Page 38 of Taming Waves

“You’re welcome.”

He grabs the handle of the door.

“Oh, Anson. Can you give us the code for your garage so we can get my car in the morning?”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I can trust you two,” he teases.

“You think we’re going to steal your boogie board?” I ask.

“I’ll have you know, I have in-line skates in there too.”

“All your sports equipment is safe with me,” I promise.

He takes his phone out of his pocket, pulls up my contact information, and texts me.

“Thanks. You guys get home safe.”

Once the door shuts behind him, Heather turns to me.

“How’d it go?” she asks, and I know she is referring to my and Parker’s little powwow.

“He wanted to know why I shut down on him.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I went with nauseous and tired.”

“Did he buy it?”

I shrug. “I don’t care if he did. We aren’t a couple, and I don’t owe him any apologies or explanations. I can feel what I feel when I feel it.”

She nods. “True enough.”

“It’s ridiculous that seeing him caressing someone’s baby bump causes me to break down. It’s been more than a decade. I know it’s absurd.”

“Hey,” she says, coming to my side. “There’s no time limit on grief. As you said, you are allowed to feel how you feel, and you don’t owe anyone any explanation.”

She grabs a box of Fudge Stripes and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go curl up in bed, watch Food Network, and eat an entire box of cookies.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Parker

Iwalk into Whiskey Joe’s and find Audrey standing behind a woman who’s looking at a slip of paper as she mixes what looks to be an old-fashioned.

“It says three dashes of bitters. What’s a dash?” she asks.

“I just take the bottle and give it three quick shakes. Imagine you’re making dinner at home, and the recipe calls for three dashes of Worcestershire or soy sauce,” Audrey instructs.

“Got it.”

I take a seat at the bar, and their attention snaps to me.

“Leena, this is Parker. He’s one of the bartenders you’ll be working with,” Audrey introduces.

“It’s nice to meet you, Parker.”

“Likewise.”

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