Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 525

Larry Adams let out a heavy sigh and recounted to her what Lillian had said earlier that morning. “I could tell she’s really hoping Dennis will come back home with her, but… I don’t think he’ll be able to make it to Harrisburg.”

Camila Davis felt her heart sink a little, a hopeful part of her dimming just beneath the surface.

She steadied herself, keeping her voice casual, “What makes you say that? Did something happen?”

Larry hesitated. “I can’t really get into the details, but it’s family stuff. He’s got things he needs to take care of.”

As he spoke, Larry’s face twisted with clear irritation, like he’d just bitten into a lemon tart that was all sour and no sweet.

Camila didn’t miss it.

She had a pretty good idea of what things were like in the Williams family.

But if it was just the Williamses, Larry wouldn’t look quite so disgusted. So maybe it was more about the Collins family?

If Larry wasn’t talking, it had to be something serious.

Dennis never really got along with the Collins crowd, as far as she could tell.

Camila wisely didn’t pry. She just nodded along, “I get it. If he can’t come back, I won’t push. I’ll explain things to Lillian, too. She’ll understand… eventually.”

She tried to sound breezy, but she couldn’t shake an odd emptiness inside.

Seeing how quickly Camila accepted the situation, Larry suddenly grew restless, rubbing the back of his neck, searching for the right words.

He wanted to curse out loud. What a mess!

That evening, as if on cue, Sarah Brown showed up at their place, no doubt hoping to snag some of Camila’s famous mac and cheese. She’d probably already heard the whole saga, and seemed even more stressed about it than Camila herself.

Camila teased her, grinning, “What’s with the face? Who rained on your parade? Your brows are so knitted, they look like a pretzel.”

“Hey!” Sarah huffed, “I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried about you! Seriously, if Mr. Williams doesn’t come back, what are you gonna do?”

Camila laughed, caught off guard by her friend’s concern. “What do you mean, what am I gonna do? I’ll figure it out. Life goes on.”

Sarah shook her head, not convinced. “Come on, he was totally into you—always flirting, always around. And now he just bails? What’s up with that? He’s not even going to say goodbye?”

Camila burst out laughing, waving her hands. “Don’t be ridiculous! He wasn’t flirting with me. Where are you getting that idea?”