That seemed to get Joey out of his thoughts. “No, of course not. I’ll stay the night to make sure you’re okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Any time. Now, do you have food or should I go shopping for you?”
“I have food.”
“Then I’ll cook you something. It’s the least I can do. And I know you’re never hungry after something like this, but you need to eat.”
“You’re right,” I said with a nod. “I should eat.”
“Well, at least you see that point.” He walked over to the kitchen. “Though, we need to talk about how you have food if it’s been over a month. Are you eating enough? Or were you rationing?—”
Joey had been opening cabinet doors to find where I kept everything and he stopped when he saw a fully stocked pantry.
“I went to the store,” I said.
“By yourself?”
I nodded. “Some good’s happening here. It wasn’t too bad.”
Joey blinked and looked between me and all the food. “That’s ... great. And it makes life easier, I guess. What about some chicken and rice bowls? Your favorite.”
My stomach rumbled and I blinked in surprise. “That sounds really good, actually.”
“It does? You’re hungry already?”
“I am. And the fact that it’s your cooking helps.”
“I’m the best cook you know.”
“You’re theonlycook I know.”
“Still, it’s nice to be loved.” He turned to get the ingredients and I watched him with a small smile.
Today had been terrible. The worst possible thing happened, yet I survived it. I’d panicked, but I came out of it.
I saw now what Scarlett meant about the medicine not numbing me. I saw how different it was to how my dad functioned.
And it made today just a little easier to survive.
The next morning, I leaned on the window in front of the door to The Reserved Bean and tried to ignore my rising anxiety. Joey was still asleep, and I snuck out before he could wake up and tell me this was a terrible idea.
As far as I knew, Theo would be here soon, and if not, then I could muster up my courage and text him.
The only person I saw was Marjorie, who froze when our eyes met. She politely asked how my day was and then made her way to the library, glancing at me over her shoulder, one graying eyebrow cocked high on her forehead.
That had been weird, but I was doing my best not to think too hard about it.
If I did, I’d lose my courage.
Moments later, Theo pulled up to the shop and I took in a shaky breath.
He was wearing a flannel, though his hair was messier than it usually was, and there were dark circles under his eyes. I wondered if what had happened yesterday had hit him just as hard as it had me.
For a man who seemed so unaffected by things, I was shocked to see anythingshowing.
When his eyes met mine, he went rigid. And then he rubbed his eyes to make sure I was there.
