“I think so.” He opened his condo door to find Sandra heading to the elevator, dressed for outside and holding her laptop case.
“Oh, you’re up,” she said, though her voice had an unusual tightness to it. “I hope you’re feeling better today.”
“Where are you going? We have your breakfast.” Rue’s bottom lip trembled.
“My sweet Miss Rue, I havesomuch work to do. I feel like a terriblefriendleaving like this, but those three days I lost have really set me behind.”
Her subtle emphasis on the wordfriendmade Eb’s stomach sink. Did she mean it as a message? The elevator pinged. As it opened and Sandra stepped inside, she leaned back.
“Walt and I fly out tomorrow. We’ll be gone a week, but then I’ll be at my folks’ house for Thanksgiving. You two have a fun holiday. I imagine we’ll see each other around now and then.” And the elevator door closed.
Eb and Rue stood in silence for a few seconds, staring down the hall. Sandra had said goodbye after placing him squarely in the friend zone. And not even a close friend if she only meant to see him now and then. Had he done this by kissing her?
“Daddy?” His daughter’s tremulous voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“It’s okay. We know she’s a busy lady.”
Careful of his arm, he picked her up, all his enthusiasm for the day gone. Rue rested her head on his shoulder, so Eb took her back into the condo and sank into a chair. She pulled a picture book from the side table and flipped through it.
Had it really been his thoughtless act of kissing Sandra which had driven her away? Or was she simply tired of having such a needy friend?
Friend. It wasn’t until she’d used the word—in such a specific tone—that he’d understood the depth of his feelings for her. How arrogant of him to have hoped for more.
The crushing sense of loss reminded him of how he’d felt the day he’d stepped up to the nurses’ station, flowers and a stuffed toy in hand, to be told Paige had left him. When would he ever be good enough for someone?
Rue’s hand wiped his cheek. “Daddy, why are you crying?” She kissed his bandage. “Does your booboo hurt?”
His precious daughter had it right; hedidhave a booboo, but the new one was to his heart. Eb pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. One hand patted his back like she was trying to comfort him.
Rue straightened. “Is Miss Sandra still going to take me to Storytime? She said she would.”
“I’m sure she will.”
“If you come too, you can kiss her again.”
“Well,” Eb said, rubbing his neck, “I was really the one who kissed her.”
Rue shook her head. “She kissed you too. I seen a lot of kissing, so I know.”
He didn’t bother to correct her grammar. “Did your mother take you on the set with her when she worked?”
“No. She said I’d be in the way.”
“Was she kissing her boyfriend?”
“Mommy has lots of boyfriends,” Rue said, pulling a face and sliding from his lap. She picked up his phone and handed it to him. “Call Miss Sandra.”
“She said she’s too busy.”
“That’s what Mommy always said.” Rue’s whole body drooped.
“Sweetheart, adults have responsibilities—”
Rue made a cutting motion, and Eb broke off.
“That’s dumb. Mommy promised all the time, but then she said she was too busy.” Her eyes filled. “Miss Sandra said she never breaks a promise. Did she lie too?” The disappointment on Rue’s little face made ger look older than her four years. She turned and ran to her bedroom.
Eb thought nothing he said would comfort her, especially since he didn’t know if they would see Sandra again except on a business level. All because he’d kissed her.
