So, the day after graduation, I invited him to the beach, and…it hadn’t gone well. At all.
I knew he’d heard about my accident, but he hadn’t called, and I got that message loud and clear.
“He wasn’t into men. We were just friends.”
Miriam’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay. I was going to ask if he broke up with you because of your leg.”
Way to rub salt in it, Miriam. I managed a smile. “Nah. My dating life is depressing enough as it is. I don’t think the leg is making much difference. Though…can I ask…?”
She smiled. “About my husband?”
“Just”—I rubbed the back of my neck—“was it weird for you at all?”
“Maybe at first,” she said. “We’ve been together for eighteen years, so I don’t really remember what I thought about it. And I’ve never known him any other way, so I can’t imagine him being different.”
That was sweet enough to make my stomach hurt. God, I wanted that. I had no idea how to find it because, with my history, I didn’t have much going for me.
“You’re really good-looking, Heath. Are you seriously having trouble getting dates?”
Crap, had I said all that aloud? I had no idea how to respond. I cleared my throat, then picked up the coffee and immediately regretted the one sip I took. “I’ve got a lot of recovery shit going on right now, so it hasn’t been my focus.”
That was true up until recently. Until a tragically straight, absurdly hot asshole started going to my PT sessions. But I wasn’t going to tell her that. I wasn’t going to tell anyone that. I was done chasing straight guys.
“That’s fair,” she said. “But at the risk of sounding like everyone’s nagging mom, if you ever want me to set you up, Noah and I have a pretty big friend group.”
I smiled. Or, I tried to smile and hoped it didn’t look like a grimace. I knew she was being genuinely nice, and that was a rarity in my life these days. “I promise you’ll be the first one I ask if I ever feel like going on a blind date.”
Which would be never-fucking-ever. But I supposed it was the thought that counted.
Our conversation was immediately interrupted by the lunch bell, which meant I needed to get my act together so I could teach health. We were working on our STI modules, so I had the joy of playing referee to teenage insult fights about them and who—in this day and age—still had cooties.
“Talk soon?” she said after I rolled the sleeve back up my thigh and steadied myself.
I reached for my cane and then nodded. I wasn’t sure that I’d ever seek her out, but it was nice to know someone in this world had looked at someone like me and thought, “Yeah. I’ll take that one. He’s the one I want.”
Would that ever be me? God only knew, but now, I had a spark of hope.
Taking a long pull from my beer, I leaned back in the chair and did my best to avoid Kent’s pointed stare. Not that it worked. I wasn’t exactly coming to regret making him my friend, but he was nosy. Andperceptive.
“Either tell me now, or we’ll make it a drinking game, and then I’ll make you do squats during PT tomorrow while you’re hungover,” he said, clasping his hands under his chin and smiling sweetly at me.
I flipped him off, and he laughed, but he didn’t relent.
After a beat, I dragged my hand down my face. “My work friend, Mark…”
Kent pulled a face. He didn’t like Mark on principle—considering the guy had a way of making me feel like shit without even trying.
“He’s been on my ass about going out with him and hooking up.”
Kent’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay. And?”
“And I don’t—” I stopped abruptly. Kent had been an amputee years longer than me, and I went to him for advice about damn near everything. Except dating. The last thing I wanted to find out was that my reluctance and quiet fear weremeproblems. And the fact that he was always giving me shit about flirting with every hot guy who walked through the center door meant he probably believed I already was back out there.
“Heath,” Kent said softly, his voice barely audible above the noise in the bar.
I was given a moment’s reprieve when Davian, one of the newer servers, appeared by the table with the fried appetizer plate. It wasn’t often Kent and I indulged in shitty bar food, but Zayd’s bar was one of our favorite hangouts, and Davian was definitely easy on the eyes.
I was pretty sure he was unavailable, but the way he flirted was great for my self-esteem.
