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Halfway through my third drink, I spotted a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. Lily sidled up to me in her short black dress, and tossed her sleek red hair over her shoulders. She placed a hand on my arm and showed off a row of pearly white teeth.
“It’s been a long time, Alby.”
I took a sip of my drink and stared at her. “What are you doing here, Lil?”
“You know I like to have a good time.” Lily leaned over the counter and gestured to the waiter. “Why don’t I buy you something to drink?”
I finished off my drink and sat up, the fluorescent lights overhead buzzing. Conversation rose and fell around me, muted and incomprehensible, as Lily kept a hand on my arm. She was saying something, but I couldn’t make out what it was until she leaned over and whispered something in my ear.
When she leaned back and offered me a bright smile, I tilted my head and studied her. “You haven’t changed a bit, Lil.”
Lily picked up her drink and downed it in one gulp. “Does this mean you and I are getting out of here? I live nearby, you know.”
It would be all too easy to fall back into old patterns with Lily.
Being with her had been easy and uncomplicated.
But whenever I looked at her, I saw Martha.
Eventually, I finished my last drink, took out a wad of bills, and stood up. “Thanks, but I’ve got to get going. It was good to see you, Lil.”
Her mouth fell open as I brushed past her and made my way to the front door.
I wanted to find Martha.
I needed to.
Chapter 23
Martha
“Have you heard back from the moving company?”
Anne glanced up from her phone and frowned. “No, they said they would get back to me.”
I sighed and placed my hands on either side of the counter. “I’m probably not going to get my phone back.”
Anne removed her feet from on top of the coffee table and stood up. “Tomorrow, we can go and get you a new phone.”
I pushed myself off the counter and ran a hand through my hair. “That’s not the problem. The problem is that it had all of my numbers.”
Including Albin’s.
And not being able to talk to him for the whole day felt weird. Granted, the two of us usually danced around topics and did our best to only discuss Jimmy, but it had become one of my favorite parts of the day. Talking to Albin for a few minutes every morning was something I had gotten used to, and Jimmy enjoyed talking to Albin while he got ready for school.
Already, Albin had left a mark on the two of us.
Not being able to tell him what happened was not sitting well with me.
Neither was the fact that he hadn’t even tried to find me.
Why hadn’t he shown up at Anne’s in search of me?
Because you didn’t tell him about the apartment problem. How do you expect him to show up here when he doesn’t even know you’re here?
I knew I wasn’t being fair to him.
After spending the entire day talking to Anne’s lawyer friend and scouring the internet for job postings, it was time for me to do something. After checking in on a sleeping Jimmy, I kissed his forehead and grabbed my sweater. Anne was filling the kettle with water when I walked past her, making a beeline for the front door. She set the kettle down on the stove and raised an eyebrow when she saw me.
