not kidding.”
“Sorry, got to go. He quits once a week, and even if he is a pain in the ass, he’s good at what he does.”
Ivey didn’t know why, but it felt like everything and everyone around her had changed while she’d stood still. Sure the hills were in the same place. The ambling country road into town peppered with vineyards every hundred feet: the same. But Mr. Peterson was gone (good riddance), Mrs. Pusini was married, Jeff no longer had his nose stuck in a medical textbook, and Brooke was behaving like she’d discovered butter.
Meanwhile, Ivey still felt like the twenty-year old who’d left town with big hopes, only to come back empty handed. She still had the nagging, pressed-down feeling that she’d done something wrong, something unforgivable, even with the best of intentions.
She stood for a few more minutes watching Brooke pour and laugh with the customers. A few minutes ago Brooke had been with her boss somewhere in the back having sweaty sex while everyone else sampled wine, clueless.
That single thought served as a segue for sudden thoughts of Jeff and sex. Sex with Jeff. The type of thoughts she didn’t want to have in her head right now.
Stupid wine. She didn’t even have to drink it for it to mess with her head.
*****
“Mommy says you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Nope. What about you? Boyfriend?”
“No!”
“Ah. You’re married, then.”
“I’m not married, you silly.”
“Don’t tell me you’re divorced.”
“No!”
“Don’t worry, someone will come along.”
“Ew! I’m never getting married.”
“That’s what you say now. Your mother used to say that too, and now look at her.”
“Becky! Jeff! Dinner’s ready.”
“C’mon, squirt. It’s time to make conversation with the grown-ups and make believe we’re interested.” Jeff caught four-year-old Becky as she leapt off the jungle gym and into his waiting arms.
“I can fly!”
“Yeah, yeah.” He plopped his niece on the lawn and watched her skip up to the back porch and through the sliding glass door.
Seemed like she’d grown three inches and several IQ points since he’d seen her last month. He didn’t see his family often enough, so it was probably for the best that he didn’t have one of his own. Who had time? Unless he wanted to blame the five-foot-nothing fireball that had come back into his life. They’d had a plan. Marriage, kids, the house, dogs. Maybe even a cat if he was feeling generous.
Medicine was now his life. He had to keep reminding himself that some choices required sacrifice. Even if he felt he’d already sacrificed enough.
Ali, as usual, was worried about him. She’d already seen Ivey back in town and probably understood the effect that would have on him. Ali said it was because they’d never had real “closure,” which sounded like the psychobabble word du jour.
After dinner, he helped his sister clear the dishes while Bob the Saint put the kids to bed.
“I’ve wanted to talk to you about someone,” Ali said.
“You mean something.” Jeff handed her a plate.
“No, someone. I met her at the park last week.”
“No.” Among all of her sisterly duties, Ali had become his dating service.
“She’s a single mother of one adorable little boy. And a professional. She’s a lawyer.”
“Hate to repeat myself, but no.”
“But why?”
“I don’t do blind dates.”
“But this woman is perfect for you.”
Ivey was perfect for him, and look how well that had worked out. “Even worse.”
“You’re not making any sense. It’s because of Ivey, isn’t it?”
When it came to Ivey, it was true that nothing made sense. “I haven’t let you fix me up for a year, and now you want to blame it on Ivey?”
“I thought I was wearing you down.”
“You weren’t.”
“I hate that you’re alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have you guys. Scott, my roommate, even if he is gone half the time. And the hospital. Don’t know if you heard, but we’re
“Sorry, got to go. He quits once a week, and even if he is a pain in the ass, he’s good at what he does.”
Ivey didn’t know why, but it felt like everything and everyone around her had changed while she’d stood still. Sure the hills were in the same place. The ambling country road into town peppered with vineyards every hundred feet: the same. But Mr. Peterson was gone (good riddance), Mrs. Pusini was married, Jeff no longer had his nose stuck in a medical textbook, and Brooke was behaving like she’d discovered butter.
Meanwhile, Ivey still felt like the twenty-year old who’d left town with big hopes, only to come back empty handed. She still had the nagging, pressed-down feeling that she’d done something wrong, something unforgivable, even with the best of intentions.
She stood for a few more minutes watching Brooke pour and laugh with the customers. A few minutes ago Brooke had been with her boss somewhere in the back having sweaty sex while everyone else sampled wine, clueless.
That single thought served as a segue for sudden thoughts of Jeff and sex. Sex with Jeff. The type of thoughts she didn’t want to have in her head right now.
Stupid wine. She didn’t even have to drink it for it to mess with her head.
*****
“Mommy says you don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Nope. What about you? Boyfriend?”
“No!”
“Ah. You’re married, then.”
“I’m not married, you silly.”
“Don’t tell me you’re divorced.”
“No!”
“Don’t worry, someone will come along.”
“Ew! I’m never getting married.”
“That’s what you say now. Your mother used to say that too, and now look at her.”
“Becky! Jeff! Dinner’s ready.”
“C’mon, squirt. It’s time to make conversation with the grown-ups and make believe we’re interested.” Jeff caught four-year-old Becky as she leapt off the jungle gym and into his waiting arms.
“I can fly!”
“Yeah, yeah.” He plopped his niece on the lawn and watched her skip up to the back porch and through the sliding glass door.
Seemed like she’d grown three inches and several IQ points since he’d seen her last month. He didn’t see his family often enough, so it was probably for the best that he didn’t have one of his own. Who had time? Unless he wanted to blame the five-foot-nothing fireball that had come back into his life. They’d had a plan. Marriage, kids, the house, dogs. Maybe even a cat if he was feeling generous.
Medicine was now his life. He had to keep reminding himself that some choices required sacrifice. Even if he felt he’d already sacrificed enough.
Ali, as usual, was worried about him. She’d already seen Ivey back in town and probably understood the effect that would have on him. Ali said it was because they’d never had real “closure,” which sounded like the psychobabble word du jour.
After dinner, he helped his sister clear the dishes while Bob the Saint put the kids to bed.
“I’ve wanted to talk to you about someone,” Ali said.
“You mean something.” Jeff handed her a plate.
“No, someone. I met her at the park last week.”
“No.” Among all of her sisterly duties, Ali had become his dating service.
“She’s a single mother of one adorable little boy. And a professional. She’s a lawyer.”
“Hate to repeat myself, but no.”
“But why?”
“I don’t do blind dates.”
“But this woman is perfect for you.”
Ivey was perfect for him, and look how well that had worked out. “Even worse.”
“You’re not making any sense. It’s because of Ivey, isn’t it?”
When it came to Ivey, it was true that nothing made sense. “I haven’t let you fix me up for a year, and now you want to blame it on Ivey?”
“I thought I was wearing you down.”
“You weren’t.”
“I hate that you’re alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have you guys. Scott, my roommate, even if he is gone half the time. And the hospital. Don’t know if you heard, but we’re
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