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“Buy yourself one of those leather bracelets and have the jeweler burn ‘It’s about me’ into it.”
“Ha! Good idea.”
He smiled and then finished up the coffee and got up to take the cup to the sink. Annie didn’t stop him; it was a good time to end the session.
“Thank you so much, Annie. You really helped.” He took his phone off the table and reached into his pocket for his keys.
“I’m so glad,” Annie said, opening the door for him.
“I’ll see you this weekend?”
“Yes! I’m sure Chris will be chomping at the bit to see you.”
He walked to his truck, waving to her before he climbed in. Closing the house door gave her the separation she needed. Not setting up another meeting time with Justin felt right. If he needed to talk more, he could contact her. There was a certain level of discomfort having him there, not because of the attraction—because who wouldn’t be attracted to Justin?—but because she was afraid he’d start confiding in her about Maggie, and she didn’t want to know that kind of information. She’d have to put an end to it if he needed relationship counseling.
Getting rid of any sign of Justin in her kitchen, Annie frowned, trying not to think of being in his arms when he’d held her…um, hugged her. Big difference.
Then she felt guilty. Justin would never look her way.
After unloading at Annie’s kitchen table, Justin couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He’d never looked at Annie as anything more than a friend, but after spilling his guts, he’d felt a little arousal, and it pissed him off.
The night before, Maggie had alluded to his flirtatious behavior around Amber, and he’d admitted he enjoyed being admired. He’d detected admiration from Annie, sitting across the table from him with her sweet smile. She’d bought croissants for his brother. The cheese and fruit was a gracious gesture. Maggie hated having to prepare food for him. Nerves were getting the best of him, and he attempted to pull it together.
He wasn’t being fair; Maggie had just made him breakfast that morning. If she had something special planned for him, it always included food. Why was he comparing Annie to Maggie over something so trivial?
Maggie and Annie looked a lot alike, with similar coloring. He thought of Annie’s small waist. Maggie was curvy but taller, almost statuesque. Annie was tiny. Their shapes were different… Justin shook his head. He needed to get into the clinic and think about animals for a while. He wouldn’t be going back to Annie’s for any more therapy.
***
In the back of a hired car that sped along the beltway, Katrina Blanchard looked out at the Manhattan skyline. She couldn’t wait to get the meeting over with and get back on a plane for home. That morning, little Davie had been wired for wild. They’d devised a hanging bar for him out of pipe attached to the underside of the breakfast bar in the kitchen/great room. He loved grabbing hold of the bar and shinnying along it so he was basically hanging from his knees. It wasn’t pleasant to watch his little face turning bright red, but the doctor had said it was fine for him to hang upside down. “Just make sure the bar is far enough from the underside of the counter so his head can’t get wedged in there. You don’t want him to hang himself.”
Of course, that had sent them into panic mode. Between the two of them, Davie screaming with delight, they’d threaded his whole body through the space, proving it was big enough. There was no threat of him hanging himself. But now he wanted them to thread him around the pipe continuously, yelling “Mama” or “Dada” or “Lulu,” the nanny. Finally, Katrina had shouted, “No!” and he’d given her a look that said, You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to me that way. Who do you think you are?
“He’s only a year old. What is this going to be like when he’s ten?” Dave had asked.
“Oh, God, don’t even think that far ahead,” Katrina had replied. “I thought you were still doing one day at a time.”
Now, away from her family for the fourth time that month, she realized she was going to do something radical. She’d discuss it with Dave. She was going to quit her job. Doing freelance consulting would eventually get her in the same income bracket without the headaches of travel. Her boss had recently hinted that she was going to have to go to the international headquarters in Ireland before Christmas. She wasn’t going to Ireland unless they flew her family in a private jet. Davie would never tolerate a flight that long unless he was under general anesthesia. So the answer would be no.
Getting out her phone, she sent Dave a text. I think it’s time for me to go out on my own. Would you miss the money until I got on my feet?
He answered with a heart emoji. I wouldn’t miss the money as much as I miss you. Plus, I’m worried about you in the city and flying in the shitty weather there. Hurry and come home.
The meeting dragged on, and finally at two o’clock she got up, gathering her papers.
“I have a flight at four, if you’ll excuse me.” Then she smiled at her boss and motioned to the door. He stood up and followed her out of the conference room.
“Kat, I was hoping we could have dinner tonight.”
Ian Doyle was the quintessential forty-something success story.
“Aw, Ian, I’d love to have dinner with you. Get on a plane and come with me. Dave and the baby are having so much fun, and I don’t want to miss out on another minute. I’m not leaving them again.”
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“I’m serious. I’m leaving. Er, leaving for good. I’m quitting.”
“Oh, please don’t say that.”
