He chuckled. “Is that right?”
“Yep.”
It was silent for a moment. Like the awkward kind.
He cleared his throat. He did that a lot now I noticed. “It’s snowing here.”
“Then I’m glad I’m not there.”
“Still not a fan of the snow?”
“Not really.”
“Do you remember when I tried to teach you how to drive in the snow when we visited my parents for Thanksgiving?”
Oh, did I ever. My heart began to race at the thought. There were too many good memories wrapped up in that trip. That being one of them. As always, he had been patient with me, even when I got his car stuck in a ditch. He didn’t get bent out of shape, instead he kissed me and kept me warm until his dad could come haul the car out. I sighed out loud.
“Kelli?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember?”
“Mr. Greyson, I don’t think we should talk about it.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t.”
“Kelli . . .”
I waited for several seconds.
“Kelli, I need to explain to you what happened back then.”
“No, you don’t, Mr. Greyson.” I responded firmly.
“Will you please call me Ian?”
“I can’t.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said before he hung up hastily.
I lay down on my couch and tried to process what had just happened. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. All I knew was my heart ached and I felt that hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why did he have to bring up such things? And what good was his explanation going to do after all these years? He didn’t love me. What else was there to know?
The next day he called me again while I was at the office to bark orders at me. Okay, maybe not bark, but he was kind of demanding. I was glad he didn’t bring up the night before. We had left things in a weird place. I figured that was the end of the social calls, but again I was wrong.
That night I was making myself a pasta salad for dinner when my phone rang. I almost didn’t answer it, but I admit I was curious. “Mr. Greyson, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I was calling to see how your day was,Kelli.”
Emphasizing my first name was not going to get me to call him byhis. “Well, let’s see. I totally rocked it at work today, in jeans no less.” I waited for him to respond.
“Hmm . . .”
“Yes, Mr. Greyson?”
“Sounds like a good day.”
