Bryce stood by his Jeep, waiting for Kayla to arrive so he could say good-bye properly.

His gut clenched as Kayla pulled her VW Bug into the driveway. She smiled as she got out and waved to him. Her honey-colored hair glowed in the sunlight. “You won’t believe what I got on sale at the farmer’s market. Okay, so I’ll tell you—purple cauliflower!”

“That’s great.” That’s lame, Fitzpatrick.

Her beautiful smile melted. Her movements slowed as she hooked the canvas bag she took shopping with her over one shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I have to go,” he said, his stomach suddenly dropping.

Her eyes widened. “Family emergency? What can I do to help? I can always close up for tomorrow—Wednesdays are notoriously slow. I’m not sure why I stay open on them instead of Mondays. Hmm. Would it be weird to have hours of operations that skip days in the middle of the week?”

She was rambling, and it made his heart pinch, but he had to go through with this. He was falling too fast, getting in too deep.

“No.”

“Oh. Then I’ll do it,” she said with a firm nod. “Thanks.”

“That’s not what I mean,” he said evenly. “I don’t have a family emergency.”

She gave him a fake smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. He’d seen it before—the first time they met and she thought that all he wanted was a good time from her. “That’s great,” she said with a forced cheerfulness. “So, does a major case need your awesome detective skills?”

If he had a heart to break, his would be shattered right now. Kayla was trying so hard to be optimistic, to give him the benefit of the doubt, while he stood there and allowed her to make a fool of herself.

He took a step toward her. Her bottom lip trembled. “It’s not work either?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “No.”

“So you’re just leaving?”

“Have to. Things are moving way too fast for me.” He could give her that—the honesty she deserved. Maybe when she found the right guy... His stomach roiled at the thought of another guy touching. Another guy being the recipient of her smiles and kisses.

“Me, too, but I thought we were just going with it. I thought we—I was being daring and taking a chance on us—you.” She swallowed, her throat visibly working.

“You did. You took one hell of a chance on me, and I won’t forget it. Not in this lifetime or the next, but—”

She fisted her hands on her hips. “You won’t forget me in this lifetime or the next? You’re joking, right? Or I’m on camera because the last time something so ridiculous happened to me—I was online checking my account balance and discovered that Brad had withdrawn every last penny.”

“It’s not like that.”

“You’re right. It’s not like anything. You’re not bothering to attempt to continue anything with me.”

“Never said I was,” he snapped. “I was up front about having a good time with you, and from my viewpoint, we had a damn good time.”

“Yeah, we did,” she said sadly. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re a jerk for leaving like this.”

“You knew I was only here for a vacation.”

But she wasn’t listening to him. “No warning. No nothing. Last night, you told me things about yourself...and I thought we had a connection.” Understanding dawned in her eyes. “I can’t believe it. You’re leaving because of what I said.”

Yeah, he was, but it was also more than that. He’d spent half the night staring at her and trying to figure out what to do. But, in the end, there was only one decision he could make, and that was to leave.

“I could have skipped town.”

“Too bad you didn’t.” She shoved past him and went inside. The door slammed behind her before he heard the distinctive sound of the deadbolt sliding into place.

“Smart girl,” he said to himself.

For a minute, he stood there, deliberating on what to do. Inwardly, he gave himself a mental shake. “Leave. Don’t make it worse than it already is.”

Bryce trudged to his Jeep and folded himself inside. He gave Kayla’s house one last, lingering look and backed out of the driveway.

*

As soon as she heard him drive away in his Jeep, Kayla sank to the floor and sobbed her eyes out.

She should have known. She should have never agreed to go out with him. When he’d come into the diner, saved her from a stupid toy gun and demanded a date, she should have reacted like she had countless times before—with a firm no.

Then offered to pay him a reward for “saving” her.

But hindsight was always twenty-twenty and filled with images of her being strong. Doing the right thing. Telling Brad and Bryce to take a hike off the side of a mountain.

His abrupt break up had come out of nowhere. Yes, she knew he was leaving—eventually—but a part of her had hoped against hope they’d find a way around that.

Couples had long-distance relationships all the time. Why not them?

Because Bryce wasn’t looking for that.

He’d made it abundantly clear the entire time, but she had refused to listen. Refused to believe what was right in front of her. Besides, what was he supposed to do if things turned serious for them—move to Holland Springs and do what exactly?

The crime rate didn’t exactly demand a homicide detective. He would be bored and eventually would have moved on. Like Brad.

No... Bryce wasn’t Brad. She shouldn’t compare the two, but, while she could acknowledge that Bryce was nothing like Brad when it came to all the important stuff, he did manage one similarity.

They both took a piece of her when they left, only the piece that Bryce took was her broken heart.