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“Hey!” He greets me with a friendly smile.
We haven’t seen each other in a few weeks, but if I’m at Ava’s, he’s there, as he’s living in her spare room now. We never talked about that night in the hot tub, and I prefer to keep it that way. Sometimes we send each other memes, but that’s the extent of our communication these days. Just because I’m friends with his sister doesn’t make us friends. He did text me yesterday, though, wishing me a successful grand opening, and it’s sweet of him to stop by.
He offers me the flowers, and I take them, our fingers brushing as the stems are transferred to my hands. When our eyes meet, my stomach flips into the deep end, and I repeat to myself,He’s about to start a family.
SIX
CROSSING THE LINE
Phoebe takes the flowers, her eyes softening as she puts them to her face. For a moment, her expression seems to drop, the corners of her lips tightening, but then she relaxes. She breathes in the scent with closed eyes, and it gives me the perfect chance to drink in her appearance. We’ve seen each other in passing a few times since the day we met, but it’s always been in a group or if one of us is in a hurry.
“These are so beautiful. Thank you,” she finally says, then disappears under the sink. She emerges with a glass decanter and puts the flowers inside. Then she turns to the small sink and adds water before setting them onto the counter near my folded hands.
“Now everyone that comes in today can enjoy them as well,” she says.
“And how is opening day going?” I don’t glance around, but it concerns me that there’s no one here.
“Oh my god, we were slammed for the first two hours. We’re out of all of our pastries.” She chats animatedly, her eyes glowing with enthusiasm. “Frank had to go sit down for a moment. He’s a bit overwhelmed, I think.”
“And you?”
“I’m okay. I can roll with the punches, you know.”
She’s right, it is something I’ve noticed. So now I’m hoping she’ll roll with this one. We haven’t talked much since that night in the hot tub, and I’m afraid I’ve missed my opportunity. It’s now or never. I clear my throat.
“I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner sometime. We can celebrate your success, get to know each other…”
Her face has contorted into several different expressions, none of which I recall seeing on her before—and they’re not good.
“Like a date?” Her lips curl up, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. I have evidently made a grave mistake, but it’s too late to backpedal now. But I’ll admit, her look of disgust makes me want to run for the door.
“I would like that,” I admit, feeling like I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.
“Absolutely not.” Her response shocks me and I take a step back. “Isaac, you’re about to start a family. I can’t believe it.” She huffs. “I never would have thought you’d cross that line.”
I stare at her for a moment, flabbergasted. I’m not sure what line she’s talking about. “Phoebe, parents can date, you know. The baby can stay with Ashley for a while.”
While I thought this would reassure her, it seems to do the opposite, and now her face is bright red, her eyes huge as she sputters, “You should be with her too, should you not? I’m pretty open-minded about a lot of things, Isaac, but cheating isn’t one of them.”
I jerk my head toward her so fast I fear I may have whiplash. “What? Oh. No.” She thinks I’d be cheating on Ashley. The pieces fall into place now, and I can’t stop the chuckle that slips from between my lips. This upsets Phoebe even more.
“It’s not a joke.” She purses her lips, crossing her arms stubbornly. “It’s not funny at all.”
“Phoebe, I wouldn’t be cheating on Ashley. We’re not together,” I finally manage to say. I clear my throat so I hopefully won’t laugh again.
“Wait.” She meets my eyes, her face still guarded. “What?”
“I’m… Okay, Ashley has been my best friend since the third grade. She and her wife wanted a baby, and I’m the baby’s father. But I’m not with her, or them, romantically in any capacity. I never have been.”
Phoebe’s jaw drops, and at that moment, the doors open again, the bell ringing throughout the place as a lunchtime crowd rushes in.
“I’ll talk to you later.” I lower my voice so as not to disturb the customers looking around. “I know you’re busy.”
“Alright,” she says before pasting on a smile and turning to the first customer.
I meant to buy a drink, but at this rate, getting out of here is the best move I can make. As I step into the spring sunshine, I sigh heavily and wonder if I’ll ever hear from Phoebe after our miscommunication.
SEVEN
