Page 4 of Still the One

I’m dying to inquire further, to ask Mac about her love life after me. Sandra refused to discuss that with me, claiming that if I wanted to know, I should find an adequate way to apologize to Mac so we could be friends again, and she could tell me herself. But Mac made it crystal clear she never wanted anything to do with me ever again—and that served me right.

“You must have so many admirers,” Charles says, sounding baffled at Mac’s admission.

Mac just shakes her head. She never fully grasped how beautiful she is. Although being on TV must earn her many compliments about her looks.

“Is it true there’s a special Tinder for celebrities?” Try as he might, Alan can’t keep quiet for longer than a few minutes.

To my surprise, Mac nods. I’m not surprised a dating app like that exists, but I am that Mac would use it. But it’s just another reminder that I know nothing about her any longer—about the woman I was going to marry and start a family with.

“Aaah!” Alan coos. “Have you used it?”

Mac nods slowly. “I have, but… I’m sorry, darling. I’m not spilling any beans.”

Alan clutches both hands to his chest. “Not even a tiny little bean?”

“I’m still single so clearly it wasn’t that successful.” Mac fixes her gaze on Alan. “But guess who’s a regular at Isabel Adler’s house?” She paints on a triumphant smirk, displaying a side of her that’s either new or that I don’t remember.

Alan’s mouth falls open. “No!” He shouts it as though our table has just caught fire. The other guests stop their conversations to look at us. “You can tease me about anyone else in the world, but not about Isabel Adler. That woman is a goddess and we are but mere mortals worshipping at her feet.”

Mac bursts out laughing and so do I. There’s theatrics, and then there’s this. I can’t help but eye her inquisitively myself, though.

“I’m good friends with Leila, her partner,” Mac says.

Alan looks at me with genuine devastation in his glance, as though he stayed friends with the wrong person after Mac and I broke up.

“She’s my ex, actually,” Mac continues.

“Isabel Adler’s partner is your ex.” Alan brings the back of his hand to his forehead, as though he might faint.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Charles mumbles, gently nodding.

Can he? I’ve never been able to imagine Mac with anyone else. In fact, it’s always been my greatest fear that I’d run into her on the arm of some gorgeous woman—no matter what kind of a hypocrite that would make me. Because I’m the one forever responsible for breaking us up. Although my guilt would be greatly alleviated if Mac were happily married, with the bunch of kids she always wanted—but still. But she must have had her fair share of lovers, of women adoring her—and not breaking her heart the way I did.

I tune back into the conversation just as Alan asks, “Forgive my indiscretion, darling.” He looks Mac straight in the eye and his voice is firm and solemn, like he’s taking Mac’s confession and she has no choice but to answer him. Alan’s specialty is extracting secrets from another person. “But why did things not work out between you and Leila Zadeh?”

Mac scoffs, or is that a giggle? “Let’s just say I’ve had some issues with trusting people in my life.”

That even shuts Alan up for a few moments. But thankfully not for too long. “It probably wasn’t meant to be,” he muses. “Because Leila was meant to be with Isabel.”

“Why are you single?” Mac takes me completely by surprise with her question.

“Hm.” I look into her eyes. Even though what she just said was an obvious—and deserved—dig at me, her face is kind and welcoming. “I haven’t always been single. I’m just more of a serial monogamist, I guess,” I blurt out.

“You most certainly are,” she says. “Minus the monogamy.”

“Zing!” Alan interjects, and I’m glad he does, because I don’t know what to say to that. “Good one, Mac, darling, but, um, this is all water under the bridge now, isn’t it?” He arches up his eyebrows. “Twenty years’ worth of water.”

“Of course,” Mac says, nodding. “I’m sorry.” She briefly touches her hand to my shoulder, startling me again. “I shouldn’t have said that. Alan’s right. It is water under the bridge.”

“Please, Mac, don’t apologize.” I can only hope the smile I send her hides my guilt. I’ve had to let go to move on, but I’ve never had the chance to properly apologize to Mac. At the time, she didn’t want my apologies—what could she do with some futile words, anyway? Then our worlds drifted farther and farther apart as the years went on. Now here we are, two decades later. “Don’t ever apologize to me,” I say.

Chapter 3

Mac

When I head into the hotel restaurant for breakfast the following morning, Charles accosts me.

“You’re very welcome to sit with us, but I have to warn you Alan is completely losing it over you knowing Isabel Adler. Like, totally.” He heaves a deep sigh. “He’s forgotten all his good manners and he already had so few.” Charles grins sheepishly.

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