Page 55 of Seeing You

“So then nothing,” he commented. “You give and give and give, and they do nothing for you. Doesn’t that bother you?”

This time, she sighed. “Remember earlier when I reminded you of why this wouldn’t work? You turn everything into a jab against me or my family or…”

“You’re right,” he quickly interrupted. “You’re totally right. I can’t help but be curious, Billie. Believe it or not, I worry about you. I’ve always worried about you. You give so much of yourself, and I can’t help but wonder if you have anything left for yourself.”

It wasn’t a lie. He’d always felt like her family expected too much of her and he never once saw any of them do anything for her in the same capacity.

For several long moments, she didn’t say anything, but when she let out a long breath, he almost felt like he needed to brace himself.

“I don’t expect you to understand this, but…they give me unconditional love.” Her voice was soft and her expression oneof total peace. “I never have to explain myself, they’re always there when I need them, and the things they do for me are out of love. Ashlynn does my hair, gives fashion advice, has helped at Books & Beans whenever we’ve needed her, and is the one who reminds me not to take myself too seriously.”

He wanted to remind her how she was half owner of the salon and her sister should do her hair for free…

“Chloe is the voice of reason when I get upset over things. She’ll make a huge batch of soup or a casserole and bring it over just because she was thinking of me. She is my moral compass when I’m angry or upset over anything, and my biggest cheerleader no matter what I’m doing.”

Fine. That was nice, but…

“Now, my brother is a little more complex. He was out of the picture for a lot of years and I used to get super annoyed about it. Then he came home after getting fired, and…he was lost. He came to live with me and I realized just how much we didn’t know each other. Levi will do anything you need—from moving furniture or mowing the lawn when he sees I haven’t gotten to it, or offering to come and pick me up when a dinner date turns into a disaster.” She winked.

“It wasn’t a disaster,” he reminded her. “We salvaged it. Sort of.”

“You get what I’m saying, though, right? We don’t all show our love or support in the same way because we’re not the same people. When we learned the truth about why our father walked out on us, we banded together. Naturally, I couldn’t just fall in line with the rest of them, but…I’m getting there.”

“Wait…what happened with your father?”

Waving him off, she picked up her beer. “That’s a story for another time.” She took a sip before studying him. “What about you, Marcus?”

“What about me?”

“You’re here taking care of your father, but…for how long? And what’s in it for you? Because I know you’re not here out of the goodness of your heart.”

Again, he didn’t take offense. “I’m here because Max asked. He’s been handling everything where Dad’s concerned and he told me it was my turn. It’s not the greatest reason to be here, but…he was right. The plan is for me to stay for two weeks and then head home. At that point, we’ll reevaluate the schedule with the nurses based on his mobility.”

“And his other health concerns? Things seemed very grim when you first came back.”

“He was neglecting himself—wasn’t eating, was dehydrated because he wasn’t drinking…now that someone’s there with him every day making sure he’s doing those things, he’s getting better. I’m hoping once he sees how good he feels, he’ll remember to take better care of himself.”

Nodding, she continued to study him. “And then what happens?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you come back to visit more? Do you invite your dad and Max to visit you? I mean…it’s two weeks and the first week is almost over. Are you counting down the days or are you genuinely going to change the way things have been?”

He took a sip of his own beer before replying. “Fair question, and that’s what I was getting at when we spoke earlier. I don’t know how to change. It’s not just as simple as saying it. Every word I speak, everything I’m doing, it’s like I have to stop and think first because my initial reaction always seems to be wrong.”

“I think that’s only partially true. You’re good at your job, and I know you can think on your feet when it comes to finances.”

“Not so much with people,” he admitted with a mirthless laugh.

“It’s not going to happen overnight either. It’s going to take time, so…you have to be patient.”

“Also not a strong suit of mine.”

Right now, his patience was hanging on by a thread because as much as he wanted to be sitting here talking with her, he wanted to make love to her even more. He wanted more of what they shared at the hotel, and he wanted it to end with neither of them yelling or storming out.

“Tell me what you’re thinking right now,” she softly demanded. “You’ve got a weird look on your face suddenly.”

Another small laugh. “If I told you, dinner would be over.” Glancing at her across the table, he knew he’d piqued her curiosity, but he also knew she was stubborn enough not to ask.

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