Page 92 of Always Knew It Was You

“I didn’t,” I say. “It’s only recently, thanks to my grandpa’s whole ultimatum, that I even paid attention to such things. I never cared about who their parents were or where they were from.”

“So why did you reject them?”

I hesitate, trying to think of it. “I don’t know. It just never felt... right.”

She eyes me for a few more seconds, then sips her coffee and turns away.

But the more I look at it, the more I realize that I was callous in my treatment of those women the same way those men were callous in their treatment of Carly.

Up until Carly, I only had extremely casual relationships. As much as I tried to go for women who knew the score and only wanted something casual from me in return, I knew that quite a few of them inevitably ended up catching some kind of feelings for me. And I wouldn’t always move on when they did. Sometimes I would string them along simply because I was bored, or because the sex was good and I didn’t want to bother with the whole breakup drama. And then when I had my feelings, I would simply disappear from their lives.

And then it hits me, the uncomfortable, ugly truth. I’m not just as bad as those men. I’m worse.

And though Carly pretends like she doesn’t care, some part of it must sting.

It’s not often I’m ashamed of my actions, but shame peppers my thoughts even after I drop Carly off from school.

I head back to Laketown for the meeting with Declan, only for him to postpone it to the afternoon so he can spend time with his daughter. I don’t mind. I get that his daughter comes first.

I decide to get breakfast at a restaurant opposite the Tiki Bar called My Fair Lady Steakhouse. They’re offering a breakfast buffet and it doesn’t smell half bad. The place has a rustic, old bed-and-breakfast vibe mixed with log cabin charm. The smell of sizzling bacon and rich coffee colors the air, and my mouth waters.

Conversations buzz around me as I walk to the front, where a tall, curvy woman with sad eyes stares at me from behind the counter.

I smile at her, but she doesn’t smile back. And I guess I do it for a tad too long because her frown deepens.

“What do you want?” she says.

“Well, some food would be nice,” I quip but she still doesn’t crack a smile.

“You the owner?” I ask because she gives off an aura of command.

She nods and simply gestures down the line, looking away dismissively.

As I go down the line, a rounder, kindly older woman in front of me, leans in to whisper, “You’ll have to forgive, Lou. She’s having a bad few months and her boyfriend just got locked up.”

“Really?”

She nods, but she doesn’t say anything more.

After I’m done grabbing some bacon, eggs, steak, and a coffee, I search around for somewhere to sit. Though the venue is packed, I manage to find an empty table where I can spend time with my own thoughts, and guilt, alone.

Or at least alone for the first few minutes of my meal. Before I finish up, Poppy and the kindly woman from before walk up to my table.

Poppy sits without any invitation, but the older woman asks, “Young man, can you please pull that out for me?”

“Sure thing.” Not sure what this is about, but I get up and help her into a seat.

“Good.” She sighs as she settles. “I gotta wait for my antacids to kick in or I’m going to be farting up a storm on my way out of here.”

“Ah.” Instantly, I know who the woman is. “You must be Mrs. Peach.”

Carly told me about her and her tendency to mention her stomach issues even in polite company.

“That I am. My Carly told you about me, didn’t she? Of course, she did.” She answers her own question, her smile widening. “You know, I heard you attended the picnic with my Carly yesterday. I hope you don’t mind me being a nosy Nelly, but that little girl is like a daughter to me and I don’t want her hurt. So I want to make sure you have only the purest intentions toward her. You picking up what I’m putting down?”

I take a sip of my coffee and say, “I think so.”

“You better know so,” Poppy says, giving me a hard look. “I’ve seen your type before, city boys looking to schlub it with a small-town girl and then taking off when they get her pregnant or worse. If you think you can do that to Carly, you’ve got another think coming. I’ve got a little friend here that I can introduce to your caboose anytime you fuck up. So don’t fuck up. You got it?”

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