“Hey, Dad.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in Georgetown. How are you?”
“I’m good. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry about that.” I pause. “I mean it. I…well, I quit my job today.”
“You quit the…” Dad’s voice trails. He knows what I do for work and we never talk about it on the phone.
“Yeah. It’s a long story. I was thinking… Well, I was thinking maybe I’d come for a visit. Soon.”
“You’re always welcome.”
“Yeah, I know. I just didn’t know if you had plans for the holidays or…whatever.”
“We’re not going anywhere. When you know your plans, just shoot me a text.”
“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it.”
We talk for another minute and then disconnect. That felt better than I thought it would. It’s not that anything is wrong between us, but I don’t get to California often, and Dad and Brianna travel a lot. I see them maybe once every other year, which isn’t much of a relationship. I play the role of lone wolf better than anyone I know, and it may be time to stop that.
“Excuse me. Is this seat taken?”
I turn at the sound of a soft female voice and freeze.
Shannon.
What is she doing here?
“Well, hi.” I get to my feet and press a firm kiss right on her mouth. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprising you.”
I chuckle. “I’m definitely surprised.” I motion to the chair across from me. “Hungry?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I wanted to, you know, talk.”
That doesn’t sound good and the happiness I’ve been feeling suddenly starts to dissipate, like a balloon with a tiny leak, the air releasing a little at a time.
We sit across from each other, and she puts her hands in mine, a sad but intense look on her face.
“What do we need to talk about?” I ask carefully.
“Us.” She chews her lip. “You came around a few times when I was a teenager, but you were older than me and I was way too scared to think about you romantically. I totally had a crush on you, though, and my dad teased me about it, but I was still a kid. When we met again, I didn’t know much about men but I knew you were special. There was something about you that made me feel things I didn’t understand. You set the bar so damn high I never met another man that lived up to your standard. Your looks, your bravery, your service to your country, and of course, the heart of a man who was so kind to a dorky, naïve college student.”
“Shannon, I?—”
“Let me finish.” She squeezes my hands. “When you showed up in Cologne, once I got past thinking you were the stalker, you were even better than the fantasies I’d written about in my diary. You reminded me of everything I’d been waiting for, what I hoped I would someday find. But everything went way too fast. I know we were caught up in the danger, the intrigue, the memories, and eventually, the passion. But I don’t want to keep you from being who you are. You’re not cut out for a life in the suburbs, and that’s pretty much the life I lead. It would be selfish of me to ask you to give up what you love because of a childhood crush and some special moments intensified by the circumstances my mother set into play.”
I stare at her, narrowing my eyes slightly. “Shannon, I’m not sure what’s going on in that head of yours, but there seems to be a disconnect somewhere.”
“You don’t have to say these things,” she protests mildly. “My mother told me to come after you and let you know how I feel, but that wouldn’t be fair to you. So, I’m here to tell you it’s okay—you don’t have to keep your promise to come back to me. I understand. Truly.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
What’s with this woman and her determination to do the opposite of what she wants, even when she essentially has permission to do it?
