“I won’t,” I promised. I waited until she was comfortably back at her tea party before getting up and heading downstairs. As I went, I worked through the guilt of leaving. I didn’t go out often enough for her to be used to it. That made it so much harderwhen I did leave, especially when I knew today could alter the life I’d built for her.
“Whatever that color is, you need to wear it more often,” Holly said when I walked into the kitchen. “It looks great on you.”
Point for me on making a good choice.
“Thank you,” I replied. “And thank you for watching her tonight.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“She’s currently holding council with the Knights of Chaos right now,” I said.
“Ah.” She nodded knowingly. “I’ll bring up some snacks after you’re gone.”
“She’s a little upset right now.”
“I’ll bring up the good snacks.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” I replied. “I told her she could sleep in my room tonight. Can you just make sure the entire chaos gang doesn’t take over my bed tonight?”
If I let her, there’d be no room in my bed for me. It’d be my daughter and her army of stuffed animals.And I had a king-sized bed.
“I’ll make sure we put them to bed in her room before I put her to bed,” Holly promised.
“Thank you. My phone is on if you need me, the restaurant is…” I clicked my tongue as I tried to guess the distance. “I’d say about twenty minutes, maybe twenty-five, so I can be back here relatively quickly if you need me.”
“I won’t need you.” The confidence in her voice as she said it was reassuring.
“Hopefully, but in case you do,” I reiterated. “I don’t know when I’ll be home, but go to bed when you need to. She knows where to find you if needed. Feel free to order dinner for you two if you want.”
“I may just do that—after the fancy snacks, of course.”
“Of course.” I grabbed my keys off the hook and started for the door. “I hope you ladies have a good night. I’ll either see you when I get home, or I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I hope you and this mystery woman have a good night,” Holly called after me in a hushed voice.
Mystery woman. I stopped mid-step. The words hit uncomfortably. For a moment, I considered letting it go—letting her assumption remain—and just walking out the door like nothing needed correcting. That would’ve been easier.
But easier wasn’t the way I wanted to start this thing with Maverick.
A lump formed in my throat as I slowly turned back toward her, my mind scrambling through a dozen different ways to say what needed to be said. It felt ridiculous how nervous I suddenly was. Holly had been a part of our lives for years. She’d seen me through some of my worst days. She’d helped me raise my daughter.
Holly was one of the most compassionate people I knew. And yet, the confession still sat heavy on my tongue.
“Not a woman,” I told her softly as I walked back. Just because I was choosing to tell her didn’t mean I wanted Aria to hear. Aria didn’t know I dated—ever. I didn’t want to build her hope or raise her concerns over something that might not be permanent. She already struggled with Vivienne’s absence from time to time. There was no need for me to add to that.
“What?” she replied. Her expression remained composed as she waited for me to finish the thought I’d clearly stumbled into.
“My date… my date isn’t a woman,” I said. The words came out slower this time, more deliberate and careful. It was the first time I’d said anything like this to someone who wasn’t my therapist. Sure, people knew about my history with Maverick—small-town people had a way of knowing too much—but I’dnever talked about it with her. I’d never put words to it. “I’m going on a date with Maverick—the repair guy.”
The admission hung there between us, fragile and terrifying in a way I hadn’t expected, and my breath caught in my throat as I waited. For confusion. For judgment. For some kind of reaction that would confirm every anxious what-if that had crawled its way into my head over the years.
What if she wasn’t okay with this?
What if it changed how she looked at me?
What if I lost my friend?
What if this somehow made things harder for Aria?
