Page 56 of Claiming What Is Mine

“Well, you didn’t have any problem flirting with the waitress right in front of me. Until you learned she is, literally, still a child.”

“Flirting?” My shoulders roll back. “I wasn’t flirting. I was just making polite conversation. Trying to get to the bottom of her story, because you seemed interested. Completely different situation.”

Meredith stares in disbelief for a minute. About what, I have no idea.

“Okay then.” She sighs. “How about when I told you I couldn’t afford tuition at a private college and asked you to consider my needs…” She grins, satisfied she’s made her point, and waves away the topic. “But that’s ancient history. And you’re not the main culprit.”

Silence settles between us as Meredith carves off small bites of pie and I sip my coffee while I think back over my interaction with the waitress. No way was I flirting. I only asked because she wanted to low down on the waitress. She’s crazy.

“Since I’ve been back, it’s just little things here and there. Like when I asked you to stay the day I met Christy.” She trails off, her eyes dropping to the plate. “But when you add those little things to the mile-long list of things I’ve said that people didn’t hear...”

She’s got me there. I don’t remember her telling me to stay that morning. “What list, Doll? I’m still not following.”

“It’s my whole life, Gabe. Daddy still believes he knows better than me what I need in my life. He used to dictate who I could hang out with, who I could date.” She raises her eyebrows. “Except for you. I stood my ground there, but boy did I pay for it after we broke up. And don’t get me started on Mom. With her it was everything else. I fought with them so many times. But to this day, I’m not sure it ever did any good because in the end, they won. We broke up and I spent a decade stuck in a career I didn’t love.”

I look her in the eyes. “I’m sorry. I really had no idea.”

“And then, a few months before I was supposed to marry Jeff, I realized I didn’t love him. That if the way I felt about you was love, I didn’t have nearly the same feelings for him as I did with you. And he drove me crazy, with his drinking and gaming. I called Mom and told her I didn’t want to marry him. I sat there on the phone, crying. I was terrified because I knew he wasn’t the man for me, and I was desperate for advice. You know what she said?”

“What?”

“She said I was being ridiculous. That I was nervous. That I was being selfish, and everything would be fine. Just one more time she wasn’t listening.” Meredith pushes the plate away. “And eventually I caved, and married the guy anyway. I’m just tired of it, you know. Of wanting one thing, but settling for something less, because of someone else. When that guy sat down like he had the right to take your chair. And I told him I wasn’t interested, and he just kept on like what I thought about it didn’t matter, it got to me. Like I said. It’s silly.”

“It’s not. And I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is just me being too sensitive.”

“Well, I promise…no…I swear that I will listen to you. Your thoughts. Your feelings. Your desires. They matter. You have a voice with me, Mer. If you don’t want pie, you will not have pie.” I pull her plate across the table and pick up my fork. “In fact, let me relieve you of what’s left of this burden.”

“Oh no, mister.” She grabs the plate from me and slides it back to her side of the table. “Get your own.”

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