It’s not too big of an assumption for him to guess I moved home to Elk Lake, but how did he know I lived above Rosemary’s? I haven’t even been here long enough to get my first electric bill.
“Anything wrong?” Margie asks.
I turn to find her standing behind me withher hands clasped together. There’s a look of deep concern on her face. “Nothing’s wrong,” I tell her.
“Why did you rip up the card and throw it out the window then?”
“The flowers are from my ex-husband,” I tell her. “Today is our wedding anniversary.”
“Isn’t he remarried?”
“Yes, he is. Which I suppose is why I ripped the card up. Today isn’t a day I celebrate anymore.”
“Do you want me to throw the flowers away?” she asks as she hesitantly approaches them.
I have sudden and surprising clarity. I’ve been so caught up trying to move on with my life that I didn’t realize how much I’ve already succeeded in doing so. While I will never feel kindly toward Brett, and there’s no part of me that loves him, I don’t hate him anymore. The memory of him has become nothing more than a dark cloud that is quickly dissipating.
“Do you like the flowers?” I ask Margie.
She’s reluctant to answer, but she eventually does. “I do.”
“Then let’s keep them. It isn’t the flowers’ fault that Brett is such a moron.”
“They won’t make you sad?” she asks while walking toward them like a beacon of hope.
“They won’t,” I assure her. “I’m over Brett. I’m ready to move on.”
There’s a twinkle in her eye as she asks, “With Coach Riley?”
“Noah and I are just friends,” I assure her. “But I am ready to get back on track to making my main dream come true.” I tell her, “I’ve decided to look for an adoption agency and fill out paperwork to adopt a baby.”
Margie’s mouth forms an “O” of surprise. “I’m so happy for you, Allie. I wish I’d waited to have a baby until I was ready.”
“Maybe our kids will grow up together,” I tell her. “We can have playdates and raise them like cousins.”
Poor Margie looks like she’s going to crumble to the floor in aboneless heap. “I love you, Allie. There is no way I could have gotten through all of this without you.”
“I love you, too, Margie,” I tell her honestly. In such a short time, this girl has come to mean so much to me. And I know that no matter what, I will always be there for her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
NOAH
I park in front of Allie’s apartment at exactly six fifty-eight, feeling as nervous as a schoolboy about to go out on his first date. Pushing the button on the intercom, I wait a full minute before I hear Margie’s voice through the speaker. “Who is it?”
“It’s Coach Riley,” I tell her. I wonder what she must be thinking with me picking up Allie for supper.
“Oh, hey, Coach.” She buzzes me up.
I climb the stairs in record time and wait for the apartment door to open. When it does, I walk inside to find that Decan and Leah are there, as well. “Hey, you two.”
“Coach,” Decan says. “We’re having supper with Margie tonight.”
“Good for you,” I tell them. Then I ask, “Is Coach Rogers around?”
Allie walks into the room looking absolutely beautiful. She’s changed clothes and is wearing dress pants and a burgundy sweater. Her dark hair hangs full and loose around her shoulders instead of in her standard ponytail. It looks so soft, it’s all I can do not to walk over to her and run my fingersthrough it.
“Noah, hi. I didn’t realize it was so late,” she says. Smiling at the kids, she tells them, “I paid for the pizza; you just need to let the delivery guy in.”
