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I went through the timeline of our relationship from beginning to end. Mindy listened intently and then sat back.
“Wow.”
“That’s it? Wow?”
“I don’t know what else to say. I’ve known Sid for a few years, and he’s always seemed closed off. In fact, when Frank told me he set up a dating profile for Sid, I laughed. I thought there was no way Sid would participate, but then he did, and it was one awful date after another, and he got grumpier and grumpier. I figured he didn’t want to be with anyone. In the four years I’ve lived here, he’s never been in a relationship.”
I sighed.
“But then you came along. Things changed. His face brightened when you were around, and he seemed to relax. I could tell he was still tense, but he seemed happier.”
“I thought so too,” I said. A tear slid down my face, and I wiped it away. Damn these tears. When would they end?
“We haven’t seen him since it all happened. Frank tried to visit before New Year’s, but Sid didn’t answer the door. I thought we’d see him on New Year’s Eve, but he never showed.”
“I hope he’s okay,” I whispered.
“Me too.”
“Do you think he’ll be at Rebecca’s grand opening tonight?”
Mindy shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”
Part of me hoped he would be there because I missed him so badly. But the other part of me didn’t want to see him at all. I was angry, hurt, and embarrassed. If this wasn’t Rebecca’s restaurant opening, I wouldn’t go.
“I don’t think I can see him.”
Mindy placed her hand on mine. “Of course you can, because you’re brave and strong.”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I’m weak and pathetic. You would think I might have learned from my mistake with that idiot in Vegas, but I ran right into the same kind of relationship with a different man. I’m so embarrassed.”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. What you and Sid shared wasn’t the same as your previous relationship. It was deeper and special.”
Tears pooled in my eyes. “I thought so too.”
She sat back. “Do you love him?”
I lifted my head. “Yes.”
“Did you love the other man?”
“No,” I blurted.
“Then it’s not the same. The situations may look the same, but they’re different.”
“Thanks. Can you forgive me?”
“Yes. But don’t you dare keep anything else from me.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
I WAS ON MY THIRD glass of wine and my second lap around the room. My stomach was in knots, and the wine was going to my head. The grand opening for Rebecca’s restaurant had turned out to be huge. People had come from Oak Springs, Ridge Point, and other neighboring towns. Which meant bumping into Sid’s parents was inevitable.
My parents were here, too, of course. They’d ignored me when they arrived. My dad acted as if I didn’t exist, and my mom looked at me with disgust before following my dad to say hi to my sister. I saw Sid once when I arrived, but Laney whisked me away to the bar and then made me tell her everything. Kate had easily forgiven me and told me to work on forgiving myself. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but when I told her that, she just patted me on the arm and walked away.
I was staring at a painting on the wall, wondering how soon would be too soon to make my exit, when a deep voice startled me. “Hi.”
Thankfully, I recognized that voice, and my shoulders relaxed a little. I turned around and smiled at Will. Damn, that man was gorgeous. He was wearing a suit, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone to show some of his tattooed skin. He looked like he’d walked off a magazine cover.
