by Rachel Lacey
“I’m going to take some time and focus on myself,” Sabrina said. “And I’m truly sorry for causing you more pain at a time when you were already hurting.”
“I appreciate that,” I told her, reaching under the table for the bag I’d placed there. “I found a few of your things at my place that I thought you might like to have back.”
She peered in the bag with a sheepish smile. “I was wondering where that sweater went. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I guess I’d better go.” She stood, holding the bag. “I hope you’re doing well, Phoebe. I wish you the best.”
I surprised myself then by standing to give her a quick hug. “Thank you.”
“Goodbye,” she said, squeezing me back before she turned to leave.
“Bye, Sabrina.” I watched her go, feeling lighter now than I had before our meeting. Seeing Sabrina this morning had only reinforced for me that I was over her. My heart belonged to Taylor. Maybe it always had. And I couldn’t wait to get back to Vermont.
As I sat to finish my cappuccino, my mind circled back to the job offer I’d received last night. There was a bullet point in the offer email that I hadn’t expected, something that might be a total game changer for me. I pulled out my phone and dialed Allison.
“Bellair Innovations, this is Allison,” she said when she answered.
“Allison, hi. It’s Phoebe Shaw.”
“Oh Phoebe, I was hoping I’d hear from you this morning,” she said.
“Do you still have time to meet with me before I leave town to go over the details of your job offer?” I asked.
“I sure do,” she said. “Can you be here at ten?”
“I’ll see you then,” I told her.
By the time I ended the call, I was already walking back to my condo. It was time to move on with my life, and with any luck, I might have found a way to make it happen.
32
Taylor
My feet felt like stones as I stomped along the path behind Margery’s cabin. In less than a week, it would be mine. I had an appointment on Monday to sign the paperwork and make it official. I held Violet’s leash in my right hand while Minnie bounded ahead of us on the trail, ever hopeful with a stick in her mouth. I still had to watch the two of them closely to make sure there weren’t any scuffles, but so far, they were getting along seamlessly.
As we approached the back of the cabin, I saw Phoebe sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs on the patio, surrounded by a canopy of rosebushes, and my pulse raced at the sight of her. She was back from Boston, but for how long? Maybe she was just here to pack up her things and leave for good. I didn’t know where we stood, and I hated that I’d made it worse by arguing with her yesterday.
I wanted to embrace the long-distance relationship she had in mind, but I couldn’t seem to shake the fear that I was going to end up getting hurt, that she would get tired of Vermont and of me and move back to Boston. But didn’t I owe it to myself to at least try? To see if we could have the happy ending we’d been denied last time?
“Hi,” I said, stopping by the stream. Violet bent her head for a drink while Minnie raced ahead, shoving her stick into Phoebe’s leg.
“Ouch,” Phoebe said with a laugh, bending to take the stick. “And hi.”
Minnie raced in circles around her, barking happily, but after Phoebe tossed the stick, she headed in my direction. She walked right up to me and yanked me in for a kiss, then crouched to greet Violet, rubbing her behind the ears before pressing a kiss between her eyes.
And as I watched her lavishing Violet with affection, my fear dissipated. Maybe this was crazy, maybe I was setting myself up for heartbreak, but I couldn’t let her go, not if there was a chance of keeping her.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted.
Phoebe stood, facing me with wide eyes.
“I shouldn’t have pushed my fears on you last night and certainly not over the phone,” I told her. “We can try things long-distance. We have to try, because I love you, Phoebe.” I took her hands in mine, watching as tears welled in her eyes. Violet circled us, wrapping us in her leash, effectively binding us together.
“I love you too,” she told me, bottom lip trembling as she spoke. “I’ve only been in love twice, and both times it was with you.”
My whole body went warm and tingly at her words. “I would say the same, but I’m not sure I ever stopped loving you the first time. I think that’s why I’ve had so much trouble finding someone else in the meantime, and why I was so scared of losing you again.”
“You aren’t going to lose me this time.” She pressed closer, wrapping her arms around me. “Not if I can help it.”
I slid my hands up to cup her face, dropping Violet’s leash in the process. At this point, she was so tangled around us, she wasn’t going anywhere. “It may be hard, but we’ll make it work.”
“It won’t be as hard as you think,” Phoebe told me with a hesitant smile. “I have some good news.”
“You do?” Had she decided not to take the job in Boston? Because now that I was thinking past my fear, I didn’t want her to sacrifice her career for me.
“I went in for a meeting with my new boss this morning before I left Boston,” she told me. “Because it’s a financial consulting firm, I’ll be contracted out to various companies in the area to perform financial assessments. I asked if there was a possibility to work remotely, and it turns out…there is.”
“Really?” I asked, hardly daring to hope.
She grinned as a tear broke free, slipping down her cheek. “I’ll be able to complete a good portion of my work remotely. I only need to go into the office in Boston a few times a month, and sometimes I might travel to other cities in the area, depending on where my clients are located.”
“Working remotely?” I repeated. “As in, here?”
She nodded. “I can sell my condo in Boston and move here with you, and I’ll just get a hotel room or an AirBnb when I go down for a meeting. I’ll still get to see my friends and visit the city regularly. Maybe I can even convince you to come with me from time to time.”
“I think you could do that.” I pressed my lips to hers, drowning in emotion, because suddenly, it felt like I had everything I’d ever wanted, and maybe she did too.
“I do have one condition,” she said, glancing down at Violet, who was standing beside her, too tangled in her leash to step away. “Actually, two.”
“Okay,” I said.
“First, I want to buy this cabin with you. We’ll go in jointly so it can be our home, not just yours.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I love that.” Owning a home together felt permanent and wonderful.
“And second,” she said. “I want to adopt Violet.”
“Oh.” The tears that had been brimming in my eyes spilled over. “Yes, please do.”
“And the four of us will live happily ever after,” she said, radiating happiness as bright as the sun shining overhead. “Right here in the cabin where we first met.”
T H E
E N D
Thank you for reading Hideaway by Rachel Lacey! Do you want to read a bonus scene one year later with Phoebe and Taylor? Click here.
Click here to see all the books in the Vino & Veritas series! Or turn the page to learn more.
You Will Also Enjoy…
Flipcup by Kim Hartfield (The Women of Vino & Veritas)
Rachel Lacey’s Books Include:
Don’t Cry For Me (Midnight in Manhattan #1)
If the Shoe Fits (Almost Royal #1)
Lost in Paradise (Stranded #2)
Acknowledgments
First of all, thank you to Sarina Bowen and the team at Heart Eyes Press for allowing me to be a part of this world. It’s such an honor, and it has been an amazing experience to work with such a fun group of authors.
Thank you to my editor, Linda Ingmanson, for all your expertise and to my amazing critique partner, Annie Rains. You make my books better every single time.
Sometimes, I ask the members of my reader group to help me choose the pets that appear in my books, and I incorporated several of them in Hideaway. Thank you to Peggy Gibson for allowing me to use your rescue pit bulls, Violet and Dexter, and to Ashley Watson for inspiring Blue! I hope you enjoy seeing them on the page.
A huge thank you to all the readers, bloggers, reviewers, and friends who have supported me along the way. I appreciate it so much!
xoxo
Rachel