I giggle, finding the woman’s demeanor refreshing and vibrant in comparison to the grayness I’m surrounded with on a daily basis. “I like you.”
My dad erupts in a proud grin, straightening his shoulders a little. “I like her, too.”
“Well.” Susie blows out a breath. “I’m so relieved. I was worried none of y’all were going to like me.” She then turns to my dad. “You know, before we leave, I think I’d like to have another piece of cake. Would you mind getting one for me?”
“Of course not,” Dad answers her, immediately heading for the door. We both watch him disappear inside, then Susie turns to me.
“I saw who you were out here on the balcony with.” She gives me a sympathetic look. “I don’t want to stick my nose where itdoesn’t belong, but you look a little upset.” She leans in. “Do I need to beat the birthday boy up for you?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t think that’s necessary; I’m the one who caused the drama. But please don’t say anything to anyone. It wasn’t anything important or special. We’re just …friends.”
Or pen pals. However you want to say it.
“I see…” Susie furrows her brow. “Well, I happen to think the best love is the kind that finds us and grows slowly. It’s not always about a quick burn or explosion, it’s about the foundation—the slow burning candle that lasts a lifetime.”
I nod, trying to follow her analogy to the best of my ability. “Yeah, I just hope that, someday, I can find that kind of love.”
“You will,” she says, bopping me on the nose. “You’re too pretty not to.” Just as she finishes, my dad steps through the doors, cake in his hand, and a frazzled expression on his face.
“Is there any way we could take this to go?”
Susie bursts into laughter. “Absolutely, we can. I’m not about crowds either.”
I bid the two of them goodbye and watch as they go, leaving me alone on the balcony once more. The cold city air bites me through my long sleeve, despite us being headed into spring.
I guess I need to go back inside.I frown at the thought, but scoop up my plate. Now that the night has gone the way it has, I’m kind of wishing I would’ve brought Harlee along to keep me company. She would’ve been here to rationalize with me about what happened with Weston.
But of course, her man from Georgia is in the city visiting her. He came through on his word and showed up like Superman himself, ready to spoil her.
“I was wondering where you went,” Parker calls out to me as I step inside from the balcony and head for the nearest trash can.
“Yeah, so was Dad,” I say with a chuckle, tossing my empty plate and plastic fork into the garbage. “Did you notice they left?”
He nods, his face losing a little of its brightness. “I did. They came and said bye. I appreciated it and all that. Susie’s pretty nice.”
“I’m happy for them. He deserves to find someone, and he deserves a fresh start.”
“Yeah, I hope he’s happy.” Parker’s gaze shifts from me to across the room. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I follow it, my eyes landing on Weston. He’s standing in a small group of people, a blonde-haired woman tipping back her head and laughing at something he said.
I wonder if he thinksshemight bedifferent,too.
“He’s acting off tonight,” Parker says, his voice now filled with concern. “I don’t know what happened. He seemed really stoked for the party, and now he’s not himself. I wonder if something happened.”
I shrug, ignoring the pang of guilt in my chest. “I don’t know, but he seems to be having a good time with her.”
Parker laughs. “Yeah, that’s his third cousin or something.”
Oops. I feel stupid.
“Oh … I see. I figured she was just another one of his many dates. You told me he’s always out at those dating events and snagging women left and right.”
Parker chuckles and finally looks back at me. “Yeah, he hasn’t been to one of those in months. I think he’s finally given up on it. Some girl we met at a Broadway show recently gave him her phone number, and he didn’t even call her.”
“Maybe he’s raising his standards.” I crack the joke, but it doesn’t really land. It just makes me feel awful for what I said to him on the balcony.
“I don’t know what he’s doing…” Parker’s voice trails off as Weston heads for the door of the apartment, waving goodbye to everyone. “But I hope he finds someone with the same heart as him. As much as he drives me crazy sometimes, he deserves the best.”
“For sure,” I answer.
