“Except he didn’t know there were cameras in the restaurant,” she guessed.
Tim shook his head. “They’d had them installed the week before. He had no clue.”
“I’m guessing since it was arson the insurance company isn’t going to pay out.”
“Nope.”
“Holy shit. Does Zoe know?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure someone’s told her.”
“What do you mean you’re sure someone has told her?”
“The morning after the fire, Zoe said she wanted to be alone and walked away. She hasn’t answered any of my calls or my texts.”
“Are you worried she’d hurt herself?”
He shook his head. “Mrs. Wilson, our neighbor, said she’d seen her and she was fine. Sad and depressed, but otherwise fine. That’s the only reason I haven’t busted down her door.”
“But you want to bust down her door,” she said.
“What’s the point? It wouldn’t do any more good than it did the first time I offered to help her. I told her I’d help support her until she figures out what to do, but she blew up at me. I’m not going to force myself on someone who doesn’t need me.”
“Now I see where Jase gets it. Your dad is like this too, isn’t he?”
His brows furrowed. “Like what?”
“Super protective. Wanting to rush in and save the day and protect the damsel in distress.”
“No. What’s wrong with wanting to help the people you care about?” He silently turned the bottle in his hands for several heartbeats. “Is it really asking too much to be needed by someone?”
She didn’t answer him directly. “Tim, do you think I need Jase?”
His head popped up. “What? No. I think he needs you more than you need him.”
“He doesn’t actually. He’d be fine without me. Maybe still living like a hermit, but he’d be fine.” She shifted in her seat and leaned closer. “I’m going to let you in on a secret. Most people don’tneedanyone else. Especially strong, independent people.” She paused. “I don’t need Jase. Iwanthim.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
She sighed. “It’s like a pair of shoes. Ineedshoes to protect my feet. Iwanta pair of gold, laser etched, platform, peep toe Christian Louboutin Privé heels, but I don’t need them to protect my feet. It’s the same with relationships. I don’t need Jase—I’d be perfectly fine without him—but he’s my version of those unicorn shoes. Thankfully sometimes life works out and you get what you want.”
Out of all that, he understood feet and shoes. Everything in between needed an interpreter. “So I should figure out what kind of shoes Zoe likes?”
Bree chuckled. “Let me try another way. For women like Zoe—women like me—it’s about the approach. If she thinks you’re offering because you don’t think she’s capable of doing it herself, she’s going to be insulted. She’s smart, determined, independent, and can take care of herself. She doesn’t need someone to do it for her.”
“But she does. The bookstore is destroyed.”
“Yes, her bookstore is destroyed, but she will figure out how to save herself.” She paused as if weighing her words. “Strong, independent women don’tneedsomeone to fix our problems for us. We especially don’t need a man to come in and rescue us from whatever life throws our way. What wewantis someone who is able to stand beside us or even behind us and applaud our success. We want a partner. We want someone who we can share our problems with simply because we need to bitch about something. We don’t need you to solve our problems for us—we just need to you listen to them.
“I hate to oversimplify it, but if you wouldn’t make the offer to a guy friend…don’t make the offer to Zoe.” She leaned back and drank her beer.
The problem was, he would make the same offer to a guy friend.
He played that scenario out in his head and realized it wouldn’t be the same. While he might offer to help Kevin in the same situation, he’d expect him to chip in for groceries and utilities and would expect him to find a job or a way to support himself. What he’d envisioned with Zoe was supporting her completely for as long as it took.
He scrubbed his hands through his hair. “So what do I do? Give her time?”
“Fuck no. If Jase had given me time when he fucked up, I’d have walked away.Bethere. Tell her you’re there. Don’t let her forget that you’re there. You’re going to have to figure out what it will take for her to realize you’re in it for the long haul.”
