The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 36

I knew Hayden meant well, but his words left me feeling uncomfortable. "Hayden, thank you for your concern, but I'm not sure about my feelings right now. Plus, I have Jonas to think about—"

Hayden cut me off, "Jonas needs a stable family environment too. You can't keep using your child as an excuse to avoid dealing with your own emotions."

His words stung, but I knew he had a point. I looked at him and said, "Hayden, I know you mean well. Just give me some time, okay? I'll think it through seriously."

Hayden patted my shoulder with a satisfied smile. "Good, take your time to think about it. Just remember, happiness won't come looking for you; you have to pursue it yourself."

After Hayden left, I sat in my office, lost in thought. While I knew he meant well, matters of the heart were never simple. Shaking off the thoughts, I decided to focus on work for the rest of the day.

As I was leaving the office that evening, I spotted Lorraine waiting for a ride outside the building. She waved when she saw me, smiling brightly. "Done for the day?"

I walked over and nodded. "Yeah. How about you? Just finished up?"

She chuckled. "Yeah. I had to stay late today."

I checked my watch and noticed that it was almost 7:00 pm. I asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I was just going to throw something together at home."

I thought it over and suggested, "Do you want to grab dinner together? There's a nice spot nearby."

Lorraine's face brightened. "I'd love to! I wasn't looking forward to cooking anyway."

We strolled to a small, cozy restaurant nearby and ordered a few classic dishes. While waiting for the food, we started chatting about work.