“I guess she really does feel bad.”
“Honestly, she felt horrible,” Jade admits.
“Really?”
She nods. “She called me every night for a week, asking me if I thought you were mad at her?—”
“I wasn’t mad at her.”
“I know. And I told her that, but she was also worried that she might end up shoving the wrong men onto you.”
“I mean, she kind of did.”
“She’s trying not to make the same mistake.”
“Yeah.” I stare down at my own cup of coffee while Avery grows squirmy in my arms. Who knew my love life would be such a hot topic among my family? I thought I was past all that drama. If not temporarily while I was married, then at least now I’ve grown way past the age of becoming a matchmaking spectacle.
Avery makes grabby hands toward a lone banana sitting on my counter, and Jade reaches for it. Avery demands to return to her mom, who also happens to be holding her appetizing snack, and I hand her over. The banana starts to slowly turn into mush in Avery’s hands but at least it keeps her out of reach of the hotcoffee. Or the LEGO. Maybe I need to be more mindful about making my condo more childproof.
“Don’t worry too much about it,” Jade says, consoling my sudden downcast mood while doing the motherly multitasking act of wiping banana remains off Avery’s fingers. “The guilt is obviously going away, or she wouldn’t be sending you all those prospects.”
I chuckle. “Did you see Rick?”
“The guy with the soul patch?”
I cackle a hard belly laugh. “Oh my god, Jade. Why would she think I’d find him attractive?”
“I told her not him,” she adds, her face turning a bright shade of pink with her own breathless laughter. “But she said he’s a dog person, and he would love Buster.”
“Aw,” I croon. “That’s actually really sweet.”
“I know.”
“See? She’s trying,” Jade says, her tone lighter with more genuine reassurance creeping into her rosy cheeks. “And who knows? Maybe she’ll help you find the right man, and you can give Avery here a little cousin to play with.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, please.”
“What? I thought that’s what you wanted?” She walks over to the small playpen she set up for Avery and plops her in the middle with a rattly toy.
“Yeah, I do. But…”
“But what?”
“I don’t know, Jade,” I say, my defeated, dejected voice sounding like I’m on the edge of giving up. “Maybe I’m just not meant for that life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on. I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t think I should be thinking about having kids at this age or?—”
“Grace.” Her interruption cuts into the self-deprecating rant I’ve practically memorized at this point. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re going to meet someone and have a family like you’ve always wanted. You’re going to get your happily ever after.”
Andrew said the same words to me. An unexpected protest, proving he’s on my side. He’s the one standing behind me with a large poster board sign, the words “This woman is perfect” etched in bold block letters. It’s such a new feeling. Having someone root for me instead of pointing out my flaws, cheering me on in spite of my shortcomings. To Andrew, I have no shortcomings. I’m just me, and I’m perfect the way I am to him.
“So are you going to give Rick a call?”
My middle finger runs a mindless path along the handle of my mug. Up and down, up and down while I consider Jade’s question. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Maybe?”
