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“I’m so sorry.”
I see the tears forming in her eyes again, but she holds them back, not letting me fully see her pain.
“You should be with Wes tonight. We can reschedule, or I can…” I can’t quite convince myself to say that I’d leave her alone. Because I can’t promise it. I want this too much. I want to steal her heart and know it’s mine and not his. I want to be the cause of her pain. But I’m not devil enough to do it when her grandmother just died.
“Wes is gone,” she says.
“Gone?”
“He’s in LA on business.”
“Does he know?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Are you going to be able to forgive him for not being here?”
“I have to.”
“No, you don’t.”
She shakes her head, and I drop the subject.
“Come out with me,” I say without thinking.
She wraps her arms around her shoulders, and I’m afraid that she won’t be able to stand on her own two feet much longer, much less come out on a date with me.
“I don’t mean as a date. Just that you shouldn’t be alone. I can be good, I promise.”
She looks down, obviously thinking about it but not yet convinced.
“Just let me feed you and distract you for a few hours. You can talk to me about your grandmother or not. Or you can yell at me and call me names if it will make you feel better. Whatever you need. Today, I’ll just be a friend.”
“And tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll go back to being the monster you think I am.”
At that comment, I get the tiniest smile out of her.
“I know you are.”
I nod.
“I’ll come as long as I can leave when I want.”
“I’ll bring you back whenever you want.”
“Yes then.”
We both smile when she says yes instead of her giving a less convincing answer.
“Let me just grab my purse.”
“No. Change into something comfortable and at least bring your swimsuit.”
She frowns. “Why?”
“Because the ocean can be an incredibly healing thing whether I’m there to enjoy it with you or not.” I take a breath. “And, if nothing else, I’ll get to see you in a bikini.”
