Page 95 of The House Guest

Chandler nodded. “Well, not for nothing, but you don’t need the money. You made the right decision in unloading those problems onto someone else.”

“Not sure Remington would agree...”

“Your father died because of his job,” Chandler pointed out. “You nearly did. Pretty sure he’d be good with your decisions now.”

“You don’t know my father very well, then.” I laughed angrily.

Candace pointed her finger at me. “I say good riddance to all the stress that came with running Vanderbilt. You deserve to have the life you dream of. You’ve sacrificed enough. I know what it’s like to stare death in the face, and there’s no substitute for peace of mind. Our time on Earth is too short to devote to something that doesn’t speak to your soul. And life is also too short to live alone and not let love in. My kids have brought me more love than I could ever imagine. I hope someday you can experience having a child of your own.”

Pain moved through my chest. “I don’t know if that’s in the cards for me.”

“Primrose moved on because she thought you had broken up with her,” Candace said. “But I guarantee you, she doesn’t regret having her daughter, despite everything.”

“Of course she doesn’t,” I agreed.

“You don’t need to be hopelessly in love with someone to start a life and have children.” She looked around. “Imagine being able to create a new story for this place.”

“I thought you were hoping for a miracle with Primrose. Now you think I should knock someone else up?” I challenged.

“Well, of course I’m hoping for a miracle. But the reality is, you can’t wait your entire life for her to come to her senses. There’s always the chance that she’ll just loveyou in secret and marry her daughter’s father. I think if she goes through with this wedding, that should be your sign to move on.”

I nodded.

“When is the wedding?” Chandler asked.

“A little over five months away.”

He sighed. “Well, then, you’ll know fairly soon, right?”

“Right.”

Candace frowned. “Well, like I said, if she marries him, youdoneed to find a way to move on, even if you fake it ’til you make it.”

I’d done a lot of faking it in my lifetime but never when it came to my feelings. Not sure how I’d pretend to be in love when my heart belonged to someone else.

***

Later that evening, the phone rang. When I saw Primrose’s name on the screen, I couldn’t pick it up fast enough. “Hey.”

She let out a breath. “Hi.”

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”

“I know.”

I wiped sweat from my forehead. “What’s up?”

“How have you been doing since returning to California?”

“Things are okay. Trying to acclimate to the mansion again. Spent the day with Chandler and Candace, actually. They stopped by.”

“Ah.” She paused. “That’s great that you have them nearby again.”

There was something off about her tone. Dread filled me, and I tightened every muscle in my body in preparation for the worst. “What’s going on, Primrose? I sense something in your voice.”

When she didn’t immediately say anything, I realized what was happening here before she managed to get it out. Trying to sound strong, I said, “I’ve got all night...take your time. But I have a feeling I know what’s coming.”

“You do?”