The silence envelops us again; the room echoing with unspoken words and possibilities.
“I noticed palm trees in your photos? Does your family live on the west coast?” He suddenly asks.
“Yes, I’m from Sacramento. That’s where my sister still lives with her husband and son.”
“So you’re a Northern California girl.”
I smile and nod.
“Have you seen a lot of New York since you’ve been here?”
“Not much. I’m not sure if I’m much of a New York kind of girl.”
“You just haven’t been to the right places. Did you move to New York for school?”
“Not exactly.”
“For a man?”
“Something like that.”
“And where is this man now?”
“He’s gone.”
“You dumped him?” he inquires with a hopeful smile.
I pause for a moment, not really wanting to continue with this conversation.
“No.”
“He left you?” He asks in disbelief. “What an idiot.”
“He’s dead,” I blurt out.
“Oh, shit.” He responds. “I’m sorry. Is that why…is that why you don’t want anything to happen between us?”
“What I want is to not have this conversation. We are wasting your therapy hour on questions about me.”
“This therapy hour is already paid for by the National Football League. We can talk about whatever I want.”
“Except me. I’m off limits.”
“But that’s all I want to talk about,” he says with a sexy sort of determination. “What happened to meeting the client where he is?”
“Why aren’t you with Bella’s mother?” I let the question slip. Since he’s in the mood for asking uncomfortable questions, I think it’s only fair I turn the tables on him.
Bad therapist.
“Bella wasn’t planned.”
“But you were with her mother at one point, right?”
“I was seeing her for a time, but she’s happy in a relationship with someone else now.”
“You haven’t really had many long relationships, have you?”
“Looks like you’ve finally been doing your research on me, Doc.”
