“Maintenance is back,” he said when Annie opened the door.
“Finally.I’ve been waiting all day!”
She was dressed in a soft-looking white sweater and a pair of loose, light-colored jeans.Her hair was in a ponytail, wisps being blown loose by the wind.
He grinned at her, and there it was – that smile.
His chest constricted.Miles lowered his eyes as he walked in.
“Can I offer you something to drink?Tea or coffee?”
He set his tool bag down.“Tea would be great.”
She nodded, disappearing into the kitchen.“You’ll be happy to know my mom isn’t here to torment you again.She volunteers at the library on Mondays.”Annie re-entered the room.“I wanted to apologize about her asking about…well, you know, thething.”
His eyebrows shot up.“What thing?”
She let out a sigh.“You know… the dating ad.”
“Oh!”A laugh burst out of him.“That was nothing.I’m getting it much worse at work.Every time I open a drawer, or look in the fridge, a copy of Bella’s fine work stares back at me.”
Annie scrunched her nose.“That’s rough.”
“It is.My own fault, though.I can’t even blame Bella.”
Annie looked at him, her expression placid, and the tornado winds picked up.He couldn’t stop himself from talking.Rambling really.
“Two years ago, Bella got on this kick.She wanted me to start dating, and now she’s escalated.She says I have to get married and get her a new mom.”
Annie’s eyes widened.“That’s a big ask.”
“It is.I told her she has a mom.”
“Is she still involved in your lives?”
Miles shook his head.“She passed away shortly after Bella was born.”
Annie’s expression fell.“I’m so sorry.I had no idea.”
“It’s okay.It was a long time ago,” he lied.
He always said that.He didn’t want to make people feel bad, but to him, it had just happened.In his dreams, he saw the blinding lights of the OR, the chill in the air, the bleeding they couldn’t stop.
“I’m sure this is just some sort of passing teenage whim,” he added.“I made it clear that I won’t be remarrying or dating until she’s out of the house – or never, to be honest.”
There.That should do it.Even if he couldn’t convince himself that these feelings were meaningless, he could at least try to convince Annie that his intentions here were purely janitorial.
Annie laughed.“I hear you on that.I’ve just gone through a divorce myself, and I can’t imagine doing any of it again.”She stopped.“I mean, of course, what you went through is much worse.I’m not trying to compare – ”
He held up a hand.“I didn’t take it that way.”
The tea kettle went off, and she disappeared again, leaving Miles to grapple with the sinking feeling in his chest.
The winds had died down.A divorce.She’d never do it again.
Talk about a clear message.
Then again, if he didn’t want to date or marry again, why was he so disappointed she didn’t want to, either?
