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“I’m sorry,” I said, holding his gaze. Could he understand what I was apologizing for?
Mason stood up and touched my hair, giving me a reassuring smile. “You have nothing to apologize for.” But there was something in his expression that signified there was pain behind that smile. It might have just been due to this situation with Whitney, but I was sure my refusal to reciprocate his feelings was weighing down on him, too. He brushed it off, though, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Tomorrow.”
I followed Daya back through the double doors so we could both get our things from our table. I needed to say goodbye to Sarah, of course—and I found her on the dancefloor talking amongst co-workers. “Congratulations,” I told her, giving her a hug. After her, I hugged Owen, who seemed a little wobbly on his feet.
Finley ran up to us as we made our way toward the exit. “You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked, sticking her bottom lip out.
“I have to, Fin. But I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”
She lurched forward to hug my legs, and I bent down to squeeze her. She was more than a little reluctant to let go, so her grandma came up behind her to pry her off of me.
“This little girl really loves you, you know,” Christine said, taking Finley by the hand.
I sighed as they walked back to the dancefloor. “There sure is a lot of that going around,” I mumbled to Daya as we left.
chapter forty-six
mason
As eager as I was to see Traci and ask about Whitney’s intentions, I knew there was no way I could get Finley to wake up in time to have breakfast with the woman. So I canceled, telling her we’d both had a rough night and looked forward to seeing her in one week.
I couldn’t sleep in, however. Thoughts of Whitney infiltrated my mind, and I imagined about twenty different scenarios playing out—the best case being that Whitney quickly found her way back out of town without either of us having to see her. How likely was that to happen, though?
By mid-morning, my curiosity got the best of me. Instead of waiting for Whitney to make a move, I decided I’d go directly to the source and find out why she was really here.
Mason: I’m not trying to be rude but I’m just curious… are you just in town for the holidays or is this going to be a permanent thing? Just need to know so I can prepare Finley.
It took Whitney so long to reply, I questioned whether she still had the same phone number. For all I knew, she got on her boyfriend’s phone plan in Florida or something. But halfway through breakfast with Finley, my phone finally lit up with a reply from her.
Whitney: Here for thanksgiving but I have been having a difficult time being so close without seeing her
Whitney: I miss her. can we meet up?
My heart sank as I watched Finley slurp the milk from her cereal bowl. This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. On one hand, I knew this could potentially be the best news ever for my little girl. She’d probably be so excited to finally see her mom that she’d cry happy tears. I could only imagine their reunion after all this time apart.
But then what?
A million questions swirled in my mind. What was Whitney’s game plan? Considering she was only here for the holiday, it meant we probably couldn’t count on seeing her again for a while. Would she want to stay in touch now? Had she truly had a change of heart? Or was it just the proximity to Finley that was making her nostalgic for the way things used to be?
How long would it last?
Mason: Can you meet at 1?
I had a plan, or at least part of one. Before I made any kind of decision, I would talk to Whitney first by myself and gauge her true intentions. If her heart was truly in the right place, I’d allow her to see Finley. But if she couldn’t prove to me she’d had a change of heart, I couldn’t let this reunion happen.
When I sent Kendall a screenshot of the messages and explained my plan, she offered to come along just in case I needed her support.
Mason: I can handle it. But thank you for offering. Just knowing that you’d be willing to come along means a lot.
I told her I’d text her after the encounter to let her know how it went. Finley, finished with her cereal, hopped down from the kitchenette barstool and dragged her jellyfish stuffed animal to the couch, where it looked like she was minutes from falling back to sleep. As for me, I stayed in my seat, my thoughts shifting from Whitney to Kendall and her lukewarm response to my love proclamation.
It was more of a non-reaction, really. But why? I could tell she loved me. I saw it in her eyes. Felt it when we danced. Heard it in the way she laughed. But something had prevented her from saying it back to me, and I was determined to discover what that might be.
I’d have to deal with that later.
**
I met Whitney at our usual spot and paced beside the Jeep while I waited. She arrived just a few minutes after me in a car I didn’t recognize with Florida plates. I held my breath as she stepped out, watching her closely as she approached. She was tanner than I remembered, but her once gaunt face had filled out more. She looked healthy.
