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It was the confusion that had me contemplating the answer.
Could I tell her the truth?
Jack Nicholson’s voice echoed loudly in my head: You can’t handle the truth!
Right. I honestly didn’t think she was ready for the truth.
“What was your obligation the morning of my flight?” I countered, which she was not expecting by the expression on her face. If my hunch was correct, she hadn’t wanted to see me off because she cared.
And I was holding on tightly to that thought.
“Wh-what?”
Yeah, that stumble confirmed it but I knew better than to smile in victory. Instead, I repeated the question. “What was your obligation the day you were supposed to bring me to the airport?”
Her mouth worked but she couldn’t get any words out.
“What was your hesitation in applying at the bar?” Yet another time she had to think twice before acting, when twenty-year-old Savannah would have jumped at the opportunity.
I knew damn well the reason why she dragged her feet in applying to be a bartender was me. Just like I knew that she’d asked to have as many opposite shifts as me as she could—which I knew because the O’Gallagher siblings wanted to be sure that there wasn’t going to be any drama on their floor, and brought the request back to me.
“I didn’t hesitate.” Her brows were down and she crossed her arms, as well as one leg of the other.
Closing herself off.
Bringing herself in.
“You did. It took you over a week to drop off your application, and then when you were offered the job, you had to think about it for another week.”
“I had...obligations.” Then, when she must have realized she used the same word I’d used earlier, she shook her head and looked away.
“You worked at Trader Joes.”
“And I loved my co-workers. I loved my job.” Her defenses were starting to rise, and I had to decide how much further I wanted to push.
Pushing too hard wouldn’t do me any good, but backing off too quickly could be just as detrimental.
Especially when I was slowly getting the bigger picture.
She may have said it was a mistake. She may have pushed me away.
But that night affected her.
And I was starting to think that it hit her as hard as it hit me.
