long, if that says anything.
Kyle: No shit?
Me: No shit.
Kyle: Damn. I promise a better Friday night next weekend.
Me: Counting on it. Goodnight.
Kyle: Goodnight.
I read for another hour, the giddy sensation still with me when I switched off the light beside my bed. The night had ended better than I’d expected.
The next morning, I went running, did an hour of yoga, got groceries, and took a shower. After a quick lunch, I decided to stop by the Lovely Hospital League fundraiser. It was a biannual event with handbags, scarves, candles, and baked goods.
My mother had always baked for the fundraiser, and I’d loved going with her. I’d felt proud when her brownies sold out, which happened no matter how many she made.
I thought of her every time I used her brownie recipe. It had been painful the first few years after we lost her, but I was finally getting to a point where I liked doing things that reminded me of her.
When I parked in the hospital parking lot, I stayed in my Jeep for a few extra seconds, giving myself a mental pep talk.
Yes, I was alone and had no one to talk to at this thing. But it was fine. I could shop by myself. It had been nearly a decade since I ended things with Reed Lockhart. That was a long time, and I needed to stop making myself an outcast. Cara’s invitation to her future jewelry party the night before had given me the confidence to come here, and maybe something good would come of this, too.
I grabbed my bag and walked inside, nodding and smiling at the people I recognized as I walked by them.
I picked out a new bag and got in line to pay for it. I couldn’t see past the people in front of me, and when I got to the front of the line, Grace Lockhart sat behind the cash register.
I wanted to run, but my feet wouldn’t move.
“Meredith,” she said in a cool tone.
The women working behind the other cash registers turned to look at us. My face heated with embarrassment.
“I need the bag so I can scan it,” Grace said.
I thrust it out to her, willing my eyes not to fill with tears. Turning bright red was bad enough—I was not going to cry.
She refused to make eye contact with me, telling me the cost of the bag in a no-nonsense tone. I passed over the money, dropping the coins to the table.
“Sorry,” I said softly, picking them up.
She put the bag and my receipt into a plastic shopping bag and handed it to me, not saying a word. I took it and bolted for the parking lot.
I’d donate the bag to charity. Otherwise, I’d remember the shame I felt right now every time I looked at it.
I didn’t belong here. No matter what I did or how much time passed, people would always see me for what had happened with Reed.
Getting the cold shoulder from Grace burned more this time because I wanted her to like me. She was Kyle’s mother and Jordan and Eric’s grandmother. They mattered to me, and I wanted to think Grace might be willing to give me another chance.
It didn’t look likely, though. I wondered if she was upset because she’d heard I was going over to help the boys or because of Reed.
Either way, she didn’t like me, and I was pretty sure she never would.
Kyle
The next week, there was a new energy between Meredith and me. Just making eye contact with her when I came home from work got my blood pumping. Sometimes her smiles felt different—secret somehow, and meant just for me.
If eye contact and her smile made my dick stiffen with awareness, I could only imagine what being alone with her would do to me. I’d probably have an erection over dinner. I was thirty-seven years old, but I felt like a teenager again, all raging hormones, desperate for even a touch from her.
I kept my phone on my nightstand every night, hoping she’d text me from her bed. Not that she had a reason to.
When I got home Thursday, Jordan asked Meredith to come to his baseball game that night. She told him she had plans, but from the way she looked away before answering, I sensed she
Kyle: No shit?
Me: No shit.
Kyle: Damn. I promise a better Friday night next weekend.
Me: Counting on it. Goodnight.
Kyle: Goodnight.
I read for another hour, the giddy sensation still with me when I switched off the light beside my bed. The night had ended better than I’d expected.
The next morning, I went running, did an hour of yoga, got groceries, and took a shower. After a quick lunch, I decided to stop by the Lovely Hospital League fundraiser. It was a biannual event with handbags, scarves, candles, and baked goods.
My mother had always baked for the fundraiser, and I’d loved going with her. I’d felt proud when her brownies sold out, which happened no matter how many she made.
I thought of her every time I used her brownie recipe. It had been painful the first few years after we lost her, but I was finally getting to a point where I liked doing things that reminded me of her.
When I parked in the hospital parking lot, I stayed in my Jeep for a few extra seconds, giving myself a mental pep talk.
Yes, I was alone and had no one to talk to at this thing. But it was fine. I could shop by myself. It had been nearly a decade since I ended things with Reed Lockhart. That was a long time, and I needed to stop making myself an outcast. Cara’s invitation to her future jewelry party the night before had given me the confidence to come here, and maybe something good would come of this, too.
I grabbed my bag and walked inside, nodding and smiling at the people I recognized as I walked by them.
I picked out a new bag and got in line to pay for it. I couldn’t see past the people in front of me, and when I got to the front of the line, Grace Lockhart sat behind the cash register.
I wanted to run, but my feet wouldn’t move.
“Meredith,” she said in a cool tone.
The women working behind the other cash registers turned to look at us. My face heated with embarrassment.
“I need the bag so I can scan it,” Grace said.
I thrust it out to her, willing my eyes not to fill with tears. Turning bright red was bad enough—I was not going to cry.
She refused to make eye contact with me, telling me the cost of the bag in a no-nonsense tone. I passed over the money, dropping the coins to the table.
“Sorry,” I said softly, picking them up.
She put the bag and my receipt into a plastic shopping bag and handed it to me, not saying a word. I took it and bolted for the parking lot.
I’d donate the bag to charity. Otherwise, I’d remember the shame I felt right now every time I looked at it.
I didn’t belong here. No matter what I did or how much time passed, people would always see me for what had happened with Reed.
Getting the cold shoulder from Grace burned more this time because I wanted her to like me. She was Kyle’s mother and Jordan and Eric’s grandmother. They mattered to me, and I wanted to think Grace might be willing to give me another chance.
It didn’t look likely, though. I wondered if she was upset because she’d heard I was going over to help the boys or because of Reed.
Either way, she didn’t like me, and I was pretty sure she never would.
Kyle
The next week, there was a new energy between Meredith and me. Just making eye contact with her when I came home from work got my blood pumping. Sometimes her smiles felt different—secret somehow, and meant just for me.
If eye contact and her smile made my dick stiffen with awareness, I could only imagine what being alone with her would do to me. I’d probably have an erection over dinner. I was thirty-seven years old, but I felt like a teenager again, all raging hormones, desperate for even a touch from her.
I kept my phone on my nightstand every night, hoping she’d text me from her bed. Not that she had a reason to.
When I got home Thursday, Jordan asked Meredith to come to his baseball game that night. She told him she had plans, but from the way she looked away before answering, I sensed she
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