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“No, I can drive,” I said. “I’ll head over in a bit, if that’s okay.”
“Sounds perfect to me. I look forward to seeing you, Grace.”
* * *
The drive over to Duncan’s was hard as hell. Aside from considering turning around several times, I almost never even made it out of the parking lot. I kept thinking that something would happen in my absence. But my stomach growled, and I remembered that Duncan was right ? I needed to be at my best to take care of Ollie. He needed me to take care of myself, too.
Duncan didn’t live far from the hospital; he had intentionally bought a place nearby since he did his residency there. It took me about ten minutes but every minute that ticked by was one less minute with Ollie, and I felt guilty for that.
Still, I managed to pull up to Duncan’s home and park.
His house was so beautiful, the type of house I dreamt of living in one day, when I thought my dad ran a successful business and we had money. I took it for granted back then that my life would be easy and stable.
It was a chilly night, and I hadn’t properly dressed for it. I had no idea what the weather was like being stuck in the hospital. I wrapped my arms around myself, hurrying up the stone walkway and up the stairs to his front porch. I rang the doorbell and within seconds, Duncan answered, a big grin on his face.
“Grace! I’m so glad you came.” He spoke softly, almost a whisper.
He was acting a little more chipper than usual, and just all around odd with the whispering. He ushered me into the house and quickly closed the door.
“Follow me,” he said, still speaking at a low volume.
I followed him into the house toward the dining room, and as soon as I turned the corner, I realized why he was whispering.
My heart stopped and I froze in place.
“Grace?” Alex stood up from the table, looking about as shocked as I was.
“Alex?” I managed to mutter. “What are you doing here?”
“Duncan invited me over to dinner… Wow, it’s great to see you.”
I noticed his dark brown eyes moving over the length of my body and he gave me an approving smile. I should have smacked that grin right off his face, but I couldn’t help it ? I still loved the way he looked at me. As if I was the only woman in the entire world.
The butterflies in my stomach didn’t last long.
“Duncan, so, umm, you planned this?” I said, turning to my friend.
“Yep. I was tired of trying to get you two to talk, so I decided I’d make it easy and just invite both of you over.”
That’s when I noticed that the table only had two place settings laid out.
“If you invited us both, then why have you only set the table for two?” I asked.
“Because I’m taking my dinner in the kitchen tonight,” he said with a cheeky grin. “To give the two of you a chance to catch up.”
I suddenly forgot how to speak. My mouth no longer worked like normal, my jaw was stuck in place.
“Alright then,” Duncan said, clapping his hands together. “Let me grab the food and serve it, then I’ll be out of your hair.”
Duncan rushed off into the kitchen, leaving Alex and I alone.
“So, how are you?” Alex asked, a sheepish grin on his chiseled face.
How was it possible for him to be even more attractive than he was four years ago? His jawline seemed more pronounced, his smile more electrifying, and his hair was no longer shaggy but cut into a clean-cut style.
Was this the same Alex?
No, it couldn’t be.
