Chapter 27 | Wade
The biggest surprise coming out of his uncle’s death was the will. It would be months before it was out of probate but Wade’s uncle had made sure everything was in order before he went into hospice.
Wade had not counted on being included in the will. He'd assumed that it would all go to his mother.
Most of it did. However, Uncle Jeff had made some provisions for Wade as well.
The investment firm Wade worked for was being sold to the remaining partners. Wade had never loved the job enough to want to stay on. Until that moment, he’d never had a reason to quit. With the sale of the company, the remaining partners offered a generous severance package and a glowing recommendation, which made his parting feel like the closure he needed.
Within the provisions of the will, Wade discovered that Uncle Jeff had left him several rental properties in Dreamer’s Folly and the surrounding area. He met with the property management bookkeeper and discovered there was quite a bit of money coming in from the rentals. As long as Wade kept the business, he would be financially comfortable. The properties were all within a thirty-mile radius, which was fine with Wade. He was done traveling for a bit.
Armed with the addresses of the buildings he now owned, Wade set aside one day to visit as many as he could, to introduce himself and take a look around. He had no intention of selling the properties; he only wanted to get a sense of the properties themselves and their occupants.
Along the shore, north of town were several buildings in prime locations for much of the tourist activity that visited Dreamer’s Folly every year.
After parking his car, Wade pulled out the map as he walked along the boardwalk that ran along the beach front. The sun shone brightly, and a pleasant breeze whipped along the shore. It tugged at Wade's memories of time spent on the island and how often he and Adam would sit and fish.
Or rather, Wade would fish while Adam would sit and keep him company.
He touched his pocket and felt the small shell tucked away within, when, on the air, he caught a whiff of lavender. He turned quickly in a circle, wondering where the pleasant smell came from.
A young couple stared at him as he frantically looked around.
With a shy smile, he kept walking, occasionally checking where he was against landmarks.
Unit 1337. A small, single story shop nestled between two three-story buildings. One was for sale, Wade noted, before he pushed into the small shop.
The bell jingled merrily as the door opened, then shut behind Wade.
It was a gift shop of sorts. The strong aroma of herbs hung in the air. It smelled wonderful. And comforting. He strolled through the aisles. Lotions, shampoos and soaps lined the shelves. Jars and bottles filled with herbs suspended in oils. One shelf sported a rose collection of beauty products. Another filled with products made from beeswax and honey, yet another from goat’s milk.
The concoctions felt familiar and brought more memories to mind of the man he'd lost.
Wade stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Adam emerge from the back of the store.
“Welcome to Grann—” Adam froze when their eyes met.
“Adam.” Wade swallowed thickly. He glanced at his printout. Grannie’s Herbals. The name didn’t register with Wade until that very moment. “Hi.”
Unrooted from his spot, Adam went to the counter. “What do you want?”
Adam’s voice lacked any warmth. Only pain glinted in his eyes. Wade wanted to drag Adam into a fierce embrace and kiss him until the frown disappeared.
“I, um… wow. This… is awkward.” Wade waved his paper. Totally unprepared to see Adam, again.
“Just say it.”
Right. Wade deserved it. This reception was justified. “I’m your new landlord.”
The expression dropped from stubborn anger to surprise. “What?”
“Jeff Blaine was the previous owner of your building. You lease it from Blaine Properties. He passed away and left the business to me.” Wade risked stepping closer to the counter.
Adam didn’t back up, which gave Wade hope.
“He was my uncle.”
More emotions flew across Adam’s face. Wade saw confusion, concern, sympathy, and then anger as that mask came up again. “Is that right?” He put his packages down on the counter. “So you’re here to do what? Raise our rent? Terminate our lease and throw us out?”
Wade raised his hands. “No, Adam. I promise that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to see what I’d be managing. Get a feel for the people who were in the buildings.”
“Sure.” Adam wiped his hands off on his apron and pulled it over his head. “So you need to look around? Make sure we’re not doing anything illegal?”
“Adam, please. I’m not here to cause trouble. I didn’t even… it didn’t occur to me that this was the shop your grandmother ran.” Wade held his hand out to keep Adam from disappearing. “Please. Just… stay here for a minute and talk to me.”
“Not sure what there is to talk about,” Adam said mulishly. But he didn’t leave, which was promising. “I thought you were pretty clear last time we talked.”
Wade deserved that, too. He drew a deep breath. Obviously, his prediction was spot on.
He'd already burned this bridge right down to the ground.
“I’m sorry about that. I just… there was a lot going on. I didn’t handle things well. I own that, Adam, I do.”
Adam lifted a shoulder in disinterest. “Do you have a card I can give Gran to contact you?”
“It won’t be necessary,” Wade said. “Contacting the office for issues with the building won’t change. Just the owner has changed.”
Adam nodded mutely. “I’m sorry to hear about your uncle,” he said softly.
“Thanks.” Wade stood at the counter, hating the distance between them. This was painfully awkward for Wade; he could only imagine what it was like for Adam. “I made my peace with him.”
“That’s good.” Adam looked up and met Wade’s gaze. The anguish and pain were so clear. Adam was never good at hiding any emotion. It shone in his eyes. “You look good. I mean, considering.”
“Thanks. Things are looking up. I'm booked to start therapy.”
Adam nodded. “That’s good.”
More silence that speared Wade right through his heart.
There was so much he wanted to say. To say or do anything to bridge this gap, to take back everything he said to Adam. To beg Adam to let him try again.
The look on Adam’s face told Wade that was not possible.
Too late.
He couldn’t be around this awkwardness. It was squeezing Wade’s heart in his chest to the point it was physically painful.
“Look, don’t worry about running into me, okay?” Wade gathered up his papers and folded them in half. “The office manager told me that my uncle was pretty hands off and it’s not my intention to make any changes. This is all new to me, so I’ll be on a steep learning curve.”
Wade stepped back from the counter, toward the door. “Take care, Adam. And… I’m really very sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
Once he stepped outside the door, Wade took a deep breath, really drawing it in, just like Adam taught him on the island. The attempts at teaching Wade to relax and meditate weren't completely wasted.
He felt marginally better, but only because his heart didn’t act like it was going into palpitations.
Looking at his sheet, he glanced down the storefronts. The next address on the list was about six buildings down. Wade wanted to do anything else other than finish his visitations.
By sheer force of will, Wade turned and headed for the next building.
By the time he reached the end of the boardwalk, Wade could say that he'd successfully completed what he had intended to do. That was comforting in its own right. He'd managed to put what happened in Adam’s shop behind him.
The problem was, Wade didn’t want it to be behind them. He wanted to make it right. He wanted to make it up to Adam.
He wanted Adam back.
And yet he walked away.
Again.
God, Adam was right. Wade was a coward and in the worst possible way. Now he wasn’t willing to even fight for what he wanted and to weather through Adam’s pain and disappointment to try to win him back.
It was clear in Adam’s eyes, even if his body language said something else. He still loved Wade.
Beyond a shadow of any doubt, Wade knew there was no one else in the world he wanted. He loved Adam, too.
He didn’t have the experience to reach across the chasm and make things right.
As he strolled back down the boardwalk to his car, Wade decided he’d call Irene and get her advice. He needed friends. Especially now during all the missteps he was making in the effort to get his life back on track.
His fingers brushed the shell in his pocket, and he pulled it out, slowing to a stop. Someone clipped him on the shoulder as they passed and he murmured an absent apology as he stared at the simple beauty that was his only anchor.
There had to be a way. There had to be.
Thumbing his phone, Wade held it up to his ear. “Irene, if you get this in the next five, call me. I need some advice.”
He had five minutes to spare before he made the biggest mistake of his life a second time.