“What was that?” Alyssa asked.
“That was me saying I got this. Trust me, that newfound money is burning a hole in your pocket, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend it. Honestly, this is what friends do for each other.”
“You’ve already helped me so much,” she said, her eyes dropping to the table. “I just…I know I can never repay you for all the kindness you’ve shown me, and I hate that there’s this imbalance between us.”
When I heard the sniffle, I knew I was done for. I couldn’t stand to see another woman cry. I was like a lactating mother. Only, instead of milk seeping out of my chest, I started crying in response. It was a fatal flaw in my DNA.
“Fine,” I grumbled, sliding the check over to her.
When her head popped up with a grin plastered on her face, I scowled. “You sneak!”
“Hey, I do what I have to in order to get by.”
“This one time,” I snapped. “And only because you’re pretty.”
“Why, thank you,” she beamed, pulling out her wallet. “Besides, after these past few years, I need to spend money just this once, knowing it’s all mine.”
“Well, I can understand that, but I still don’t like it.”
“You don’t like anything you don’t have control over.”
My jaw dropped to the table at her words. “Um, excuse me, but I am not a control freak.”
“Uh…yeah, you are,” she laughed. “You never ask anyone for help. Even those cabinets…how long did it take before you let Sam help you?”
“They were bookcases, and it’s not that I wouldn’t let him help me. He stormed in and took over.”
“Yes, like a man.”
“I can do it myself,” I countered.
“And those Christmas lights on the roof…” she said, tapping her chin. “As I recall, that was how you met Sam in the first place. Dangling upside down, wasn’t it?”
I scowled at the know-it-all across from me. “Just because I like doing this on my own doesn’t mean I have control issues.”
“Of course it doesn’t,” she smiled sympathetically. “Although I’m not sure what you would call it then. Obsession? An inherent need to command those around you?”
“I do not command those around me!”
“You just tried to strong-arm me into allowing you to pay for the check!”
“Because I know you need the money!”
“Ah-ha!” she pointed at me. “Control freak!”
The whole thing was ridiculous. I was not a control freak. I could handle someone else dealing with things.
“Look, this whole argument is pointless. I’m single and have no one else to rely on, so it doesn’t matter if I control things because there’s no one there to take over for me.”
“Yeah, and what about Sam?”
“What about him?”
“Well, he’s setting the terms of your relationship. I bet that’s driving you insane,” she smirked.
“That would drive any woman insane.”
Smirking at me, I realized my stupidity in confirming that there was something going on between us. Not that I had to worry about her saying anything. She wasn’t like others in town. She could keep a secret with the best of them.
