it any wonder he doesn’t want to let new people in?
“Is that why they hate you?” I whisper and he nods.
“They don’t want anyone to know their family secret. They still think being gay is something to be ashamed of.”
“It’s not,” I say vehemently.
“I know. It’s just hard to still be treated like this.”
We’re silent again, both of us wiping away tears as a new connection, a new bond, forms between us.
“I’m sorry, Sutton.”
“For what?” I ask, confused.
“For treating you the way I have. I’ve been holding you at arm’s length so that I didn’t get hurt again, but I’ve only been hurting both of us in the end. Living like this is no way to live.”
My stomach clenches and I wonder if I’ve been doing the same thing. I got hurt by bullies when I was a kid and instead of trying to make friends, I shut myself off from the rest of the world.
“Take it from an old man, Sutton. Don’t make the same mistakes that I have. You can’t be afraid to get burned. If you keep pushing people away, then you’ll end up alone and miserable. Just like me.”
I nod. I know that he’s right.
“You’re not alone anymore, Uncle Stan. You haven’t been for a while. Lyla and Teller both hung around here all day to make sure that you were alright. You have people who love you and who care about you.”
He gives me an emotional nod, his eyes watering as my words hit me.
We stare at each other for a beat and then he gives me a shy smile.
“You should head to bed. We’re going to have to give Lyla the day off tomorrow after she hung around here all day today,” Stan grumbles and I laugh.
“I’ll be ready at eight a.m.,” I promise him.
“‘Night, Sutton.”
“‘Night, Uncle Stan,” I say as I stand and head upstairs to my room.
Bandit joins me and as I lay down in bed, a sense of rightness hits me.
I know that I made the right decision coming back here. This is where I’m meant to be.
This is home.
23
Stan gave Teller and Lyla the day off, so it’s just me in the gift shop the next day. It’s been a slow day, usually Tuesdays are, so I have plenty of time alone with my thoughts.
I made breakfast for Stan and me this morning and we actually had a nice chat. He told me about when my mom was here last year and it’s nice to talk about her with someone who actually knew her.
He asks me about my grandpa, his brother, and my other great aunts and uncles. I’m nervous that me sharing any good times I had with them will be painful but he seems to have let the anger of the past go. At least a little bit.
We didn’t have any tours start at nine this morning so Stan had joined me in the gift shop for a little bit and I had told him about growing up in California and school while I stocked the shelves.
Reinhold Holdings called at about ten thirty to offer me the job but I turned them down. I was nervous that after I did I would feel like I had made a mistake, like I should have said yes, but that feeling never came. This is my home and my family. This is where I’m meant to be.
We did one tour before lunch and then had another break. Stan watched the gift shop while I walked Bandit. Madelyn and Iris have both texted me to welcome me back to town and when I told them that I was staying, they had both been so excited and asked for a standing girl’s night once a week.
It feels good to be back. There’s just one thing that is bothering me.
Teller.
I know that I hurt him when I broke things off at the hospital and I know that I’m going to need to explain why I freaked out and ended things. I just hope that he takes me back.
It would be so hard to work with him again. Especially considering that I’m still in love with him.
“Sutton, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. We close in an hour and I don’t see us getting a mad rush before closing.”
“Are you sure?” I ask him as I put the box of T-shirts back in the storage room.
“Yeah, go talk to your fellow.”
I smile at him and he smiles back. It’s a little rusty but I have high hopes that he’ll be better at it soon.
“I’ll grab us pizza on the way home,” I offer, but Stan waves me off.
“No need to rush home on my account. Enjoy yourself. I’ll watch Bandit.”
I wipe my hands off on my jean shorts and nod.
“Thanks, Uncle Stan,” I whisper as I give him a hug.
Bandit gets a pet and then I’m grabbing my purse and heading for my car. I make one stop before I head to Teller’s house, grabbing him some of the fortune cookies that he loves so much. I’m hoping that maybe they bring me some luck tonight too. I have a feeling that I’m going to need it.
My hands are sweaty, my heart racing as I pull up outside of Teller’s place. Part of me was hoping that he wouldn’t be home, but I know that I need to have this conversation before I lose my nerve.
His truck is in the driveway and I pull in behind it, taking a deep breath as I climb out, the takeout box clutched in my hand. Teller steps out onto his front porch and we stare at each other before I give him a timid smile.
“Hey,” I say, stopping at the bottom of the porch steps.
“Hey,” he says and I miss the warm tone that used to be in his voice.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
He nods, holding the door open for me, and I slip past him. He leads me over to the couch and I take a seat, my heart dipping when he sits down and I see how much space he puts between us.
“I got these for you,” I say, passing him the white takeout container.
“Thanks,” he says, setting the box on the coffee table.
That can’t be a good sign. I can’t give up though.
“How’s your arm?” I ask, clearing my throat.
“It’s fine.”
We stare at each other for a beat. Seeing him bandaged up reminds me of him in the hospital. That image still haunts me. It reminds me so much of my mom’s final days that I can’t think about it without flinching.
I need to be strong, be brave, so that I can show Teller how sorry I am for leaving him. So that I can show him how much I regret it.
“I wanted to apologize for ending things with you like that. I just… I freaked out. I saw you lying in that hospital bed and it just reminded me so much of my mom. I didn’t want to get left again.”
“So instead, you left first.”
“I know that it was dumb. I know that I hurt you. I hurt myself too.”