Page 35 of The Weight of Love

“It’s not that you’ve done anything. It’s that you haven’t done anything. What are you waiting for? Neon flashing lights and an invitation? She is massively hung up on you, and she is driving all of us insane with her moping.”

I do not want to discuss this with her daughter. Anyone else. Kill me now.

“It’s…complicated.”

“Really? Uncomplicate it.”

“She’s busy with Kyle. She’s never at the gym. I don’t want to add any stress.”

“Oh my God, you’re really that dense? You will help with the stress, Dummy.”

“What?”

“I swear, do men just get stupider as they get older? Because I’m positive, I know teenage boys who grasp this concept.”

I glance at her in absolute shock as I pull into their driveway, and she meets my eyes with an exasperated laugh.

“Just ask her out already. In-person, for crying out loud.”

“Well, gladly, but how am I supposed to do that when the only time she isn’t worried about Kyle or chasing Leslie down to try and enforce the pants dress code is the gym.”

“Take her out after.”

“She goes to the gym at eleven at night; where are we going to go? Whataburger’s parking lot?”

We both laugh more genuinely at that idea.

“Ewwww, no, gross.”

“Hey now, no bashing on Whataburger, Missy. This is Texas.”

“I’m not, I’m not. But not for an actual date.”

We both stare idly at the house for a moment, trying to figure out how to get Stella out of her current routine.

“If I can promise to get her to the gym at… 5 p.m. and we bring stuff for her to change into, could you scrape together at least two romantic brain cells to plan the rest?”

“Wow, such little faith.”

“Put up or shut up time, Mr. H.”

“Bet.”

Chapter Fifteen

Valentines Day

Stella

Riley convinced me to head to the gym six hours earlier than my usual schedule tonight. I don’t know why it was so important to her, but she and Annie were adamant that I take a break and go. They even volunteered to clean the house to get me to agree.

Teens willingly cleaning? Definitely suspicious.

I’m trying to push the suspicion out of my mind as I run on the treadmill. Tuning out the drama and stress of the last month. I have Clark’s hoodie on out of habit. It’s become my favorite comfort item.

It has been such a long month since Kyle’s hospital trip. The Gastroenterology team says we were lucky. He’d had a minor GI bleed. “Minor”

That is the word they use, but I am convinced that if that was a minor bleed, I never want to see a serious one. The vivid memory of him cradled in my arms, blood everywhere, is etched in my mind. Clark’s truly reassuring presence was the one comfort in all of this.

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