night. I’d like to see you at lunch today and talk. I have so much to tell you, and I can’t have another night of sleeplessness. Please say you’re free…
Hope
I hammered a quick response: See you at 1pm in the lobby.
Within seconds, she replied with an even shorter: OK .
It was officially our second date in as many days.
} i {
Present Day
Chapter 14
8:20 AM
H aving been faced with the prospect of losing her forever several times already, I know a thing or two about showing up for the moment. This moment. So when I spot Hope among the crowd of commuters pouring out of the train station, I take that deep breath you take before jumping off a rocky cliff into the uncertain waters below.
“I told you, I’m too busy,” she greets me as I fall into stride next to her. The pulsing vein on her neck tells me that there is definitely room for negotiation here. Some, anyway. “I’m sorry, Cameron.”
“Let’s walk together.” All part of the plan, I remind myself to stick to the plan.
“You and I both know that your boss isn’t your biggest fan right now. Maybe you should turn around and go home before you get too close to the office and your boss sees you.”
I reach for her hand, but she snaps it out of my reach. Nice. Real mature.
“You need to go home,” she continues. Her inability to keep quiet for more than a few seconds tells me everything I need to know.
“I’m sorry. I can’t let you leave this time,” I say with a tone of empathy, like I’m the teacher who can’t let my favorite student get away with cheating. “It’s not going to happen.”
She drops her head back and laughs so loudly that the people ahead of us actually turn around to see what someone could find so funny before eight-thirty in the morning on the last Friday before Labor Day weekend.
“I’m serious, Hope. Real serious.”
“And you’re seriously going to be unemployed in three more blocks. Don’t put that on my shoulders, goob.”
“You talk like an M & M, you know that, right?” I hide my grin by scratching my jawline.
“You talk like an imbecile.”
“Hard candy shell on the outside—”
She rolls her eyes. “Sweet chocolate on the inside, I get it—”
“Followed by nuts,” I add, “because we’re talking about peanut M & M’s.”
She hits me hard, but her lips finally curl into the first sign of defeat. “You’re a certifiable goob.”
We walk half a block. It kills me because this silence feels like sand slipping through my fingers.
“Listen,” I continue. “You talk about that story like it’s us.”
“It is us, Cameron,” she insists, her face tightening. “And like Oliver and Olivia, our timing is wrong. Your being here is wrong.” She shakes her head. “Like Oliver, you had your chance with me, but you blew it.”
“You blew it, too,” I blurt out, then hate myself for walking into this trap, yet again. “But I’m here now, and I’m not letting you go without a fight. I’m going to fight fucking hard, even if that means hauling you off over my shoulder.”
“I’d like to see you try that.”
“Sounds like a dare.”
“More like a threat.” Deep sigh. “And I’m serious. I can’t miss work today.”
“You can miss work today,” I promise, walking ahead of her and turning around to get into her face a little. “Not only can you miss work, but you can miss your flight next week when you’re supposed to move out West.”
“Cameron…”
“Hope, that senior citizen you’re engaged to doesn’t deserve you. You know that just as well as I do. And not because you’re way better than him, but because your heart doesn’t belong there.”
She groans. “You’re a cardiologist all of a sudden?”
I start reaching for her hand again, but stop myself. It’s too soon. “Look at me, Hope.”
“No way, Cameron!” she squawks. “You’re pushing it!”
“Oliver and Olivia and that story
Hope
I hammered a quick response: See you at 1pm in the lobby.
Within seconds, she replied with an even shorter: OK .
It was officially our second date in as many days.
} i {
Present Day
Chapter 14
8:20 AM
H aving been faced with the prospect of losing her forever several times already, I know a thing or two about showing up for the moment. This moment. So when I spot Hope among the crowd of commuters pouring out of the train station, I take that deep breath you take before jumping off a rocky cliff into the uncertain waters below.
“I told you, I’m too busy,” she greets me as I fall into stride next to her. The pulsing vein on her neck tells me that there is definitely room for negotiation here. Some, anyway. “I’m sorry, Cameron.”
“Let’s walk together.” All part of the plan, I remind myself to stick to the plan.
“You and I both know that your boss isn’t your biggest fan right now. Maybe you should turn around and go home before you get too close to the office and your boss sees you.”
I reach for her hand, but she snaps it out of my reach. Nice. Real mature.
“You need to go home,” she continues. Her inability to keep quiet for more than a few seconds tells me everything I need to know.
“I’m sorry. I can’t let you leave this time,” I say with a tone of empathy, like I’m the teacher who can’t let my favorite student get away with cheating. “It’s not going to happen.”
She drops her head back and laughs so loudly that the people ahead of us actually turn around to see what someone could find so funny before eight-thirty in the morning on the last Friday before Labor Day weekend.
“I’m serious, Hope. Real serious.”
“And you’re seriously going to be unemployed in three more blocks. Don’t put that on my shoulders, goob.”
“You talk like an M & M, you know that, right?” I hide my grin by scratching my jawline.
“You talk like an imbecile.”
“Hard candy shell on the outside—”
She rolls her eyes. “Sweet chocolate on the inside, I get it—”
“Followed by nuts,” I add, “because we’re talking about peanut M & M’s.”
She hits me hard, but her lips finally curl into the first sign of defeat. “You’re a certifiable goob.”
We walk half a block. It kills me because this silence feels like sand slipping through my fingers.
“Listen,” I continue. “You talk about that story like it’s us.”
“It is us, Cameron,” she insists, her face tightening. “And like Oliver and Olivia, our timing is wrong. Your being here is wrong.” She shakes her head. “Like Oliver, you had your chance with me, but you blew it.”
“You blew it, too,” I blurt out, then hate myself for walking into this trap, yet again. “But I’m here now, and I’m not letting you go without a fight. I’m going to fight fucking hard, even if that means hauling you off over my shoulder.”
“I’d like to see you try that.”
“Sounds like a dare.”
“More like a threat.” Deep sigh. “And I’m serious. I can’t miss work today.”
“You can miss work today,” I promise, walking ahead of her and turning around to get into her face a little. “Not only can you miss work, but you can miss your flight next week when you’re supposed to move out West.”
“Cameron…”
“Hope, that senior citizen you’re engaged to doesn’t deserve you. You know that just as well as I do. And not because you’re way better than him, but because your heart doesn’t belong there.”
She groans. “You’re a cardiologist all of a sudden?”
I start reaching for her hand again, but stop myself. It’s too soon. “Look at me, Hope.”
“No way, Cameron!” she squawks. “You’re pushing it!”
“Oliver and Olivia and that story
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