Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
T illy insisted on getting herself to the River Gorge bus station the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. She grinned when she saw me, shaggy dark brown bangs hanging in her eyes and her thick hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
“Hey, Sis.” She leaned in sideways for a quick hug, then hitched her duffel bag higher on her shoulder. “Can we grab a burger somewhere?”
“Yes. How was the bus and carpool?”
She gave a put-upon shrug then shied away when I tried to take one of her bags. “Oh no. I’m doing all the heavy lifting. My favorite niece needs your energy.”
I threw my hands up. “It’s too early to tell if I am or not.”
“Doctor next week, right?”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Waiting might kill me. Try not to remind me.”
I took her to a local place a notch above fast food but still affordable. She chatted about school and the graphic design project she was working on.
“You need a computer, don’t you?” I slumped.
She’d been doing her best to mask the major disadvantage she dealt with on a daily basis—having to go to the overcrowded computer lab on campus to work on her assignments.
“I’m working on it.” She dipped a fry in barbecue sauce—the smell made bile rise in my throat. “When Dominic forced that bitch to let me upstairs, somebody had to share a room with me. Of course, they picked the new girl. It’s been alright. We’re both saving money, and she’s at her boyfriend’s a few nights a week.”
“Sounds good.”
“Your eyes got all sad when I said the D word. Do you miss him?”
Swallowing, I turned my head to stare out the window. “Yeah. I’m a little sad.”
I was more than sad, I was pining and mourning and disgusted with myself. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I fall for a straightforward, nice guy—or at least one who treated me like a person with feelings that mattered? On top of it all, I might have created a child with him.
Tilly squeezed my hand. “I’m really sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“Just don’t lump him in with Gerry, okay?”
“What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath. “Gerry is fake. He’s, like, a genuine sociopath or something. Can’t think about anyone but himself. But hides it. Dominic isn’t like that.”
“You didn’t spend that much time with him.”
“Gerry never would have put himself out to help me.”
I put my chin in my hand. “He wouldn’t have, you’re right.”
“Maybe you were a little hard on him?” She raised her eyebrows.
“I wanted more from him, and he said no.” I shook my head a little, my throat tight. “Besides, I don’t trust myself. Everything happened too quickly. I need to go on a man fast.”
She harrumphed. “Unlikely. You like them too much.”
Despite myself, I smiled and blushed. “Pathetic, aren’t I?”
Her smile vanished. “No. Please don’t say that.”
My eyes burned suddenly, and I had to look away. “I’ll try.”
“Good.” She came around the table and hugged me, both of us a little stiff. There hadn’t been much warmth in our childhood home unless Tilly and I gave it to each other. She pulled away and cleared our trays off the table.
The Roberts were welcoming and kind to my sister, offering us dessert when we arrived at the farm and setting up an air mattress in my room with clean sheets and bedding. Tilly had been awake since four for an early shift at the coffee shop and fell asleep quickly, gently snoring like a kitten grumbling.
I lay awake thinking about Dominic. Gerry had convinced me that I was attracted to untrustworthy men who didn’t see me as a partner. All those years I was with him, I settled for what I could get—and hoped he would recover from whatever had made him that way. But Tilly was right. Gerry had been hiding his true self from me.
Then Dominic came along, another controlling man, except he was recovering from a recent tragedy in his life. And I’d stared into his eyes, and it had been right in a way that I’d never experienced before—like my soul was saying, this is it, love him as hard as you can and hope. And it had failed.
The next day, we parked at the Adamos house, with flower bouquets for Maria and Pippa and the pie I’d made.
“Unreal,” Tilly whispered to me, gawking at the mansion.
We went up to Maria’s to wait while she finished getting ready. “Flowers for me?” Maria grinned, smelling them. “Hello, you must be Tilly. Come in. Pour the mimosas—it’s time to start the party right.”
“Coming up.” Tilly flicked her bangs out of her face and went to the counter to pour.
“Orange juice for me,” I said, taking off my coat.
A minute later, we were clinking glasses and saying, “Cheers.” Maria put on music, and Tilly sat on a chair, her cheeks rosy.
My phone rang, and it was Autumn. She’d actually texted me twice already, and I’d missed it. “Hi, just a sec.” I put my jacket back on and stepped outside. “Hey, happy Thanksgiving.”
“You too.” She sounded like she’d been walking fast. “There’s been an offer on the townhouse—an amazing one.”
“Really? Oh my goodness.”
“It’s your full asking price. Plus, they’re offering a ten thousand bonus if you leave the property furnished. More details to come, but…wow.”
I sagged against the balcony railing and pressed my free hand against my eyes. A premonition grew in me— Is it him? Does he still care for me? “Yeah, wow.”
“We’ll move fast. They want a quick close. I’m going to start spamming Gerry’s phone. Watch your email. I’m off.”