Or work myself up to deny it enough that I could keep going and ignore it.
“So why the second thoughts?” Bailee asked as she loaded up her one-cup coffee machine.
“I didn’t say I had second thoughts.”
She rolled her eyes as she opened the refrigerator and set a carton of creamer in front of me.
“I’m not on the way to Lee’s house, am I?”
“You aren’t that far. I left my mother’s early, but I didn’t know I was going to end up here until I called you,” I admitted.
“Okay,” Bailee said, setting the mug of steaming coffee in front of me. “So, what’s wrong? Not excited about being Mary Poppins anymore?”
“Mary Poppins?”
“Or Maria fromSound of Music. Or Fran fromThe Nanny?—”
“Seriously?” I narrowed my eyes.
“Well, those are the only live-in nannies I know of. Or they were.” Bailee grinned. “I’m sure people still do that, but I don’t know anyone in real life who moved in to somebig estate or mansion to take care of a grumpy single father’s kids and ended up?—”
“I won’tend upanywhere. It’s not like that.”
I flinched when I caught the defensive edge to my voice.
“No, it’s not,” Bailee said, a frown pulling at her lips. “Is that what’s bothering you? That it’s another Lee dead end?”
“Dead end? No, that was a while ago, and I’m over it.”
I dropped my gaze to the table, avoiding Bailee’s narrowed eyes.
“Stell, I’ve watched you pine over that man foryears. And cry over him when you got drunk enough.”
“That was once. And I was in my feelings about a lot of things at the time.”
“Right,” Bailee said, her mouth pulling down. “In your feelings after he married someone else. Even though I guess he’s available now?—”
“He’s not. Believe me. And I know that.”
“You seem to know a lot,” she said with a chuckle. “Except why you didn’t drive straight to his house.”
“I know that too,” I mumbled, taking a sip from the mug.
“Of course you do,” Bailee said, slapping her hand on mine. “This would be none of my business if I weren’t your best friend, and I’ve held this back for a while.”
I looked up to Bailee chewing her bottom lip.
“Since when have you held back?” I scoffed. “Just say it,” I said, my stomach clenching as I braced myself, although I had an idea of what she would say.
“After Lee got married, you started freelancing all over the country like some corporate desperado.”
I sputtered my coffee.
“Corporate desperado?”
She squinted back at me.
“Weren’t you? You came in, fixed shit, neverstayed long enough to form any attachments, and moved on. Can you remember a full week that you weren’t on the road in the past year?”
