Chapter 21 #2
“Will you leave the door open so I can hear it while I fall asleep?” I asked.
Smiling, he nodded before walking out.
As I drifted off to sleep, it was to the sound of that haunting melody I’d come to love on his acoustic guitar.
It felt weird to be sitting in a coffee shop during work hours. Gage felt it would be best for Harper and me to hold our meeting here since it wasn’t about PFA business. We were meeting to discuss their engagement party, among other things. But she wouldn’t be here for another hour.
I arranged to meet Evie first. When she picked up her phone at the gallery this morning and heard my voice on the line, she knew it was serious. This was our best option since neither she nor I had been at our own apartments much lately.
Evie hadn’t arrived yet. The table I was lucky enough to get was in the front window, so finding me wouldn’t be an issue. My head was buried in my tablet, getting some work done while I waited.
“Hi, Maryellen,” a voice said. A voice I knew but wasn’t expecting.
Looking up, my eyes connected with Garrett.
“Hi.” Guilt consumed me at the sight of him. Not only about how our night ended after our date, but that neither of us reached out to each other since.
“How have you been?”
“Good, I’m good.”
“Garrett, let’s go!” A group of guys in suits called to him. They obviously worked together. He held up his hand, asking for a minute.
He gestured to my tablet and laptop. “Working here today?”
“Uh, yeah, kind of. I have a meeting with someone.”
He nodded at my answer, never once taking his eyes from mine. He nervously took a sip of his coffee and glanced around the shop. His friends waited for him by the door. They huddled together and whispered like middle schoolers, making it obvious they were talking about me.
“I’m sorry I never called you after our dinner date. I thought leaving it up to you might be for the best.”
Shit. He was doing this. Here. Now.
“I’m really sorry about how that night turned out. I had a great time with you, I did.” He shifted back and forth in anticipation of my next words. “I just don’t think this is the right time for us.”
He handled it well. The smile remained plastered on his face. But he shouldn’t have put me in this position in a public place.
“Yeah, OK, well,” he said. “Any chance you could pass my resume to your boss? I saw a posting I might be qualified for.”
Holy shit. Was that all this was the whole time? Was I a networking opportunity to him?
“Um, yeah, sure. I guess you can email it to me?” I hoped the insincerity came through in my voice.
He joined his buddies and was walking out as Evie walked in. She waved and got right in line for some food.
“Hey, girl. Long time, no see. And I mean that literally. How the hell are you?” She sat across from me and dropped a muffin and an egg sandwich on the table between us. “Saw you had no food here and thought you’d be hungry.”
She knew I loved the muffin top. After pulling half of the blueberry muffin top off for myself, my attention went to her. “Ya know, it’s not only me who hasn’t been home lately. Seems like things are heating up between you and Mr. Taylor. How is Mitch these days?”
The way her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink was my answer. She took a bite of her sandwich to avoid my question.
“So, we both have boyfriends,” she eventually said. “And they’re friends with each other. We need to take more advantage of that.”
“Huh, so you guys are that serious already?”
Her shoulders lifted in response. “We’re giving it a go. I told him I’d only give it a chance if we were exclusive and he was on board, so…” Her dark eyes had a sparkle to them I hadn’t seen in a while.
“I’m happy for you,” I told her. “You’re right. We should get some double dates in. At least we’ll all be together this week at Iggy’s for Chase’s big night. You’ll be there on Wednesday, right?”
Chase had a large group from the office coming, as well as some of his college friends who lived in the area. Coupled with Gage, Harper, Evie, and Mitch, his crowd was going to be huge.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it,” she said. “But that’s not why you wanted to meet, Mare. You scared me on the phone, and you never call, and never while I’m at work. What’s going on?”
Sitting back against my chair, I glanced around the shop wondering if I was doing the right thing.
Evie was my best friend. I trusted her. What good would come from telling her?
Advice? Maybe. The way she looked at me from now on would be forever changed, and I needed to decide if that was worth it.
Was Chase worth it?
I knew he was.
“There is something I want to tell you, but it’s hard.” Suddenly, my napkin became very interesting as I tore off the corners. “I’m afraid when I tell you, you’ll think differently of me. I don’t want us…” I gestured between us with my hands. “To change, ever.”
She reached out and took my hand in hers. “There’s not much you could tell me that would change how we are, Mare. I’m always gonna be your wingwoman, you can’t get rid of me, no matter what you’ve done, so lay it on me.”
So, I did. I told her the story of when I first arrived in New York City and how I survived, or barely survived.
I told her the part I’d been keeping inside for years. The secret I’d been holding from everyone. The one I knew that could easily destroy Chase and me.
She didn’t react.
She simply held my hand.
Like a best friend should.
“You know I’ll take this to my grave, kiddo. If that’s what you want, I won’t tell a soul.” She continued holding my hand, squeezing it harder. “But I really do think you need to give him more credit than you are. Think about it.”
I nodded.
“Hey, so I have to get back to the gallery. Are you gonna be OK?” she asked.
That was a loaded question. I wasn’t sure I’d be OK until I could get past this damn party. Even then, I’d still have this looming over my head.
Looming between Chase and me. Evie and I thought that once we made it through this weekend, I should consider telling him. Holding it back much longer would do more damage down the road.
And I agreed with her.
But I didn’t want to follow through on it. At all.
“Yeah, I’m waiting for Harper to come. We’re meeting about the party, of all things.” My eyes rolled, and she gripped my hand again. “I have my journal with me. I’m gonna work on my writing until she gets here.”
“The infamous book you keep saying you’re writing. I wish you’d let me read some of it,” she said. “And you know I’ll be there with you at the party. It’s like fate stepped in that Mitch and I would be seeing each other, and I would get an invite to this shindig.”
She gathered up her things, but I didn’t want her to go. Now that she knew, I felt some added strength with her nearby.
“Call me if you need anything,” she said before blowing me an air-kiss.
I had long finished my coffee. Getting in line to get a refill, I noticed Harper walk in. She was one of my favorite people, has been for years. I hated the feeling I got in my gut anytime I saw her recently.
None of this was her fault. It was her freaking engagement party.
Fault was not even the right word. It was no one’s fault.
Circumstances. It was the circumstances of my life I was now dealing with.
“Harper!” I yelled her name to join me in the line.
I could do this.
I would give every attempt to do this.