“Those are good questions. I don’t think there’s one answer to any of them. If she hasn’t forgiven you yet, you need to know why before you can fix it. I don’t think you’ll make any progress towards her seeing you as a potential romantic partner again until she’s truly forgiven you.”
“But how do I get her to forgive me?”
“Again, there’s no simple answer to that question. It’s complicated. What works for one person won’t work for others. Some women might see small gifts like flowers, jewelry, chocolates, and so on as what it takes. Others will see those types of things as empty and meaningless. They need grand gestures—apologizing on a billboard at a sports arena for the world to see,for instance. But others, and I suspect this is where your friend Natalie falls, need actions that are more related to their daily lives. It’s about proving yourself over and over again as someone steady they can rely on.”
“That does sound like her,” I admitted. I brightened. “I made a new outdoor play area for the tortoises.” Hugh knew all about Anne and Gilbert.
“Why did you do that?”
“I thought the old one didn’t really serve their needs anymore. I wanted them to have a place to hide when they felt too seen, you know? And shade…”
“Those reasons are great, and I sense they’re true, but are there any reasons related to Natalie?”
I frowned while I thought about it. “I guess… well, I knew she’d come over more often if she thought they were most comfortable at Mom and Dad’s house. I’d see her more often. And, well, anything I do for the tortoises makes her happy. And I love to see her smile.”
“Do you see how that gesture served two purposes? It would allow you more time with herandit would make her happy.”
I nodded.
“It also strikes me that your gesture was all you. You worked to build that enclosure for Anne and Gilbert. You didn’t just pick up a phone and order something pretty that other people worked hard to produce.Youdid the work. I’m sure that meant immeasurably more to her than jewelry or flowers would.”
“So… more things like that. Things that take real thought and work from me.”
“Yes. I would say so. The more you can earn her trust again, the closer you get to being able to have an honest conversation with her about your feelings. You’ll be able to tell her the work you’ve done to figure out how you could ever hurt her in the first place.”
***
I had plenty of time to think about what Hugh had said over the next couple of weeks. I worked to make myself available to Nat whenever I could. I was a listening ear, a reminder of the good parts of our past, and a friend she could rely on now.
So, when I got the opportunity to go tubing down the Indigo River with Sadie’s friends and found out Natalie would be there? I wason board.
The problem was I had promised my boss that I’d show his daughter around the area in hopes that he could lure her to move here after she graduates from college.
“Yeah, of course I’ll be there. I might have to bring someone…”
Sadie laughed. “Of course you will! You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t. Okay, see you later.” She hung up before I could correct her.
I didn’t think it would matter too much. I could just introduce her as my boss’ daughter, and it would be fine. At least that’s what I thought until I saw her.
I picked her up at my boss’ house and knew I was in trouble when she walked down the stairs. She was about five-ten, with long, tanned legs, long blonde hair, a pretty face, and the kind of figure that used to make my mouth water.
Fuck. I was taking goddamn Barbie tubing with Natalie. This was going to make her think I hadn’t changed one bit since she’d been gone.
My theory was proved correct when everyone gave each other amused looks when they saw me walking up with her.
“Hey, guys,” I said, my eye wandering over to where Nat was looking fucking fine in her bikini, “this is Sheila, she’s my…”
“Shelley,” she corrected me loudly and put her hand possessively on my arm.
I stared down at it, perplexed. What the hell was she doing? We had barely talked on the way over here. I glanced back at Nat, but her eyes had shuttered and her face looked carefully impassive.
Shit. She totally thought I was fucking this chick.
I started to open my mouth to explain the situation until I realized everyone was all caught up in a conversation. They didn’t care about me and the woman they thought I was with.
I sighed and helped Shelley into a tube before I got in my own.
We spent a couple of hours floating lazily as a group down the river. I kept finding myself near Natalie and Sadie, who were reminiscing about our childhood.
