“Which one of us are you trying to convince?”
“Both?” I allowed, giving her a sad smile and wimpy shrug when I lifted my head.
“If you want my opinion, which you probably don’t—” she rose from the table and came over to where I’d buried my head again into the crook of my elbow “—I think you have Landon for life, whether you take a chance on more or not. But a risk could mean something wonderful.” I peered up at her hopeful smile. “I’m just saying.”
I laughed to myself as she set her mug in the sink. My mother was trying to convince me to be more than friends with my fake husband. There was either a sad or poetic irony to what my life had become in such a short time.
“I’ll head out so that you can get ready for dinner. Where is Landon’s father taking you?”
“Somewhere by the Seaport downtown.” I pushed off my chair to walk her out. “I’m trying to figure out what to wear.”
“Ah, dress warm. It’s always colder by the water,” she told me as she shrugged on her jacket. “The air is starting to get a chill from the fall.”
“I will take a jacket.” I opened my front door and leaned against it.
“Have a good time,” she said, clutching on to my elbow as if it was an order.
I laughed and nodded. “I will, Mom.” I waved to Sean after he pulled up to the front of my curb. “Safe drive back.” I kissed her cheek while she worried her bottom lip between her teeth as if she had a lot more to say. For this one time, I was relieved she decided to head to her husband’s car instead of giving her daughter another lecture and a nudge.
After they drove away, I headed upstairs to get ready. I’d treated myself to new clothes this week. I needed shirts that buttoned for client presentations and job interviews once this project ended, but I couldn’t resist a sleeveless gray suede dress with an empire waist that celebrated my new curves instead of bunching up in all the wrong places. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon a cute pair of flat, knee-high boots comfortable enough to walk in deep in my closet. It was only mid-September, but the temperature was supposed to drop enough for me to get away with suede and boots for a night.
I stepped up to my bathroom mirror, smiling when I spotted a deeper contour of cheekbones. New me was starting to look like the old me, and I didn’t mind the slight difference as much.
This was a night out with my best friend and his father, men I’d known for half my life. The flutters in my belly were most likely from the simple joy of slipping on a new dress and feeling pretty for the first time in what seemed like too long to remember.
I’d been afraid to look forward to things, but now that I was starting to gather the pieces of my life back, I’d found something else I was afraid to look forward to, or to want as much as I did.
Landon was my person and always the highlight of my days, just like when we were in college. Something was happening, and everything was about to change. Or maybe it already had.
15
JULIE
“What’s Darlene like?” I asked Landon as he drove down the West Side Highway toward downtown Manhattan.
“I only met her briefly last night. They were both just finishing up dinner when I got there, but I spoke to her for a little bit before she went home,” Landon said with a shrug as he kept his eyes on the road. “She seems nice. I get the feeling she either lives there or just about. The bathroom is loaded with stuff I know doesn’t belong to my father. I told Dad that she didn’t have to leave just because I’m staying there for a few days, but he waved me off without a straight answer.”
“Wow. How long have they been together?”
“A few months, at least in the serious sense since this is the first time he’s brought her up to me. She’s younger than he is, but not younger than us. That would have been a little weird.” His face twisted in a grimace.
“Good for him. And good for you for taking this so well. I know this is a little tough.”
He smiled when I massaged his neck.
“I don’t know about tough. I never liked the thought of Dad being alone, and I worried about him when I moved, which was why I tried to travel back and forth whenever I could.” He shot me a wry grin at a red light. “Although from what he alluded to about dating, he was probably glad for the empty house after I was gone.”
I laughed at the arch in his brow.
“I think, while Mr. Clark wasn’t a monk, he didn’t have a revolving door either. He has that sweet goodness that you do. I can’t see him ever being a jerk to the women he dated.”
“I have a sweet goodness?” He flicked his eyes to me as we turned into the restaurant parking lot, his mouth curving up.
I turned my gaze to the Hudson River, trying to channel the tranquility of the slow ripples in the water and blink away my fixation on my best friend’s mouth.
“What I meant was,” I said, turning back to his smirk, “you’re both good guys. It sounds like Darlene makes him happy, and I’m very glad.”
“Me too.” He nodded. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”
