pretend.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Lou. You are a good guy. Maybe one day she will forgive you. Time heals… and maybe she just needed some time.”
“Almost thirty years? I’m not holding out much hope.” He took another sip of his beer. “Look at the time … Time got away from me tonight,” Lewis commented.
He got up and sucked down the rest of his drink. “See ya tomorrow, sugar.”
“Hey, Lewis?”
“Ma’am?”
“What did she not forgive you for? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Another time, sugar. Another time.”
“Night,” I responded.
Just as Lewis walked out, Sadie came in. It was a little after midnight, and she was supposed to have gone on a date with Maxwell. It never did, though, and she was furious. He stood her up, and to Sadie, there was no good reason for that.
“You know, Sadie, the world doesn’t revolve around you. I know he should have called you, but God forbid … life does happen. Maybe he is with Trevor? I know his dad has been really bad off.”
“I hope it is a good excuse because I would hate to have to tell him to go to hell.”
“Being there for a friend is a pretty good excuse.” I smirked in irritation.
“Well, I am pissed and have never been stood up.”
“There is a first time for everything.”
I rolled my eyes with a grunt. I get her a glass of dry red wine. Sadie was the only one who could stomach the woodsy taste.
“You aren’t drinking with me?” she asks.
“No … I am sticking with water tonight. I was out in the sun a lot today, plus I worked out at the gym. I feel dehydrated.”
“At Regency or at Gold’s?”
“Regency. And I happened to run into Trevor.”
“What?! Why are you just now telling me this?”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“My ass,” she snarls.
“He was at Regency when I was, and we were on different treadmills. I noticed him in the mirror as soon as he walked into the room.”
“And …” she prompted.
“And I acted like I didn’t until he saw me. He looked A-m-a-z-i-n-g in shorts and a tank. Holy hell. I mean fabulous. I finished my run, and he did too and then I eyed him on the pull-up bars. I about drooled right in front of him. He must take really good care of his body!”
“Duh, he is a doctor. Of course, he is going to take care of his body. Did y’all talk?”
“Yes … and he complimented me saying he thought I was beautiful,” I laughed a second. “I saw him eyeing me too. Total turn-on.”
“See! I knew he liked you …”
“I don’t know what it is … and I don’t want to label it, but I really think he is good looking and damn … he is really good looking.”
She laughed at me as if I was giggling over a childhood crush. “It has been a long time since I have seen you gush over a guy. It looks good on you.”
“I’m just cautious, you know?”
“Yeah … and maybe if you didn’t work so much, you could spend more time at the gym? Why do you work so damn much?”
“Because I like to, Sadie. It keeps my mind clear. I like to stay busy.”
“Yeah … sure … clear … we both know why. But keep telling yourself that.” She takes a long sip of her wine and then traces the top of the glass.
I don’t say anything to her because I am sure she knows the truth. She knows why I am the mess I am today.
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“My ass.” She smirks.
“Look, I just want to make sure I can always take care of myself. After watching my mother work her ass off to support me my entire life and then living through bad decision after bad decision with Jake, I want to make sure I am never put in those shoes again. I want to know I can always stand on my own two feet.”
“Ry, you can’t worry about every single thing like that. You can’t weigh the risk ratio before you comment a guy looks cute … or every other little thing you think.”
“And why the hell can’t I?”
“Because life is too short.”
“That is true, hon. It is. But
“I’m sorry to hear that, Lou. You are a good guy. Maybe one day she will forgive you. Time heals… and maybe she just needed some time.”
“Almost thirty years? I’m not holding out much hope.” He took another sip of his beer. “Look at the time … Time got away from me tonight,” Lewis commented.
He got up and sucked down the rest of his drink. “See ya tomorrow, sugar.”
“Hey, Lewis?”
“Ma’am?”
“What did she not forgive you for? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Another time, sugar. Another time.”
“Night,” I responded.
Just as Lewis walked out, Sadie came in. It was a little after midnight, and she was supposed to have gone on a date with Maxwell. It never did, though, and she was furious. He stood her up, and to Sadie, there was no good reason for that.
“You know, Sadie, the world doesn’t revolve around you. I know he should have called you, but God forbid … life does happen. Maybe he is with Trevor? I know his dad has been really bad off.”
“I hope it is a good excuse because I would hate to have to tell him to go to hell.”
“Being there for a friend is a pretty good excuse.” I smirked in irritation.
“Well, I am pissed and have never been stood up.”
“There is a first time for everything.”
I rolled my eyes with a grunt. I get her a glass of dry red wine. Sadie was the only one who could stomach the woodsy taste.
“You aren’t drinking with me?” she asks.
“No … I am sticking with water tonight. I was out in the sun a lot today, plus I worked out at the gym. I feel dehydrated.”
“At Regency or at Gold’s?”
“Regency. And I happened to run into Trevor.”
“What?! Why are you just now telling me this?”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“My ass,” she snarls.
“He was at Regency when I was, and we were on different treadmills. I noticed him in the mirror as soon as he walked into the room.”
“And …” she prompted.
“And I acted like I didn’t until he saw me. He looked A-m-a-z-i-n-g in shorts and a tank. Holy hell. I mean fabulous. I finished my run, and he did too and then I eyed him on the pull-up bars. I about drooled right in front of him. He must take really good care of his body!”
“Duh, he is a doctor. Of course, he is going to take care of his body. Did y’all talk?”
“Yes … and he complimented me saying he thought I was beautiful,” I laughed a second. “I saw him eyeing me too. Total turn-on.”
“See! I knew he liked you …”
“I don’t know what it is … and I don’t want to label it, but I really think he is good looking and damn … he is really good looking.”
She laughed at me as if I was giggling over a childhood crush. “It has been a long time since I have seen you gush over a guy. It looks good on you.”
“I’m just cautious, you know?”
“Yeah … and maybe if you didn’t work so much, you could spend more time at the gym? Why do you work so damn much?”
“Because I like to, Sadie. It keeps my mind clear. I like to stay busy.”
“Yeah … sure … clear … we both know why. But keep telling yourself that.” She takes a long sip of her wine and then traces the top of the glass.
I don’t say anything to her because I am sure she knows the truth. She knows why I am the mess I am today.
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“My ass.” She smirks.
“Look, I just want to make sure I can always take care of myself. After watching my mother work her ass off to support me my entire life and then living through bad decision after bad decision with Jake, I want to make sure I am never put in those shoes again. I want to know I can always stand on my own two feet.”
“Ry, you can’t worry about every single thing like that. You can’t weigh the risk ratio before you comment a guy looks cute … or every other little thing you think.”
“And why the hell can’t I?”
“Because life is too short.”
“That is true, hon. It is. But
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