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“It wasn’t silly.” He takes a gulp, but his gaze stays on my cheap kitchen table. “I fell in love with you too.”
My body instantly tenses, but I let out a laugh. “Sure.”
“What?” he asks, finally looking at me. “I did. I told you.”
“Okay.” I walk to the couch and tuck one leg underneath my butt. He follows me, sitting one cushion apart. He drapes his arm over the back, his hand inches from my shoulder. Why did you leave me then? I could panic at any moment, so I swallow my curiosity down.
“She’ll come around.” I tap his hand with my finger, then quickly pull it away. “I’m sure of it.”
“I hope she can forgive me,” he says.
Forgive him for what? I’m not in the mood to fight; I’m emotionally drained from the last few days. All I want is this glass of wine and to finally sleep a full night.
“So, your dad is retiring?”
Max nods. “Dr. Fred Sawyer, DDS, is finally retiring. We never thought we’d see the day.”
“Is your mom excited?”
“Ecstatic. She has three cruises planned. They leave for Texas to hop on one next week.”
“That’s exciting,” I say, although my one interaction with Fred still turns my stomach.
I pause and look at my wine. “Have you told them yet?”
Max shakes his head. I hope he doesn’t hear the huge exhale I’ve made. He takes a sip of wine. “My mom will be excited. Dad, though, phew.”
He takes another sip of wine.
“He won’t be happy?” I ask.
“I’m not sure how he’ll take it. He wasn’t thrilled when I said I wanted to continue seeing you when I got back from Costa Rica.”
My heart speeds up, and my stomach churns. He wanted to see me? Thoughts swirl in my mind, and I can’t grasp a coherent one.
Best to change the subject. Break my heart a little more slowly. “Gosh, that was so long ago. In some ways, it feels like yesterday, but I also found another gray hair this morning.”
“I have some coming in on my sideburns.” He touches them.
“I showed Olive my gray hair. Told her it was from the time she let in Darryl the raccoon and it attacked one of our employees.”
Max covers his mouth as he convulses with laughter. “I tried to hold it together when she told that story, but that is so funny. Our daughter is something else.”
My heart floods with warmth. “Yes, our daughter is something else. Thank God she’s moved on from the raccoons.”
“Did Olive get punished?” Max asks, taking a sip.
“Oh yeah. I took away the iPad for a week. It really was as much of a punishment for me as it was for her.”
Max’s eyes bore into my insides. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I take another sip.
“For not being here.”
“You’re here now.” Because I touch people when I’m nervous, I pat the top of his hand. A blaze of heat crawls up my arm as I pull it away and take another sip. Hopefully, this wine makes whatever I’m feeling go away.
He has a girlfriend. A serious one. I have a boyfriend too.
