Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
She sent a text the other day, asking if I’d like to do a little shopping and then grab lunch. Since my classes are all scheduled in the morning, I agreed. She’s a district attorney for the county, and every so often, she likes to play hooky.
Anne came into my life when I was ten years old and still mourning the loss of my mother. She was married and lost her husband to colon cancer a year before Mom died. They met in a support group and struck up a friendship before it eventually turned into something more. I’m glad Dad is married again, and that Anne is the woman in his life. I wouldn’t want him to be alone.
And neither would Mom.
“It’s really cute.” I consider the silky top for a few seconds. “It’ll look nice paired with your light gray suit.”
She flashes a smile before sending me a wink. “My thoughts exactly. See? Great minds really do think alike.”
I snort and continue perusing the racks for anything that jumps out at me. So far, Anne has fallen in love with a couple different pieces, but I haven’t found anything that grabs my attention.
If I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not really in the mood to shop. Even though it’s been a couple of days, I can’t stop dwelling on Mason and how blindsided he’d been after I blurted out that we should break up. Hurt and disbelief flashed across his face before being shuttered behind a stoic mask. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to break down and tell him the truth. He probably thinks I’m the world’s biggest flake and is kicking himself for ever getting involved with me.
I can’t blame him for that.
What he doesn’t realize is that I inflicted just as much pain onto myself when I hurt him. There was no other way around it. The more Levi’s comments circled through my head, the more sense it made to pull the plug.
Shoving out the words had been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
“It seems like something’s bothering you,” Anne says, drawing my attention back to her.
I glance up from the shirts I’m pretending to inspect and meet her inquisitive stare. “No, I’m fine.”
She studies me with more care from across the rack. “Really? Because it doesn’t seem like you’re fine. I couldn’t help but think the other night when you were over for dinner that something was going on. I didn’t want to pry, so I let it go, but it’s been a couple days and you still seem like you’re in a funk.” There’s a pause before she adds in a gentle tone, “I’m concerned. Even your father mentioned it after you took off.”
My shoulders collapse under the heavy weight of her words. “Is that why you suggested shopping and lunch this afternoon?”
She flashes a lopsided smile. “A little retail therapy never hurt anyone.”
I huff out a reluctant chuckle. I suppose she’s right about that.
“But mostly, I was hoping we could talk. You know I’m always here if you need me.”
“I do. And I appreciate it.” Honestly, it means everything to me.
When I remain silent, she quips, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll be forced to use my superior cross-examination tactics on you.”
I chew my lower lip before mumbling, “It’s nothing.”
“Ahhh, so it is, indeed, something.”
“I guess.” When she pops a perfectly manicured brow, I grudgingly admit, “I was seeing a guy, but we decided it would be best to break it off.”
She blinks in surprise. “I didn’t realize you were going out with someone.”
Guilt suffuses me. “We wanted to keep it under wraps until we were sure it would lead to something more.” I force my shoulders into a shrug. “See? There wasn’t much point to saying anything, because it’s already over.”
“What happened? Why did it end?”
There’s zero point in telling her that the man in question was Mason. When it comes down to it, I have no idea how she or my father would react. I might have told Mason that Dad wouldn’t have a problem with our relationship, but I have no idea if that’s the case.
I think me dating an older guy would have been a shock in the beginning, but they would have come to terms with it.
Eventually.
While my father has always been protective, as I’ve gotten older, he’s allowed me the freedom to make my own decisions. Just like he allows me to feel the full weight of the consequences from those choices. He’s never been one to swoop in without allowing me to first work out the problems for myself.
“It’s complicated.” That seems like the easiest response.
“Hmmm,” she says with a nod. “Relationships can be challenging.”
“Yeah.”
“But sometimes we make them unnecessarily difficult when they don’t have to be.”
I shake my head, wishing that were the case. “No, this one is definitely sticky. As much as I wish it didn’t have to be, there isn’t a way around it. At least for the time being. I don’t know…maybe in the future, that’ll change.”