Doc interrupted with, “Thomas Edison once said ‘a good intention, but with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.’”
Romeo frowned. “You’ve been hanging around Wolf too much.”
“So come on,” Doc said around a mouthful of toast and cheese. “What did you say to her?”
Romeo sniffed and looked out the window at Li’l Bastard. The rooster perched on the porch railing, staring in through the glass panes to keep an eye on his best buddy. Every once in a while, he let loose with an inquisitive cluck that made Meat turn away from Doc’s grilled cheese to give the chicken a quick, reassuring glance.
Deciding there was no use keeping the fiasco with Mia a secret—after all, they lived in extremely close quarters on an extremely small island; the whole crew was bound to find out eventually—Romeo sighed and ran through the events of the last twenty-four hours, culminating with what he’d said to Mia in the plane after they landed.
When he was finished, Doc sat there, staring. Then he wiped his mouth with a napkin—the grilled cheese having disappeared down his throat while Romeo told his tale of woe—and said, “It’s impressive you’re flexible enough to have your foot in your mouth and your head up your ass at the same time.”
Romeo tossed his hands in the air. “I thought you said this was a judgment-free zone!”
“I’m not judging you,” Doc countered. “That’s simply your conscience talking.”
Romeo harrumphed, conceding the point ungraciously.
His consciencewasbothering him.
I mean, did I truly think a woman like her would be interested in a shitheel like me?
To his horror, he had. Because sweet Mother Mary had graced him with a handsome face, and plenty of workouts had given him a muscled body. He’d gotten used to women wanting him.
What a miserable, conceited ass I turned out to be!
Then again, how could he haveknown? Mia had gone from rabbiting out of the room every time he entered to gazing at him with doe eyes, asking him if he needed a drink, and calling him Sprio. Most guys would’ve been under the same mistaken impression that he’d been under, right?
“Okay, Mr. Know-It-All.” He crossed his arms. “So how wouldyouhave handled it if you were in my shoes?”
“First of all”—Doc leaned down so he could see Romeo’s feet beneath the table—“I wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of Chacos. And second of all, it doesn’t matter whatIwould’ve done. I’m more interested in digging down on whatyoudid and why.”
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” Romeo lifted a finger. “What’s the matter with Chacos?”
Doc rolled his eyes. “They’re marketed as sandals for anoutdoorlifestyle, but they’re really the shoes sorority girl Tiffany’s daddy gets for her when he buys her a trip to Costa Rica for her college graduation. It’s like, ‘Oh, I see you’re wearing Chacos. Please tell me about your adventures staying in a five-star jungle hotel while eating Michelin star-worthy food and getting daily facials.’”
Romeo blinked. “Wow. I didn’t realize someone could have such a strong opinion of footwear.”
Doc waved away his response. “At least you haven’t succumbed to wearing Crocs. If you start that shit, I promise to go all Survivor on your ass and have you voted off the island. Now…back to the real issue. You told Mia she was nothing you need and that you are nothing she should want. What did you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. I don’t need a woman in my life,” Romeo answered testily. He’d been looking at a pair of Crocs when he’d been on Key West. Like Chacos, they werepractical.“At least not one likeher,” he added.
Both of Doc’s eyebrows arched. “And what isshelike?”
“Nice. Cultured. Smart. And most importantly,” he bit off, “relationshipmaterial.”
For a long time, Doc studied him. For too long. Romeo had to stop himself from shifting uncomfortably.
Finally, Doc said, “You really want to spend the rest of your life flitting from woman to woman? Never having anything permanent or serious or meaningful?”
“Why would I want something permanent and serious and meaningful?” Romeo bristled. “You had it and look what it got you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to suck them back in. “Shit, man.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m being an asshole today.”
“No argument here,” Doc agreed readily. Then he added, “But, you know, even though my love life ended up torpedoing my entire life, I still wouldn’t change what happened for the world. Not to get all cheesy on you by quotingSteel Magnolias,but ‘I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.’”
Something huge and hard centered in Romeo’s chest. “Doesn’t matter anyway,” he muttered, feeling perfectly wretched. “Even if Miawassomething I needed in my life, I’m still not anything she should want. She’s way too good for me.”
“Ah,” Doc said. That one word contained a wealth of meaning.
For a long time afterward, they sat in silence, both lost in their thoughts. But eventually, his voice quiet, Doc added, “I know you have a past you’re not proud of, man. But people who are worth knowing, the ones who are good enough foryou, should be able to see you for who you are instead of who you were. They should be able to appreciate the guts it took for you to change your life for the better.”
