“Only via text.” She releases a deep sigh. “I think the conversation we need to have deserves to be had in person, so I’m meeting him for coffee when I leave here.”
“Good. I think you’ll be glad you did,” I say, crossing one leg over the other. “And you can put all this behind you.”
She rubs her thumb along the cuticle of her ring finger. “So, how was lunch with Ron?”
I pick at some imaginary lint on my coat. “It was nice. He, uh, wants me to meet his son while he’s in town for the holidays.”
Her brows stretch to her hairline. “And how do you feel about that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, not quite meeting her eyes. “It seems a little soon, doesn’t it?”
She shrugs. “Ron’s met all of us.”
“That’s different. I met him because of you.”
“That’s true. But you were the one who invited him to our family dinner.”
She has a point. I can’t explain why it feels different, but it does. Him meeting my kids was important, but something about meeting his makes this feel more…real.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” my daughter says, as though reading my mind. “It can, but it doesn’t have to if you’re not ready for that.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless I want it to,” I say more to myself than to her. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair and let you finish your lunch. I should be getting back to the office. I have a staff meeting this afternoon.”
“I’m glad you came by.”
“Tell your sister I said hello,” I say, rising to my feet. “And don’t stress over this thing with Oliver, okay? It’s all going to work out. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you.” She stands and leans over the desk to kiss my cheek.
“You’re welcome, honey. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she says. “And Mom?”
“Yes?” I ask, pausing in the doorframe.
“I think it’s all going to work out for you too.”
27
LINDSEY
My stomach flutterswhen I enter The Southern Bean to find Oliver already in a booth waiting for me with two cups on the table. He gives me a little wave, and I start toward him, shrugging off my coat before sliding in across from him.
“Thank you. For meeting me.”
He nods. “I got you an ‘It’s Always Fall Somewhere.’”
“Thank you,” I say again. An invisible fist tightens around my heart. He remembered my favorite coffee. But I can’t even think about drinking it right now because my heart is too strung out.
I reach across the table and take his hand. Thankfully, he doesn’t pull away.
“Oliver, I’m so sorry I lied to you. It was a stupid thing to do, but I guess I was just too embarrassed to tell you the truth.”
“Embarrassed?” he asks.
I sigh, my gaze dropping to our entwined fingers. “When I told you I wanted to take you out for your birthday, I meant that. I wanted so badly to make your day special. I’ve been worn out recently, so I left work a little early to take a nap before picking you up. But I was so exhausted, I forgot to set an alarm, and apparently, I also slept through your texts and calls until that last one woke me up.”
It’s not the whole truth, but it’s close enough.
