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She gives me a wry smile as she leans back. “You know, if you’d asked me this a year ago, I would’ve said it was pretty idyllic. My parents were in love. My sister and I were best friends. I thought everything was great, but as you know, secrets came out that I hadn’t expected.” She lets out a long sigh. “When I found out that my dad wasn’t Sage’s dad, it didn’t mean anything to me. It didn’t make me feel less about Sage as my sister. And then I thought to myself, Wow, did I ever notice that my dad treated me better? And I kind of did. And that made me feel guilty because …” She pauses. “Because Sage had a different childhood than me.” She shrugs. “It hurts me to know I didn’t even realize Dad was doing that.”
“You were young. How were you to know?”
“Yeah, I just hate that. I hate that he treated her differently because she wasn’t his blood. I’ve had a lot of hard conversations with him in the last couple of weeks. I told him I was ashamed of him, and he said that hurt, but I told him, ‘You hurt Sage much more than you’re hurting right now,’ and I think he got it.” Her eyes bore into mine. “I guess life and love and relationships are just complicated, huh?”
“I agree. I do think they’re very complicated, love especially. That’s why I’m not interested in it.”
“Yeah, I can see why a bad childhood would make you not want to go through something like that.”
“It’s not just my childhood. It’s other things I’ve seen.” I press my lips together. I said too much.
“Oh?” Her eyes narrow, and she leans forward. “Have you been hurt?”
She grabs my hand, holds it for a second, and squeezes, and I realize she wants to get to know me better. She wants to have these conversations because she cares, because she wants to understand me, and yet I find it so hard to open up.
“I told you before that I’ve never really had a serious relationship. I’ve certainly never experienced true love, and I’ve not had my heart broken, no.”
“That’s sad.” She swallows. “Don’t you ever want to experience love?”
“I don’t know if I actually believe in love, not in the way people believe in romantic love. I don’t believe there’s one person for everyone. I don’t believe we can make each other happy. I don’t believe that marriage is …” I pause as I realize she’s frowning. “Anyway, I don’t want to sour you on love. I know that’s what you’re looking for.”
“I do hope to find it.” She nods slowly. “So, you had a best friend in the military?”
“Yeah, I did. Charlie. He was the best friend I’d ever had. We actually went to boot camp together, and …” I pause and look away as I think about him. I feel choked up.
“Where is he now?” she asks. “Can I meet him? Can I …”
“I need to go.” I turn on the ignition. “You should go upstairs and see Izzy and Lucia. I’m sure they’re waiting for you.”
“Oh.” She furrows her brows and leans back. There’s a moment of silence before she continues, “I didn’t mean to intrude if you don’t want to talk about him.”
“I don’t.”
She looks at me and plays with her hair, twisting it into a knot as she shifts in the seat. She taps her fingers against her thigh. I can tell she’s trying to think of something to say next. The tension in the car is palpable, but I don’t know what to say.
“I can help you find someone, you know.”
That is the last thing I expected her to say. She leans forward, and my heart races as her lips come close to mine.
“I’m not looking for love.”
“I didn’t say I can help you find love. I said I can help you find someone.”
“Find someone for what?”
“I don’t know. Sex?”
“I don’t need your help.”
“You don’t want a woman for some hot sex?”
“Is this your way of offering yourself to me for hot sex?”
“No, of course not.” She wrinkles her nose. “What do you think of me?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m thinking maybe we have a bet.”
