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She wanted to ask if she’d made things harder by visiting, but she already knew the answer to that one. “It must be hard for all of you, but your girls will be okay because they have each other and they have you. Molly is probably feeling insecure, but you are so good with her, so present and so is Izzy, that the feeling will fade in time. And she still has her home, her school and her friends. She’s going to be okay, I’m sure she is. So is Izzy. It helps that you’re so willing to talk about it.”
“Does it help you to talk about it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never talked about it before.” She saw the shock in his face.
“Never?”
“No.” These were intimate, private details and she’d never been close enough to anyone to contemplate sharing.
“You can talk to me.” He pulled her against him. “Anytime.”
How was she going to do that when they were about to break up?
She stayed with her head resting against his chest for a moment, just a moment. Finally, when she was confident she wasn’t going to bawl like a baby with a bad attack of colic, she eased away from him. “What about you, Jack? How are you doing?” He’d listened to her, so it was only fair she did the same for him.
“Me? I’m fine.”
“You can’t be fine, Jack.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m handling it. It’s the girls I worry about.”
Maybe he just didn’t want to talk about himself.
She tried not to feel hurt that he wouldn’t share his feelings with her.
“Jack—”
“And now I’m feeling guilty.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “I haven’t seen you in days and all I’ve done is talk about the children.”
It felt to Flora as if all they’d done was talk about her, and the combination of truth and trust had created a new intimacy between them. An unwanted intimacy, given the circumstances.
And she couldn’t stand the waiting any longer. “Look, Jack, I appreciate you meeting me. It’s brave of you to do this in person.”
“Do what in person?” His fingers were in her hair. His mouth brushed the corner of hers, his lips teasing and lingering.
She closed her eyes.
Maybe she could allow herself one more kiss. Just one.
“End it. Face-to-face.”
He lifted his head abruptly. “End it? Why would you think I’m going to end it?”
She reeled slightly. Opened her eyes. “Aren’t you?”
“No!”
“Jack, we both know the evening didn’t go that well. And I’m not taking it personally. Introducing another woman to your children is a really big deal. I don’t blame you for thinking it’s all too much.” Her own feelings rose inside her and she pushed them down. “I guess the timing was all wrong.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lifted her chin with his fingers. “The kids loved you. You were a hit. The evening went well.”
It had been one of the most uncomfortable evenings of her life.
“I—I thought Izzy was a little—” How should she put it tactfully? “It was a big deal having me in the house.”
“It was a big deal, yes. It came as a shock to her when I mentioned that you were coming, but that’s not surprising in the circumstances. I was a bit concerned about how she’d handle it, but she seemed fine about it.” He frowned, searching his memory. “Did Izzy say something to you? Something I missed?”
“No.”
