Page 38 of Honey Bee Library (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman #7)

COLE

My house was traditionally my sanctuary. A place I could disappear to, where all the stress of my life would melt away. A place of calm and peace. A place where other people couldn’t touch me.

That was before Willow and Jasper had come to stay with me.

That was before I’d fallen in love with the co-owner of the Sunny Side Up Diner.

That was before she rejected me and I had to return to Miami, alone.

Now, my house just felt like a cold, empty prison cell. One that I would never be able to leave.

I sighed as I leaned my head to rest on the back of the couch.

I closed my eyes and took in a few deep breaths.

It was early in the morning. I’d managed to catch a late-night flight to Miami, and when I’d got to my house, I crashed on my bed.

I tried to sleep in, but as soon as the small slits of the early morning sun started to creep into my bedroom, I was awake.

So I forced myself out of bed and made it to the living room, where I collapsed on the couch.

I had no motivation to get up—or to do anything really.

Now that I’d seen what life could be like with Willow and Jasper, my former life was no longer enough.

I wanted Willow and Jasper like I needed air to breathe, and it was killing me that she didn’t feel the same.

I feared I was never going to get over my time spent in Harmony.

Needing a distraction, I grabbed my phone and lifted my head. I was going to text Liam. He was always good for a distraction. Once I found his name, I began to type.

Me: Hey man, where are you?

I set my phone down on my chest and leaned my head back once more, closing my eyes.

I doubted Liam would be up right now. That man partied hard and slept most of the day.

I felt bad that I’d basically ignored him when he got to Harmony.

I’d been swept up in my drama with Willow, and now that I was on the other side of our relationship, I could see where I’d gone wrong.

I should have never let a woman get in between me and a friend.

I was going to do better next time—if next time ever came around.

Liam: Harmony. Where are you?

My heart squeezed at the name of the one place I feared I was never going to be able to forget. Was this going to be my reaction every time someone brought it up? I hated that I was so weak. I dated and broke up with so many women. Why was it different with Willow?

I shook my head. The best thing I could do was just put her out of my mind. Get my friend back to Miami and focus on moving on.

Me: Miami. When are you coming back?

Liam: Just waiting on something. Probably fly back tonight.

I frowned. Waiting on something? What did that mean? And then I shook my head. When it came to Liam, it could mean anything. That man was impulsive and unpredictable.

Liam: Saw Bethany last night. Trying to figure out why you left before you talked to her.

I could feel the color drain from my face at his words. With all this moping about Willow, I’d managed to forget about seeing my mom at the diner. I’d managed to forget the only reason I’d gone to Harmony in the first place.

I scrubbed my hand down my face and sighed.

I’d spent so much time and energy trying to help Gran remember, yet I’d allowed myself to get distracted.

I’d walked away from my mom without confronting her because I was already dealing with the fallout between Willow and me.

Had I resisted Willow and stuck to my original plan from the beginning, I would have been prepared to confront my mom, tell her about Gran, and ask her to come to Miami to visit.

Then I could have wrapped up my time in Harmony and walked away without all of this baggage.

I was an idiot.

Me: Yeah? How did that go? Did you say something to her?

Liam sent a laughing emoji.

Liam: Didn’t need to. Your woman took care of telling her off.

My entire body froze. What? I shifted until I was sitting straight up against the couch. I stared down at my phone, reading Liam’s text over and over again in the hope that, maybe, I’d skipped over a few words.

But on my eighth re-read, nothing changed.

Your woman took care of telling her off.

Me: She’s not my woman.

Which was the truth. Willow was not my anything.

Liam: Really? That’s strange. I’ve never seen someone defend another person like that unless they were romantically involved.

Hmm.

Me: What did she look like? Maybe we’re talking about two different people.

Liam: The girl who owns the diner. Willow? After I told her that your mom was sitting behind us, she marched right over and let her have it. Told her that she left a great guy and how she could never imagine leaving her kid. It was epic.

I frowned. Why would Willow do that? I thought she was done with me. I thought that…she didn’t care. Why would she defend me like that?

Me: Oh.

I didn’t know what else to text. I had so many questions, but I also knew that going down this rabbit hole wasn’t going to help me forget Willow. The best thing I could do for my sanity was just move the conversation forward.

Me: I’m gonna get ready to go see Gran this morning. Let me know as soon as you get to Miami and we’ll grab a drink.

I set my phone on my chest before I slunk down against the couch and rested my head on the back once more. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander for a moment before I realized that if I didn’t get up and be productive, I was going to drive myself insane.

Texting Liam hadn’t been the distraction I needed. Now, my head was full of even more thoughts and questions about Willow. I needed to focus on getting out of my house and doing things.

I stood and headed into my bedroom. I set my phone down on the bathroom vanity and started the shower warming. Once steam had filled the room, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped in under the hot water, where I lathered myself in soap.

Now clean, I flipped the water off, wrapped a towel around my waist, and stepped out of the shower. The bathmat under my feet was soft and warm as I stood in front of the mirror and towel-dried my hair.

After I shaved, I patted my skin with some aftershave and then headed into my closet to get dressed.

I settled on a dark blue t-shirt and jeans.

I was going to see Gran this afternoon and then come back home to dress before heading to Obsidian for the night.

I’d been ignoring my business, and now that Willow and I were officially over, it was time to focus on returning to normal.

I stopped by Sam’s Floral Shop on my way to see Gran to pick her up a bouquet of daisies. They were her favorite flowers—even if she didn’t remember that they were her favorite. When I got to Seabreeze Memory Lodge, I found a parking spot near the front and turned off my car.

I gathered the flowers and the ceramic vase with ladybugs dotted all over it before I pushed open the driver’s door and got out.

The receptionist smiled at me when I approached the desk.

I told her I was there for Georgianna. After showing her my license and getting a visitor sticker, I headed down the hallway that led to Gran’s room.

I used my elbow to press on the door release and quietly entered. The room was silent and dark. I scanned the different areas Gran could be in only to see that she was tucked into her bed, asleep.

At the sight of Gran’s familiar face, all the stress that I’d been holding inside from Willow, my mom, and Harmony began to fade away. Miami was my physical home, but Gran was my emotional home. When I was with her, I felt peace.

She was the anchor that grounded me and gave me safe harbor. I had no idea what I was going to do or who I would be once she passed. It hurt me too much to even think about it.

I quietly filled the vase with water before arranging the daisies as best I could, and then I set the whole thing down on her small dining room table. With the bouquet taken care of, I headed over to Gran. She was still asleep, so I grabbed the nearby armchair and brought it close to the bed.

Once I was sitting, I reached out and took her hand. I wanted her to know that I was here, and I needed the strength that came from being around the woman who loved me unconditionally. Tears pricked my eyes as I held her soft, weathered hand.

I didn’t want to cry. I wanted to be strong for her. But I missed my grandmother. I missed how she always seemed to know exactly what I needed to hear. I missed her chocolate chip cookies and the way she would squeeze me twice before she released me from a hug.

I needed her in my life, and I didn’t know who I was going to be once she was gone.

Exhaustion took over, so I brought my other arm up and rested my forehead in the crook of my elbow. I took in a deep breath as I closed my eyes and let darkness surround me. For the first time in a long time, I was at peace as I felt my body slowly relax.

A feminine voice startled me awake. I blinked a few times as the sight of the floor beneath me slowly came into focus. I frowned as I gathered my bearings. For a split second, I thought I was at the diner, but the smell of Gran’s rose perfume brought me back.

I was in Miami. I was at Seabreeze Memory Lodge visiting Gran. I was alone, and Willow and Jasper were in Harmony, moving on with their lives.

There, I was all caught up.

The woman spoke again, so I pulled back, my gaze landing first on Gran. I knew it was ridiculous to hope that she was up and that she remembered me. That was solidified when I was met with Gran’s peaceful sleeping face.

It was better for me to accept that Gran was gone than to keep hoping she was going to wake up one day and everything would be back to normal. I was going to drive myself insane if I didn’t accept this new normal.

I glanced around the room, half expecting to see a nurse standing near the bed. But my entire body went numb when I found myself face-to-face with my mother.