The days blurred into a monotonous routine as Callie tried to reclaim the life she had before Kyle shattered it. She threw herself into work, kept herself busy, and even forced herself to meet up with friends, despite their worried glances and careful words.
The hardest part had been telling her mother.
"Why didn't you say anything sooner, sweetheart?" her mother had asked, voice thick with concern over the phone.
"Because I knew you'd worry," Callie admitted, clutching a cup of tea between her hands as she sat on her porch, staring at the lake. "And I didn't want to hear the 'I told you so.'"
Her mother sighed. "I would never say that. But I do wish I could be there for you."
"You are."
Her mother had stayed on the phone longer than usual that night, filling the silence with memories of home, reassuring her that she'd find her way again.
Still, the ache in Callie's chest remained.
A week passed, and whispers in the office grew louder.
"The new boss is arriving today," someone murmured by the coffee station.
"Apparently, he's a big deal. A real hard-ass, though," another chimed in.
Callie barely paid attention. Whoever this new boss was, it didn't matter. She was too exhausted to care about office drama.
She settled into her desk, scanning through her emails when the entire floor seemed to fall into an unnatural hush. A presence filled the room—commanding, sharp, and familiar.
She looked up.
And there he was.
The stranger from the café.
The man who had claimed her favorite seat.
The man who had sat beside her at the park.
The man who had just moved in next door.
And now, he had a name.
"Good morning, everyone," a senior manager announced nervously. "Meet Dave Howard—our new boss."
Callie's stomach dropped.