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“I guess. I should finish eating and go to work.”
“Now you’re ticked at me,” he said.
“No,” she said. “I’m not.”
“Doesn’t seem that to me,” he said.
She put her plate in the dishwasher and went back to give him a kiss and a hug. “I’m not ticked at you. I’m trying to navigate a lot of things. Maybe that is why I don’t do well with relationships.”
“Seems to me you are doing just fine,” he said.
She went to his room and got the rest of her things, then came back out and kissed him again. “I’m really fine. You’re great. We’re great. I’ll probably go visit my parents and tell them in person. Just not sure when this week.”
“Okay,” he said. “You coming to the gym after work?”
“If I don’t go see my parents, I’ll be there.”
She left and drove to work, getting there earlier than normal but going to her office.
Raina walked by and popped her head in. “I didn’t think you’d be here this early. I saw you getting coffee. You never get it here.”
“I had a half a cup at your brother’s and needed some more.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s good.” She wasn’t going to tell Raina about too many of the details of the night. It was no one’s business even though she’d liked to share before. This thing with Jonah didn’t make her want to do it. It made her want to keep it to herself. “I told him I’m going to tell my parents this week.”
“And how did he react?”
“Fine.”
“It doesn’t seem fine to me,” Raina said.
“No, he really was. I think I annoyed him more than anything because I was shocked that he was willing to meet them. Wanted to know what about him gave me the impression he wouldn’t be.”
Raina smiled. “I’m sure he was annoyed. I told you he was a protector. He knows the relationship with your parents. He’ll want to be there for you.”
“I know. I felt I made a mess out of it and then had to backtrack. I think we are good now. I gave him a kiss when I left.” She waited a second. “I think he was more annoyed I talked to you about my parents before him. Which makes me wonder if he’s going to be annoyed I’m talking to you now. This sucks.”
Raina laughed. “Stop. I get it’s hard. But it’s fine. Jonah doesn’t stress or get worked up about much in life. He’s pretty straightforward. He’ll tell you what he’s feeling and thinking and that is the end of it. There is no guessing with him.”
“You’re right. I’ve noticed that too.”
“Then let it go. He has to get over it. We were friends before you were in a relationship with him. If I have to hit that point over the head with him, I’ll do it. And I’ll make sure it’s coming from me and not you.”
She got up and hugged Raina. “Thank you. I shouldn’t be so worked up over this and I am. Why?”
“Because you love my brother but don’t want to admit it to anyone. Maybe even yourself,” Raina said and then walked out of the room.
28
So Critical
“Hi, Mom,” Megan said to her mother two days later. Her mother asked her over for dinner when she called earlier to see if she could visit. Hopefully her parents didn’t think anything was wrong, as she’d done this before if she’d gone some time without seeing them.
“Megan. You never come to dinner during the week last minute like this. What is going on?”
Guess she thought wrong. “Nothing is wrong. I haven’t seen you since Abby’s birthday. I just called yesterday and asked if I could visit and you suggested dinner tonight.”
