I had plenty without that asshole.
I tossed my phone onto the nightstand and flopped onto the bed.
Well, I had plenty ofoptionsanyway. Just maybe not in Port O’Henry.
As I drove past the welcome sign in the dead of night six days ago, I conjured a dreamy image of taking a job waiting tables at some Ma and Pa restaurant. Maybe I could stack some cash working behind the counter at an ice cream place. People still bought ice cream in the fall in Texas, right?
Except, when the sun rose on this town, I realized how unrealistic those dreams were. There was no Ma and Pa restaurant. At least not one that respectable, tipping people were going to sit down and dine at. There definitely wasn’t an ice cream shop—unless you counted the gas station/convenience store combo.
Port O’Henry was one of those towns caught in an ugly in-between. Million dollar houses lined the glittering shoreline. Meanwhile, the elementary school on Main Street was one tropical storm away from crumbling. Most shops were kitschy and outdated, sporting “closed” signs that didn’t look like they’d been flipped in months.
It was a good place to lay low. A haven while I gathered the broken pieces of my life and put them back together like a jigsaw puzzle.
I sat up, reaching my arms over my head and stretching. The tender spot on my shoulder smarted, and my fingers brushed the skin where Isaac’s teeth left a perfect, round bruise.
Guilt pressed heavily on my chest for a second time that morning, and I glared at the phone as if Jay would be able to see it.
I shouldn’t feel guilty. We were broken up the moment I left his driveway, as far as I was concerned.
But I’d never had a one night stand before. Especially not days after ending a longterm relationship. Was there some kind of waiting period?
Was it wrong to be thinking about Isaac and Jay in the same breath?
It didn’t really matter. I was never going to see either of them again.
That felt…like a waste. Isaac and I had good chemistry, but I doused the sparks between us before they ever had a chance to catch.
That was the mentality that had me giving men like Jay a chance—or ten. It ended here. Today.
Isaac was a good time. Like an indulgent dessert. Fun once in a while, but ultimately bad for your health.
No more moping or overthinking. It was time to explore Port O’Henry in the light of day. Maybe therewasa cute little diner just waiting for me to waltz in and become their favorite waitress on the other side of the boat launch.
I grabbed a denim jacket and a cross-strap purse, walking out the door with a renewed sense of confidence.
Nothing without him.
More like he had nothing without me. Jay’s friends were harsh and aggressive. His employees were just as bad. And his business? I would probably hear about his arrest in the next year. For all I knew, he was part of some mafia that was trying to take over Texas.
Was there even mafia in Texas?
Not in this town, anyway.
The wind on the bay was harsher than I expected, my denim jacket doing little to keep out the chill.
What would it be like to live in this place? Surrounded by bright, beautiful houses—and completely alone. There had to be permanent residents here. Otherwise, who was working on the shrimp boats trawling the bay? Who was working the gas station or putting up all these real estate signs?
The colorful houses gave way to shiny new stilted town homes. In contrast, the motel next door appeared to be abandoned. Paint peeled off the sides of the building and rust formed on every metal surface where the salt spray came off the bay.
Beside it the bar was dark and empty, and I felt an odd pang of longing. The night I spent dancing and laughing with Isaac was glossy the way all memories were, with an extra shine from the alcohol. I felt like myself for the first time since I could remember. There was no pressure, no anxiety about how my careless, drunken words might trigger him.
That wasn’t because of Isaac.
I shuffled through the gravel parking lot of the boat ramp, passing trucks and trailers. Even with the wind whipping bitterly off the bay, people were out fishing.
Sunlight flashed off the crystal tops of waves, forcing me away from the view of the waterway. A giant white hand waved to me from the other direction, drawing my attention across the lot. Vines and roses were painted on the hand, and on the palm were the words “see into your future.”
Behind the hand was a double wide trailer perched on cinder blocks. Lights were strung along the weathered wooden porch. Sheer curtains covered the windows, and another small sign advertised the building as a boutique and fortune telling combo.