Page 16 of Seven Summer Weekends

Addison quickly pulled on her sunglasses, but it was too late. You would have to be blind not to see the rawness in her eyes. For some reason, she found herself explaining her state of mind to the tall stranger—You Again.

“I’ve been cracked wide-open,” she said, now all out sobbing.

He sat down on the sidewalk next to her. “Can I put my arm around you?”

“What would your girlfriend think of that?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Did you and the woman you picked up at the ferry break up?”

“Oh, her? She’s gay, and also my sister.”

Addison laughed, and tapped her shoulder as if it were an invitation. She could really use a hug, and a half hug would be better than none. He threw his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. She sank in a little, and his touch eased her suffering until a few seconds later, when awkwardness set in.

“I feel better. Thanks.”

He jumped up, clearly feeling awkward too, and reached out his hand to help her. She took it, and they both held on a little longer than necessary. Upon realizing that, embarrassment registered on all four of their cheeks.

At least, that is how Addison interpreted it. This guy was pretty obviously flirting. Or so she thought. She always found herself wondering if she would be able to differentiate mutual attraction from one-sided attraction.

He picked up her bike and held it upright while she collected her salad ingredients from the sidewalk.

“Uh-oh,” he said, pointing to a deer munching on her iceberg lettuce.

Addison laughed. “I guess I’m heading back to the market.”

“I’m heading that way too. Maybe you should try walking for a bit.”

She agreed, even allowing him to walk her bike. There was something so comfortable about this guy.

“So, who broke you? If you don’t mind me asking. Wait. Let me guess—your mother?”

“No, I haven’t given her that kind of control in years.”

“Was it a guy?”

“Yes, but not that type of guy.”

“Your boss?”

“No. I’m bossless right now, which may partially account for my little breakdown. I called my boss a nepo baby in front of the entire company—accidentally—on Zoom.”

“Oh man. I think I read about something like that in thePost?”

“Yes, it made thePost, next to an article about erectile dysfunction. As if it weren’t bad enough, the penis in the photo seemed to be pointing at me. I’d always thought it would be fun to be on Page Six.”

“It rarely is,” he said, adding, “Let me guess one more. Was it your shrink?”

“No. An architect.”

“Of life?”

She laughed. “No. Of buildings, I presume. He taught me to quiet my mind, and I guess in the end I didn’t like what I heard.”

“Ohhh. That’s happened to me. I took to my bed for a week once after taking ashwagandha with some swami at a sweathouse in Joshua Tree.”

She laughed at the way he saidtook to my bed, as if he were a southern belle—or her mother.

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