as a statute of limitations with these kinds of guys, OK? Four years is like four minutes to them, trust me.”
Spider was silent.
“Spider, please.” Mirrie fought to keep her voice steady. “Please get him out of here. It’s not safe for him or for me. Please… help me.”
“Yeah, alright.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ll help you.”
“God, thank you.” The relief was immense as it washed over her. “So let’s go and ask him to leave…”
“No.” Spider snapped out the word. “No, that’s not how I’m going to help you.”
“What?”
“He stays until you guys talk.”
“Spider…” Her panic was rising again. “Please...”
“Mirrie.” Something in his voice made her stop talking and gaze up at him. “Listen to me.”
It was only Mirrie’s love and respect for her friend that kept her quiet. She nodded.
“Sweetie.” He paused, gathered his thoughts. “Look, I saw you after you ended things with Shane. I saw how fucking wrecked you were and how long and hard you hurt for him. You hurt for years , Mirrie… you’re still hurting now. What you did? Walking away like that? It saved his life but it killed you in some ways and I know it.”
Mirrie shut her eyes, struggling to hold back the tears.
“He’s here now, at long last. He says he loves you. I think he wants to fight for you.” Spider touched her arm gently. “I’m not saying that you go back to him, OK? I just think that he deserves to be heard. Just give the man a conversation.”
She opened her eyes now. “I wish I could. But I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because then I’ll start to hope for us.”
“You don’t want that? Don’t want hope?”
“No.” She wiped her tears away with both hands. “This can’t happen, Spider. Me and Shane? We can’t happen. I can’t open that door even one little bit, because when it slams shut in my face – and don’t kid yourself, it will slam shut – I’m not going to be able to handle it. Not this time; not again.”
“What if it didn’t shut? What if you guys could make it work?”
“This isn’t a Hollywood movie. This isn’t a romance book. This is real life – this is my real life, mine and Shane’s.” She shook her head and he saw her visibly pulling herself together. “There’s no happy ending for us. We’re no Cinderella and Prince Charming. Me and Mac, we’re more like Romeo and Juliet… we’d both fucking end up dead.”
“Mirrie…”
“No.” Her tone was clipped and cold. “You go to your fake meeting at the bank and I’ll handle the customers.” She glanced at the clock. “The morning rush is about to start, so I need to get back out there.”
“Hon –”
“If you won’t kick him out, fine.” She pushed her hair back. “But I won’t speak to him. He can just sit there all day until he gets the message.”
“Mirrie. Just talk to – ”
She opened the door, ignoring him.
Mac saw her emerge, took in her watery eyes. Right away, he got to his feet, alarmed and worried.
“You OK, babe?”
Mirrie didn’t even look at him. She looked scarily calm and unemotional, totally uninterested and almost numb. More than anything, that last thing gave him pause.
He hesitated, unsure what she thinking and feeling now. “Mirrie?”
She walked over to the counter and started to pour herself a coffee. She had the feeling that it was going to be a very, very long day.
The door opened and six people all came in at once; Mirrie greeted the noise and chaos with nothing but relief. Most of the customers were regulars, so she was able to relax and ease in to the familiar banter and joking without any effort.
Mac retreated to his table without a word. He watched Mirrie work, listened to her forced laughter, kept an eye on the street outside. And he settled in: he was in it for the long haul. He was in it for however long it took.
I’m not leaving, babe, not until we talk. Not until you hear me.
**
Four hours later, Mac was
Spider was silent.
“Spider, please.” Mirrie fought to keep her voice steady. “Please get him out of here. It’s not safe for him or for me. Please… help me.”
“Yeah, alright.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’ll help you.”
“God, thank you.” The relief was immense as it washed over her. “So let’s go and ask him to leave…”
“No.” Spider snapped out the word. “No, that’s not how I’m going to help you.”
“What?”
“He stays until you guys talk.”
“Spider…” Her panic was rising again. “Please...”
“Mirrie.” Something in his voice made her stop talking and gaze up at him. “Listen to me.”
It was only Mirrie’s love and respect for her friend that kept her quiet. She nodded.
“Sweetie.” He paused, gathered his thoughts. “Look, I saw you after you ended things with Shane. I saw how fucking wrecked you were and how long and hard you hurt for him. You hurt for years , Mirrie… you’re still hurting now. What you did? Walking away like that? It saved his life but it killed you in some ways and I know it.”
Mirrie shut her eyes, struggling to hold back the tears.
“He’s here now, at long last. He says he loves you. I think he wants to fight for you.” Spider touched her arm gently. “I’m not saying that you go back to him, OK? I just think that he deserves to be heard. Just give the man a conversation.”
She opened her eyes now. “I wish I could. But I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because then I’ll start to hope for us.”
“You don’t want that? Don’t want hope?”
“No.” She wiped her tears away with both hands. “This can’t happen, Spider. Me and Shane? We can’t happen. I can’t open that door even one little bit, because when it slams shut in my face – and don’t kid yourself, it will slam shut – I’m not going to be able to handle it. Not this time; not again.”
“What if it didn’t shut? What if you guys could make it work?”
“This isn’t a Hollywood movie. This isn’t a romance book. This is real life – this is my real life, mine and Shane’s.” She shook her head and he saw her visibly pulling herself together. “There’s no happy ending for us. We’re no Cinderella and Prince Charming. Me and Mac, we’re more like Romeo and Juliet… we’d both fucking end up dead.”
“Mirrie…”
“No.” Her tone was clipped and cold. “You go to your fake meeting at the bank and I’ll handle the customers.” She glanced at the clock. “The morning rush is about to start, so I need to get back out there.”
“Hon –”
“If you won’t kick him out, fine.” She pushed her hair back. “But I won’t speak to him. He can just sit there all day until he gets the message.”
“Mirrie. Just talk to – ”
She opened the door, ignoring him.
Mac saw her emerge, took in her watery eyes. Right away, he got to his feet, alarmed and worried.
“You OK, babe?”
Mirrie didn’t even look at him. She looked scarily calm and unemotional, totally uninterested and almost numb. More than anything, that last thing gave him pause.
He hesitated, unsure what she thinking and feeling now. “Mirrie?”
She walked over to the counter and started to pour herself a coffee. She had the feeling that it was going to be a very, very long day.
The door opened and six people all came in at once; Mirrie greeted the noise and chaos with nothing but relief. Most of the customers were regulars, so she was able to relax and ease in to the familiar banter and joking without any effort.
Mac retreated to his table without a word. He watched Mirrie work, listened to her forced laughter, kept an eye on the street outside. And he settled in: he was in it for the long haul. He was in it for however long it took.
I’m not leaving, babe, not until we talk. Not until you hear me.
**
Four hours later, Mac was
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