Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Spencer hadn't heard from Margo since their romantic date at the fireworks show.

At least—he had thought it was romantic. He'd thought she had, as well. But now he was second-guessing himself. She'd seemed so enthused by all of it, so happy. The way she had kissed him back had felt genuine. All of her reactions had felt genuine. But if she really had felt that way, why hadn't she so much as texted him since then?

It was frustrating. He wasn't used to feeling this way, and he didn't know what to do about it. If she'd really wanted him to leave her alone, he would have—he wasn't going to pursue someone who truly wasn't interested. But instead, he was left wondering, and he preferred certainty to that, even if the answer wasn't the one he wanted.

He had needed to drop off the tents for the fundraiser, and he kept an eye out for Margo as he did, hoping that he would see her at the pavilion where they were setting up. He spotted her leaning on her crutches near a fire pit that Leon was assembling, looking utterly adorable in a thick black cable knit sweater, dark-wash jeans, and a beanie with a fuzzy pompom tugged down over her hair, which she'd left down and in thick waves.

It was clear, even from a distance, that she looked happy. She was talking animatedly to Leon, and he felt a pang in his chest, because she seemed happier and more relaxed than she had since he'd met her. It seemed like she was settling into being back home, maybe even enough to consider staying. But if she was happy, and not just preparing for her exit at the first opportunity, then why hadn't she texted him?

He walked toward where she was standing, hoping to at least get some clarity. She seemed like she was in a good mood, and not in too much of a hurry, so he hoped she wouldn't blow him off. The fact that he had to wonder, after how good things had seemed, stung more than a little.

"Margo."

She jumped when he said her name, and he felt bad for not making his presence more obvious. He hadn't meant to startle her. She looked completely caught off-guard, and he cleared his throat, trying to seem more casual than he felt.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, and he frowned. He felt anything but casual, in this particular moment.

"The tents you asked me to source," he explained. "I was just dropping them off."

A moment of awkward silence hung between them, and he blurted out what was in his head before he had a chance to fully think it through.

"Why are you avoiding me, Margo?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Leon start to sidle away, giving them space.

Her eyes widened, and he thought he saw a faint, embarrassed blush bloom on her cheekbones.

"I'm not," she said, a little defensively. "I've just been busy. All this fundraiser stuff takes up a lot of time, and I've taken a lot of it on. Nora has so much going on with her work and getting ready for the baby, and Caroline practically runs the inn these days, and it's so busy this time of year. Meanwhile, I'm just… here. So I've been taking a lot of it on."

Spencer shook his head. "Margo, we're both adults. Being busy doesn't mean you can't send a text message once in a while. You could have told me you wanted to see me but just couldn't get free. The fact that you didn't contact me is a message in and of itself."

Margo bit her lip, and he felt his heart sink a little.

"Look," he continued. "I get it. We said from the beginning that we weren't making any promises, and that this probably wouldn't be anything more than casually getting to know each other. You weren't planning on sticking around. But there was something between us, or at least, I thought there was. If you're finished with this, I at least deserve to hear it outright, instead of you just ghosting me."

He tried to keep his voice even as he spoke, and he held her gaze, trying to read her emotions in her expression. No one had ever drawn him in as thoroughly as Margo Stoker had, and before he let his heart get any more involved, he needed to know where they stood. He couldn't sit around and wonder what he meant to her. He'd rather know, one way or another, even if the answer disappointed him.

Margo's expression softened, her eyes shining.

"I wasn't finished with it," she admitted in a low voice. "After our date, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I was thinking about where this thing between us could go, honestly. I was hopeful. I thought maybe—" She broke off, chewing on her lower lip. "But it doesn't matter now."

Spencer frowned. "Why not?"

"I ran into Chris," she admitted. "Not even ‘ran into,' that's not really the right word. I was just at The Mellow Mug trying to get some work done, and he walked in. He decided to talk to me and fill me in on everything he had going on, whether I wanted to hear it or not. And I realized that if I stayed here, that would be my life. Having to see Chris, that constant reminder of being hurt, and never being able to get away from any of it. It reminded me of why I left in the first place. And I just…" She sighed. "This town is way too small and full of too many bad memories for me, Spencer. And I didn't see any point in continuing to explore something with you when I'm going to leave."

"You could have at least told me that." He ducked his head to catch her eyes, that pang stinging in his chest again. "I was sitting around thinking I'd done something wrong."

"You didn't. I was just reminded of how much it hurt, the last time I let myself get really involved with someone here. It still hurts, if I'm being honest. And I don't think I want to risk going through that again. But it's hard, because I really do…" Margo hesitated. "That night we had was wonderful. Maybe the best night of my life. But I don't see how we could have a future together if you're here in Evergreen Hollow and I'm not."

The hurt wormed deeper, the pang in his chest spreading.

"There was a spark there when we first met," he said quietly. "I know we both felt it. And we're always happy when we're together. We have fun. I would have hoped the possibility of what that could turn into could have overshadowed the past. Especially a past that's so long ago."

"It's not just that," Margo said, and the defensiveness was back in her voice. "I need my career too. I can't just stay here. What would I do? It's the antithesis of what I do for a living. And I need my work more than anything."

Whatever he'd been expecting her to say, it wasn't that. He felt like he'd been struck, and he reeled, staring at her as she propped herself up on her crutches.

"I'm sorry, Spencer," she said quietly, and he thought he saw genuine regret in her eyes. But that didn't change the fact that something he'd been so hopeful for was ending, just like that. Before they'd even really had a chance to make something of it, or even try.

He couldn't say anything. He couldn't think of what he would want to say. So he just watched as she hobbled after Leon on her crutches, suddenly numb to everything around him, including the cold.

He wasn't sure what he had thought would happen when he'd come to talk to her.

But he hadn't thought it would end like that.