Chapter 8 #2
“Better,” I said. Last year, Laura had cut her hand helping at Whynot Bloom, and we’d rushed her to the ER.
Matthew had been there, and it was at that moment I really started having a crush on him.
He’d been so good with her. Laura was June’s niece, and by all accounts, also Avery’s and mine.
We loved her and she’d become ingrained in our lives.
June’s brother had his share of struggles being a single dad.
He’d done a lot of work in therapy, though, and that was helping a lot.
“June’s mom is still nuts, but Ethan has been doing a lot better.
He’s bouncing back and he’s been a really good dad.
I think June still does too much, but Dallas and Madi have helped balance things out. ”
“The three of them are really good together.”
“They are,” I agreed.
Finally seeing June relinquish her resistance to being loved was one of the best things I’d ever witnessed. She deserved it. So did Madi and Dallas.
“Tell me about you,” I said. “I mean, I know you, but not everything. Like how’d you pick Whynot? And what kind of hobbies do you have? I have a million questions.”
“I like to run,” he answered. “Dallas and I have started going on runs together since he’s as into it as I am.
Aside from that, Magic: The Gathering is one of my painfully expensive hobbies.
I play online with a group I’ve known since I was like nineteen.
I don’t get to play quite as much anymore with my work schedule—but still, I love it. ”
“A nerd,” I whispered. “The glasses should have given you away.”
He smirked. “Mm-hmm. Well, now you know my secret.”
“One of them. So . . . Whynot?”
His brows pulled together. “It’s not exactly a good first date conversation.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t want to press, but his tone . . .
Matthew sucked in a breath. “I guess I’ll tell you. And if you want me to drop you back off at home, I understand.”
“It can’t be that bad,” I said.
He didn’t immediately answer. He swallowed hard as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I was in love with a girl named Amanda in college. We dated for about three years. She was from here.”
“Wait . . .” I trailed off, remembering that name. It was too small of a town not to know who he meant. “Oh. Matthew, I’m so sorry.”
His eyes glistened and he swallowed again.
“Yeah. Drunk drivers. I hate them. I’ve seen so many accidents over the years, and god.
She was too young. Not that there’s a right age to go, you know.
But she had her whole life ahead of her.
She’d worked her ass off to get into medical school in Houston, and I really thought I was going to marry her. ”
“So you came here because of her?”
He nodded slowly.
It happened a few years ago, which meant he’d loved her enough to come even after all this time. My heart ached for him.
“Have you dated anyone since?”
“I’ve had sex,” he said softly. “But I haven’t dated again, no.”
Our date was a big deal, then.
And it suddenly dawned on me why he wanted to be the one driving.
I blinked back tears then reached over, sliding my hand over his thigh. I let it rest there, not really sure what else to say. “I’m sorry, Matthew.”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up—”
“I’m glad you did,” I said. “It’s okay to talk about her. I didn’t know Amanda very well, but I remember her. Have you ever talked to her family?”
He shook his head quickly. “No. I’ve seen them. Hell, her dad is one of my patients. But, I just haven’t been able to talk to them about it. It always felt wrong to bring her up.”
“I think they would appreciate it,” I said. “Truly.”
“It would make them sad.”
“But that’s okay sometimes,” I murmured. “It’s okay to feel sad when you remember someone you love. It’s just a reminder of how great they were. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
He exhaled slowly then glanced over at me. “How’d you get so good at this, Evie? I’ve never told anyone this.”
“Well. When Mr. Whynot passed, we all felt it.” My eyes burned even more now. “We were all devastated of course. But Avery needed me. She needed June. And we watched her go through so much. All of them. Dallas.”
“Austin.”
I nodded silently.
“He still grieves.”
“He does,” I said. “But the problem is, I don’t think he ever really had time to properly do it. You know? Because everyone suddenly needed him. Avery, Dallas, his mom, all of us. The whole town. Um . . . Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk about Austin.”
Matthew lowered one of his hands and gave mine a gentle squeeze before he settled it back on the steering wheel. “Did I ruin our date?”
“Nope. Did I?”
“Not at all.”
“Good.” We both exhaled in relief, and I smiled again. “If you ever want to talk about Amanda more, you can with me.”
“Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s talk about brighter things?”
“Yes,” I agreed.
“Like your favorite food,” he prompted.
“Do you want the answer I give people or the real answer?”
“The real answer, obviously.”
“Okay, well, I tell everyone it’s deep-dish pepperoni pizza. But it’s actually deep-dish mac and cheese pizza.”
“Mac and cheese pizza?”
“I know.” I flipped my hair. “But it’s been a favorite since I was nine, and I was an only child. My parents indulged me. I started dumping boxed mac and cheese on my pizza slices and they thought I’d grow out of it. Now I just make a really fucking good macaroni and cheese pizza.”
“I have to try this some time,” he laughed.
“You know what? If we make it to date three, I’ll make it for you.”
Matthew grinned. “You’ve got a deal.”