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Yvonne didn’t respond one way or the other, trying to cling to the upper hand for at least thirty more seconds before confessing she was failing in taking her own advice as well. “A distraction.”
He nodded. “We’re friends, Vonnie. We have been forever. I’m not sure why this is suddenly…” He sighed. “An issue.”
She laughed. “So I’m a distraction and an issue. Take it easy with the sweet words, Leo. You’re sweeping me off my feet here.”
He snorted and started walking, but she noticed he didn’t hesitate to put his arm around her again. She liked the way he held her close.
“Fifteen years of friendship,” he murmured.
She tried not to grin at his confusion, even as her heart did flip-flops. She was distracting Leo…in a good way. “You have to remember you were in love with Denise the first four years.”
“Denise and I only dated two years.”
“Yes, but you didn’t really let go of her until she married Ryder.”
Leo nodded. “Okay. I’ll concede that one. And what about the eleven years since?”
“We’re going to blame that on life. I spent that year abroad, and then at least five of those years, I had a string of sort-of-serious boyfriends, and you dated that horrible Missy for the better part of a year.”
Leo laughed. “Missy was pretty horrible.”
“I choose to refer to her as your rebound. It’s either that or the year you stopped using your brain and started thinking with your dick.”
“Both are accurate.”
“And then,” she paused, always struggling to mention Denise’s death. “Then Denise was killed…and ever since then, you’ve been busy with Vince and the farm. You’ve spent the last three years completely rearranging your life to see that two little boys, who’ve lost so much, have everything they need to be happy. So…it’s just life, Leo.”
Leo tucked her even closer. “You’re right. In some ways, I feel like I’ve been absent in my own life for the past few years. Maybe even longer. I look back and can’t quite figure out what I’ve been for thirty-one years.”
“We’re both guilty of working too much. But while I have plenty of time left over to go out, have fun, and do things just for me, you spend that time with Vince, like you should.”
“You know, for someone who doesn’t overthink things, you always seem to have the right answers.”
Her eyes lit up. “Can you tell Finn and Colm that? Or maybe just write it down and sign it so I can pull it out the next time any of my cousins tell me I’m wrong about something?”
“I’m putting nothing in writing.”
“Asshole,” she joked. “And I’m not giving up on you just because you can’t manage the first piece of advice, because…” She sighed, debating whether or not she should confess. “I might have spent a little bit of time the last few nights thinking about you too.”
Leo threw a victorious fist in the air. “Yes! Caught you. So you’re one of those ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type of people.”
“Maybe I am.”
They arrived at Mo’s, so they curtailed the conversation until they were seated together at a table.
Once the waiter left to get their drinks, Leo picked it up again. “So why don’t we put the first advice on hold for now.”
“What about the second advice I gave you? How are you doing on becoming the truest version of yourself?”
He rubbed his jaw. “That one’s not going to happen overnight. Although, I feel like…”
“Yeah?” she prompted when he hesitated.
“I feel like tonight might be a start.”
Yvonne thought about that, then agreed. “Calling a sitter and taking a night for yourself is a very good beginning.” She didn’t add how thrilled she was that he’d chosen to spend that rare night off with her.
The waiter returned with their drinks.
