You Belong With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “These are nice,” he says, gesturing to the houses on the bluffs. “Why didn’t you go for one? Looks like several are for sale.”

  “I don’t make that kind of money at my job. I couldn’t afford one of these,” I say, shaking my head. “And, yes, my grandmother made sure my bank account has a couple million dollars in it, but it would look crazy if I bought one of these places and then collected my salary. I’d stand out, and the whole point is to blend. Besides, I like my little place.”

  “It’s cute,” he agrees. “Small.”

  “It didn’t feel small until you were in it.” I laugh and take a deep breath, soaking in the salty air. “It’s always just been me.”

  “Always?”

  I know what he’s asking. Has there been anyone since him?

  “I haven’t been a nun,” I admit, making him scowl. “But I haven’t been in a serious relationship since you, Archer. How could I when the entire relationship would be based on lies? I couldn’t even tell him, whomever he may be, my real name. You can’t build anything on lies. And I have to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. So, yes, it’s always just been me in my cottage.”

  “I shouldn’t be jealous,” he says. He’s caught his breath, and with his hands in his pockets, he stares out at the water. “It’s been a long time, and of course, you’re not a nun. But I’m jealous all the same. And relieved.”

  “Relieved that I’m an old maid?”

  He turns to me now. “You’re not an old maid. But I am relieved that you don’t belong to anyone.”

  “I belong to me. And that’s how it will always stay, Archer.”

  He nods once and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. “What are you going to feed me for dinner?”

  “We literally ate lunch right before we came here.”

  “That was at least an hour ago.”

  “How do you eat so much and still look like this? It shouldn’t be possible.”

  “Genetics.” He kisses my hair, and I melt against him. Archer was always physically affectionate. It was something I had to get used to because my parents were distant, and the only one I was close to who hugged me was Grandma.

  I didn’t realize I was so starved for touch.

  But not just any touch. Archer’s.

  I fit against him perfectly, my shoulder under his armpit. My arm around his waist. His lips planted on the top of my head.

  I don’t want it to end.

  “We could do spaghetti,” he suggests, making me laugh. “You always made a really good sauce.”

  “It’s gotten better since I last saw you.”

  “Don’t tease me,” he says. “My fragile stomach can’t handle it.”

  “I’ll prove it. And just so you know, I know this trick. I’m not giving in to your reverse psychology.”

  “You totally are. It’s okay. I’m charming, remember?”

  “I never should have told you that. It just inflates your ego.” I stop and turn into him, burying my face in his hard chest, clinging to him with everything I have. “You can’t stay, Archer. This is me digging in my heels and telling you no. You can’t stay in Bandon.”

  He doesn’t say anything for a long moment, just brushes his fingers up and down my arms, and then circles his arms around me and pulls me close.

  “You’ve been the love of my life since I was a junior in high school and I saw you sitting with Stasia in the cafeteria. You’re everything, E, even after all this time. And that won’t ever change.”

  “Archer—”

  “Listen.” He catches my chin with his finger and makes me look him in the eyes. His are that insane bright blue and churning like the ocean behind him. “You’re everything. It feels like I’ve loved you my whole life.”

  He always was good with words.

  He doesn’t say anything else about staying with me. That was the best goodbye speech I’ve ever heard. He deserved to hear something that amazing when I left him all those years ago.

  But I was young and didn’t know what the hell to do, except get as far away from him as possible. To keep him safe. To keep him whole.

  We’re quiet on the walk back to the cottage. To my surprise, Archer strides right up the stairs to the loft and starts gathering his things, filling his bag.

  “You don’t have to leave tonight.” I’m such an idiot, sending him mixed messages. But the thought of watching him walk away tears at my heart. “You could stay and get a fresh start in the morning. I’ll make the spaghetti.”

  “It’s okay.” Once his bag is tucked in his car, he walks back up the steps to the front door and leans on the jam, smiling down at me in that way he always used to when he was particularly amused by me.

  I have no idea what’s so damn funny about this. We’re saying goodbye for good.

  “Thank you for coming. For taking me to Seattle. For everything.”

  He pulls me in for another hug, holding me firmly.

  God, this is killing me. Why did he have to come here in the first place?

  “I love you, Elena,” he whispers. He kisses my forehead and then my lips. I feel it all the way to my toes, even though it’s the barest brush of skin against mine.

  Without another word, he turns and jogs to his car, fires up the engine, and drives away.

  “It’s the right thing to do,” I mumble as I close the door and lean against it, willing the tears to stay back. It may be the right thing, but it still hurts, all the way to the bone. My cottage feels emptier than it ever has. “Get used to it, Ally.”

  I square my shoulders and get down to business, cleaning and scrubbing my little house and getting ready to return to the safe life I’ve made for myself in Bandon, Oregon.

  To my surprise and delight upon returning to work this morning, I discovered that Margie hired a new employee. Which means I’ll start to have days off here and there, and Chad and I won’t be so slammed.

  I almost kissed Margie on the mouth when she told me, but there was no time.

  I immediately shifted into training mode and spent all day showing Beverly the ropes. It was a satisfying but tiring day.

  Now that I’m home, I’m ready to go for my usual afternoon walk and then settle in for some alone time.

  With my cropped yoga pants and tank top on, I set off for the beach, taking the same route I took with Archer just yesterday.

  I hope I was able to cover the anguish I’ve felt since he left last night. If I looked sad at work today, maybe the others chalked it up to the family emergency that took me away from work, and not to me feeling heartbroken over someone I lost more than a decade ago all over again.

  The beach is pretty much abandoned as I walk south. Fewer tourists is another sign that summer is almost over, and we’re headed into the winter months. I’ll miss the warmer weather and the sunshine.

  I’m usually energized after my walks, but when I return home, I just feel tired. So, I take a quick shower, change into my comfies, and place an order for pizza delivery.

  I’m going to give myself this one night to wallow in self-pity, and then it’s back to business as usual.

  When I’m armed with a large pepperoni, a full glass of wine, and the remote, I settle on the couch with my favorite blanket and snap on the TV. The regional news fills the screen.

  “From what we’ve been told, law enforcement believes the Martinelli family may be behind this brutal murder, but the investigation is ongoing.”

  I quickly turn the channel to the home improvement network and set my pizza aside.

  This. This is why I turned Archer away.

  And it would be best if I didn’t forget that.

  Chapter 6

  ~Archer~

  I could have stayed with her last night, but I have a shit ton to do in a short time. If she thinks I’m leaving, she obviously doesn’t know me very well.

  But I’ll be happy to remind her.

  Because I’m not going anywhere. If she needs space and time to get us
ed to the idea of having me around, that’s fine with me.

  I’m in no hurry.

  I’ve temporarily settled myself in a suite at a seaside resort, and I have a meeting with a real estate agent in fifteen minutes. I’ve had breakfast, and a five-mile run already, and am on my way to look at the house that caught my eye yesterday when I was on the beach with Elena.

  Ally.

  I need to get used to her name. She has my last name. I wonder if that’s a coincidence or if she told her grandmother what name she wanted to use. She should have my name. And she would if she hadn’t been afraid of her father.

  “Mr. Montgomery?”

  I nod at the woman standing by the front door of the large house on the cliffs. I can hear the waves crashing in the distance. “Yes, ma’am. Ms. Stebbins?”

  “Cheryl, please.” She shakes my hand and then opens the already unlocked door. Cheryl knows how to do her job well. She’s an attractive woman, dressed in a simple, classy suit. Her blond hair is styled in waves down her back, and I can see she recently applied red lipstick to her pouty lips. But her smile isn’t flirtatious, and she’s all-business when she gestures for me to walk in ahead of her. All of the lights inside are already on. “This particular house has been on the market for about five weeks.”

  I nod again. I did a little research on this property last night while I ate takeout in my hotel room. The main living space is bright and open, with floor-to-ceiling windows that give me an unobstructed view of the ocean beyond. The furniture looks new, is simple, and fits the space perfectly. “Is it possible to buy the furniture with the house?”

  “I’m sure we can make an offer and see what they say. They’ve already moved out of state.”

  The views from the kitchen and living room and then the master bedroom are simply stunning.

  “The house was built in 1982, but as you can see, the current owners completely remodeled the home, updating all of the rooms.”

  “It’s nice,” I reply, taking in the white kitchen with black lower cabinets, the up-to-date light fixtures, and brand-new floors. It’s better than nice. It’s gorgeous. Living here while I win my girl back won’t be a hardship in the least. “I’ll take it.”

  Her eyebrows climb, and those red lips part in surprise. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  “Do you have preapproval for a loan?”

  “I’ll pay cash. I’d like to close as soon as possible. And I’d like to ask the owners if I can move in right away, paying them rent, of course, until the closing date.”

  “Like I said, they’ve left the state, so I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  “Great. You’ll be able to reach me all day should you need to.”

  “This could be the easiest sale of my career,” Cheryl says as we walk outside, and she locks the door behind us. “I’ll start making calls and drawing up the paperwork right away. I’ll call the current owner and get back to you today regarding your questions.”

  “Thank you, Cheryl.”

  I shake her hand again and then lower myself into my car, headed back to the resort. The first matter of business for the day is finished. If E—Ally won’t let me stay with her, I’ll buy my own place. It’s a good investment anyway.

  I hurry back up to my suite and call my assistant, Leslie.

  “Are you coming into the office today?” she asks when she answers the phone.

  “No. I’m going to be working remotely for a while, Les.”

  “Killing me, boss.”

  I smirk and open my laptop. “There’s nothing you can’t handle in that office.”

  “You bet your ass about that,” she says. “But I can’t sign your name or write million-dollar checks. That’s above my pay grade.”

  “No one writes million-dollar checks,” I say as I press my finger to the pad on the keyboard and log into the computer. “We do everything electronically these days. Speaking of, I just bought a property in Oregon.”

  She’s quiet for a moment, and I can just imagine the frown on her pretty face.

  “Oregon?”

  “Bandon, Oregon, to be exact.”

  “Commercial property?”

  “A house. One that I’m going to be living in for a bit, and then I’ll lease it out.”

  “I’m sorry, am I speaking to Archer Montgomery?”

  “I don’t pay you extra to be a smartass.”

  “You should. My smartassery is deeply undervalued. What are you doing in Oregon, Arch?”

  “Let’s call it a working vacation. I’ll have my home office set up soon. You can reach me anytime.”

  “I have a list of messages for you,” she says. “And you haven’t answered your email in three days.”

  “I’ll work on that today.”

  “Are you okay, boss?”

  “I’m great. Better than I’ve been in a long time. But, Les, where I am is confidential. If anyone asks, I’m just out of town.”

  “That’s the answer I give anyway. Please, and I mean this most sincerely, check your email.”

  “I promise, I’ll do it today. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Be careful.”

  She hangs up, and I grin. Leslie’s been with me since I started the business five years ago. She knows more about the day-to-day than I do, and that’s no lie. We joke about her lack of compensation, but I pay her well for the job she does for me.

  She’s worth every penny.

  Feeling confident that Leslie has the home front taken care of, I briefly think about what I should have for lunch, but my phone interrupts my decision making.

  If Cheryl’s calling already, it’s either very good or very bad news.

  “Hi, Cheryl.”

  “I have some excellent news for you, Mr. Montgomery. The sellers have agreed to your terms and are willing to include the furniture with the full price offer.”

  “Excellent.”

  “As I mentioned, they’ve moved out, so all of their personal effects are gone.”

  “When can I move in?”

  “Immediately.” She laughs as if she can’t believe it. Truth be told, neither can I. “We have some paperwork to take care of, and then it’s all yours.”

  “Excellent.”

  Four hours later, I’ve checked out of the resort and am unpacked in my new ocean-front house in Oregon. Setting up my office didn’t take long, given that the desk and chair, along with shelves were already in the room. All I had to add was my laptop. I will need to find a store soon for a printer-slash-scanner, and I’m sure Leslie will give me a list of things I’ll need, but this will work just fine for now.

  I made a grocery run to stock up on the essentials, which for me is roughly five-hundred dollars-worth of food and snacks, some cleaning supplies, and a few bottles of the wine I saw at Ally’s house.

  Now, despite all of the food in the place, I decide I’m too tired to cook, so I drive to town and walk into the diner. I sit in a deep red booth, looking forward to the burger and fries I just ordered.

  “Archer?”

  I glance up, and there’s Ally’s friend from the other day.

  “That’s your name, right?”

  “Yes, and you’re Ally’s friend…”

  “Lindsey.”

  “Right. Nice to see you.”

  “You, too. I guess I’m confused. I saw her today, and Ally said that you left yesterday.”

  “Did she?”

  “Yeah. She didn’t look great, actually.”

  My heart stops, and my eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Pale, quiet. I figured she was just still getting over the family emergency she went through. But here you are.”

  “Here I am.”

  I don’t ask her to join me. That’s not appropriate. But I also don’t want her to rush off and call Ally. I want the news that I’m still here to come from me.

  “I had some business to see to, and I didn’t want to leave until I knew she was okay. I’ll lo
ok in on her before I head out of town.”

  Lindsey’s shoulders sag, and a smile spreads over her lips. “I understand. I’m glad she has you as her friend. I wish she’d told me about you before. I always thought Ally was a lonely person, but maybe she’s just private.”

  “She’s definitely private,” I agree. “Have a good night, Lindsey.”

  “You, too.”

  She waves and walks up to the counter where a bag of food is ready for her to take away.

  In a town as small as this one, I won’t be able to be here for long without Ally knowing it. And that’s okay, it’s not a secret. But until this minute, I didn’t realize how much I wanted her to find out from me, not someone else.

  So, I’ll have to make sure I run into her tomorrow and get going on my plan to win her over.

  She never did go for flowers. She wouldn’t turn them away, but posies aren’t the way to El—Ally’s heart.

  Donuts and coffee. Every day during her junior year of high school, when I was a senior, I picked her up for school with a bag of maple glazed and a white-chocolate mocha. It was a sugar shock to the system, that’s for sure, but it never failed to make her smile.

  I know that she works for the wild animal refuge just outside of town, so I park out front and, armed with all the sugar in the land, walk inside.

  “We’re not open to the public yet.”

  “I’m not here for the animals,” I reply with a smile. “I’m hoping I can see Ally.”

  The man’s eyes widen in surprise. “She’s here, back with the babies.”

  “Can you please ask her if she has a moment?”

  He nods. “Sure. Hang on.”

  He disappears through a door, and I’m suddenly as nervous as I was the other day when I rang her doorbell.

  Here’s hoping she doesn’t pull a gun on me this time.

  “Can I help—?” The words die on her lips when she walks out and sees that it’s me. “What are you doing here?”

  “I brought you breakfast.” I pass her the bag and the cup of coffee with a smile. “I know you work super early and have already been here for a while, but I got a late start. Sorry about that. I hope you still like maple.”