“Don’t lie to me.” His face flushed with anger. “I saw him. That guy hugging and kissing you. We talked only last night, and I thought it was spelled out. No cheating, no lying. I can’t believe you.”
“I’m not cheating on you.” I stared at him, incredulous at the force of his anger. “That’s my best friend. He’s not a boyfriend.”
“Best friend? I’ve never seen a best friend like that.”
I didn’t owe Nate any explanation, but the uncertainty in his voice drained the anger from me.
“But you don’t know me. Isn’t that what this is all about? Trying to find out about each other? The reason why we aren’t going into this at top speed?”
“Maybe.” His sheepish expression tugged at my heart. “I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I sound like a jealous idiot, don’t I?”
“A little bit of both.” I circled around from behind the counter and stood before him. “I’d rather you ask me than come in here with guns blazing, imagining I’m lying to you.”
He pulled me to him. “I’m sorry. I just saw red. I guess I need to start learning how to trust people again.” He kissed the top of my head. “Forgive me?”
I nodded, vowing to keep all the memories of Jared buried firmly where they belonged. Frisco was right. If this was how Nate reacted to me hugging my best friend, discovering I’d had an affair with a married man would be like a nuclear bomb. There was no reason to ever tell him.
Chapter Eight
Another Thursday night meant another group meeting and I left the firm early, not telling Ethan where I was headed. I’d been going for about two months now, and to my surprise, I found myself thinking about the people during the week, wondering if Leo the widower was able to find sleep in his bed or if Elyse’s daughter had been found. I walked into the room to be greeted by Monroe, who stood by the coatrack.
“Awful out there tonight, isn’t it?” He pulled off his wool hat and shook out his thick dark hair.
“Yeah, I’m ready for spring, for sure.” I hung my coat up next to his. “I used to dream of moving out to California, but it’s so far from everyone I know.”
“I had a friend who did, and we vowed to keep in touch, but like you said, it’s far.” His eyes dimmed. “We haven’t seen each other in over twenty years.”
“But you still speak, right?”
He shrugged. “Not really. I guess all that distance…”
“Absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder in every case.”
He sent me a sharp look from under dark brows. “For some it does. But friendship and love have to be reciprocated. It’s like a plant that needs water to flourish. Without it, the roots wither and dry up, eventually dying.”
“Have you tried calling him?” I wondered if it was a lover.
“It’s been years. Tell me how your week was?” Deftly switching the focus from him to me, I could see Monroe had no desire to talk about himself, and with him being our group leader, I understood. This group wasn’t about him. “I appreciated you sharing bits of yourself when you talked to the others. It’s hard to speak out in front of a group of strangers, isn’t it? But you really helped.”
“It is, but it can be better in a way. They don’t know you and have no prejudgments. Plus, you don’t have to worry you’re disappointing them.”
Side by side, we walked to the circle of chairs. Several other members joined us and nodded greetings. Instead of welcoming people, Monroe continued to talk to me, drawing me in with his gentle yet probing questions. He made me want to unburden myself to him.
“Is that how you felt? Like you disappointed your family?”
Presley came into the room and hung up his coat. He took the seat next to mine, and the tension between my shoulder blades slipped away. I smiled at him before answering Monroe’s question.
“Not so much my mother or brother. I told them first, and they were fully supportive.”
“So it was your father, like you said. He didn’t approve?”
Presley shifted subtly, bringing his thigh next to mine. Without me saying it, Presley understood I needed reassurance.
“I don’t really know. We never discussed it. After I came out to him, he never mentioned it, and I didn’t want to push him.”
Other members of the group sat and listened, but I directed my attention to Monroe, with the lifeline of Presley’s warm leg against mine.
“Were you afraid of his response?”
