Page 41 of Curve Balls and Second Chances (Pickwick Pirate Queens #1)

T he morning after the charity event, the town felt hushed, as if it too were catching its breath.

Pickwick Bend had shown up and shown out . And Rose’s inbox was full of messages from neighbors, classmates, even a couple of church ladies who’d recently given her the side-eye in Piggly Wiggly .

She should’ve been celebrating.

But something still pulled at her.

Declan.

Her heart ached when she thought of him. His kind eyes and patient words. The way he’d stepped close but never pushed. He’d offered steadiness when she’d been spinning, and she had clung to it longer than she should’ve. Longer than was fair.

She owed him honesty.

So that afternoon, she tied her apron strings in a neat bow and twisted her hair into a lazy knot. She left the coffee shop as it hummed along under Cindy’s capable hands, and she walked the few blocks to the vet office.

The late sunlight was soft, slanting gold across storefronts and making the brick buildings glow. The bell over the clinic door jingled when she pushed it open, and the scent of disinfectant and dog biscuits hit her all at once.

Declan looked up from behind the counter, where he was shuffling files into neat piles. He wore that same calm expression she’d come to know. The one that said nothing ruffled him for long. His smile was gentle, unguarded.

“Hey, Rose ,” he said. “ I figured I might see you.”

Her throat tightened, but she forced a small smile. “ Can we talk?”

“Of course.” He set the files down, folding his arms on the counter like he had all the time in the world.

She leaned against the edge of it, fiddling with the edge of her apron string. Her pulse thumped in her ears, loud enough she swore he could hear it.

“I owe you an apology,” she began, words catching on her tongue. “ For letting things go as far as they did when I wasn’t sure I could return your feelings.”

Declan tilted his head, his mouth curving just slightly.

“I always knew.”

Her brows lifted. “ You did?”

“I’m a good reader of people,” he said with a half-smile. “ Comes with being a veterinarian. You learn how to tell what’s real and what’s just been polished up.”

The truth of it hit her like a pebble to glass. Rose’s breath caught, guilt pricking her chest.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” she whispered.

“You didn’t.” His voice was steady, almost tender. “ You’ve got a big heart, Rose . It’s just… not mine to hold.”

The words loosened something inside her, and tears stung unexpectedly at the corners of her eyes. She blinked fast, refusing to let them fall. “ You deserve someone who sees you first. Not as a distraction, or a safe option, but as the real thing.”

“I know.” He nodded slowly, the softest smile tugging at his lips. “ And I’ll find her. But I’m still glad I met you.”

Her chest squeezed. Relief and sorrow tangled together, making it hard to breathe. She reached across the counter, sliding her hand into his. His palm was warm, callused, familiar.

“Me too,” she said, and meant it.

For a long moment, they stood in that quiet, their hands joined, not as almost-somethings but as friends. Genuinely . Finally . The air between them felt different now, lighter, freed from all the weight of expectation.

Rose eased her hand back, though the warmth lingered. She thought of how easy it could’ve been to pretend, to let things continue as they had, to blur the lines and call it enough. But Declan deserved more than half-truths. And she did too.

“I need to get back to the coffee shop.”

“That reminds me,” Declan said as she straightened to leave, his tone shifting like sunlight breaking through clouds, “ I’ve got a vintage rolling pin from the 1940s for you. Real maple. I found it at an antique store. Might come in handy if you ever need to beat off a jealous rival with style.”

Rose blinked, then snorted. “ Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

But the laugh that bubbled up surprised her—light, real, almost giddy. It shook loose some of the heaviness she’d been carrying.

As she stepped outside, the bell above the door chimed again, and she paused on the sidewalk.

The air smelled of freshly cut grass and honeysuckle, warm against her skin.

Across the street, kids were tossing a baseball back and forth, their shouts echoing off the buildings. Life went on, steady and sure.

She pressed a hand to her chest, exhaling slowly. Something inside her had shifted. She hadn’t won or lost. She hadn’t hurt Declan , nor had he hurt her. They had met in the middle, in the place where truth was softer but stronger than any illusion.

That evening, Rose stepped out the back door of the coffee shop and found Briana leaning against her truck.

Dressed in heels, oversized sunglasses, and spite.

“Didn’t think you had the nerve to face me again,” Rose said.

“I’m leaving town,” Briana announced, arms folded. “ For good this time. Thought you’d want to hear it from me.”

Rose raised a brow. “ And ?”

“And I came to say congratulations.”

It was flat, forced.

“And to let you know,” Briana added, voice slipping toward venom, “that one day he’ll leave again. Just like last time. You may have won the town, but people don’t really change, Rose .”

“Maybe not,” Rose said calmly. “ But I have. I don’t need to win anymore. I just need to live honestly. Something you might try sometime.”

Briana sneered. “ You always did like the moral high ground.”

“No,” Rose said, opening her car door. “ But it turns out, it has better views.”

She climbed in and shut the door, leaving Briana standing there in her designer shoes and shrinking pride.