Page 70 of The Main Event

“My father wouldn’t have tried to take me away from Salem,” she continued as she sipped her pickle martini. “He knew it was better for me here. Boston is lovely as far as big cities go, but in Salem, everybody knows each other.”

“So, he did the best thing for you.”

“Yeah, and it worked out.”

“And now you’re doing the best thing for him even though him dating is weirding you out.”

She laughed, and it lit up her entire face, causing my heart to sigh and the spot directly below my belt to tighten.

“Sherry is very nice,” she said. “They seem happy. I want him to be happy.”

“But?” I prodded.

“But I don’t want to be left behind.” She seemed surprised when she said it. “I just … that was my fear when I was a kid. I thought he would leave me behind. Then when it came time to go to college, I thought Levi would leave me behind. Then when George died, well, he did leave me behind.”

“And that’s your greatest fear,” I realized.

“Yeah. I’m emotionally needy apparently. I never really grasped that until we were halfway through dinner. I’m the problem.”

“No.” I fervently shook my head and dropped my hand on top of hers. “You’re not a problem. You’re the solution.”

“The solution to what?”

Oh, if only I could answer that question.

TO NOBODY’S SURPRISE—MEANING DAISY AND Iwere not surprised in the least—everybody in our group took off around the same time. They didn’t even say goodbye. I just looked up one moment and realized Daisy and I were the only ones still in our group on the patio.

“I should walk you home.” I’d already paid the bill. I wasn’t tipsy. Conversation with Daisy had been more stimulating than alcohol. She didn’t appear tipsy either. She’d basically nursed three martinis for two hours. That wasn’t enough to get her drunk.

“You don’t have to,” she said automatically. “I just live around the corner.”

“I want to.” There was no way I would let her walk home alone. Sure, Salem wasn’t Boston, and she would likely be safe, but in truth, it wasn’t just her safety I was worried about. I didn’t want to say good night.

We continued the conversation once we hit the sidewalk. Salem, unlike Boston, turned into a ghost town around midnight. There was nobody milling about on the sidewalks. The walk was over too soon, because before I knew it, we were outside the door that led to her upstairs apartment.

“Well, thanks for the drinks … and walking me home.” She looked distinctly uncomfortable, which was exactly how I felt.

“It was nice,” I said. “I can’t remember when I had such a fun evening.”

She snickered. “Obviously, we need to get you out more. We’ll have plenty of chances now that Halloween season is here. You’re going to see what a real party looks like.”

“That sounds fun.”

“Yeah.”

We stared at each other. The air was thick between us. I could hear fireworks going off in the back of my brain.

Kiss her.

You know you want to.

It will be even better than before.

It took everything I had to tamp down my inner voice. “Do you want me to walk you up?” I asked. I still wasn’t ready to walk away from her. How had I managed it the first time?

“I’m good,” she replied. Her voice was squeakier than I remembered it being. “Thanks again.”

She turned toward the door. I watched her a moment, her hands shaky as she fumbled with her keys, and then I briefly closed my eyes. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

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