Page 72 of Friend Me

“I know.” I wedged my bag between us on the bench.

After a few seconds, he moved his arm from the back of the bench to reach into his back pocket. He pulled out a sheaf of glossy paper and extended it to me.

“What’s this?” I read the wordCare.

“I visited a few facilities over the weekend. I figured you’d be too busy to do it, and, well, it’s expensive, but it’s about the same cost as in-home care. Easier on you, too.”

His sweater wasn’t enough to protect against the frost that swept through me. He was holding brochures from Oakland-area memory-care nursing homes. Dad wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. Neither was I.

I shoved my hands between my knees. If I didn’t touch the papers, it wouldn’t be real. I stared at the tree across the path. “We don’t need that.”

After a minute, he said, “Maybe not today, but he will.”

“No. I can keep him at home. He loves our house.” I touched my pendant. “He and my mother bought it together. And he doesn’t want to leave.”

“But—” I heard him inhale and then let the breath out. He touched my shoulder, a light caress. “Someone your age shouldn’t have to deal with all this. Your dad doesn’t want you to miss out on your youth because of him.”

I shrugged off his hand. “He was only a little older than I am now when my mother died and left him to take care of me. What would I have done if he’d decided he couldn’t handle it?”

He recoiled. “You’d still be taking care of him. And you could visit him all the time.”

“Visit?”My nostrils flared. “He doesn’t need me to visit. He needs me with him all the time.”

“Marlee, I—I think you may be romanticizing your dad’s condition. He’s going to need full-time care. And no matter how much love you give him, it’s not going to make him any better. He’s going to get to the point that he doesn’t even know you.”

I couldn’t sit there for another minute. I’d been wrong. He was just like all my college friends. Former friends. He didn’t get me at all. I sprang up from the bench, scattering the pamphlets. “My dad and I belong together because we’re a family. Your relationship with your family may be screwed up, but mine isn’t. I love my dad. And he loves me. He could never forget me.”

I didn’t even care that his face paled and his jaw went slack. Anyone who wanted to separate me from Dad wasn’t friend material. I was just glad I’d figured it out before—before…nothing!There was nobeforehere. Maybe not even an after.

Grabbing my purse, I whirled and stomped away down the path. I gripped the sharp edges of my pendant until an imprint remained on my cold fingers. Dad was the most important person in my life. Tyler, whatever I’d thought of him before, was not.

I’d almost reached the office when I heard the staccato slam of sneakers on sidewalk and my name. Tyler. I slowed my steps and stopped in front of the revolving door.

He put a hand on my arm. I looked at his fingers, long and powerful. Still magical? It didn’t matter. I didn’t want any part of them.

“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I looked up into his eyes, no longer sparkling with kaleidoscope colors but churned into a muddy brown. “Well, you did. I don’t think I can—I need—”

From our left, a throat cleared. Without looking, I stepped out of the way of the door. Tyler still held my arm, so when I tugged, he came with me. Stumbling, he grabbed me by the elbows to steady himself, and we ended up half-hugging. I edged away, but he tightened his hold on my arms, his eyes pleading with me not to continue what I’d been saying. To reconsider.

Over his shoulder, I glimpsed Ben and Cooper standing side-by-side on the sidewalk, staring. What did they think of us, with Tyler holding me and my cheeks angry red? I took another step back and brushed Tyler’s hands off my arms, and that’s when I realized I was still wearing his sweater. His oversized, drab gray sweater that covered my hands and couldn’t be mistaken for mine.

Ben’s wide eyes dashed any hopes I’d had of playing it cool and confident. So much for making a good impression on his first day. Cooper tilted his head to the side.

“Hey, Ben. Hi, Cooper. Did you have a nice lunch?” I didn’t wait for their response before I pushed through the revolving door. The three men followed. I’d already shrugged out of Tyler’s sweater by the time they emerged into the warmth of the lobby. Refusing to look at his face, I shoved it toward him with one hand and smoothed my hair with the other. “Thanks.”

He took it from me. While we waited in front of the elevator bank, he extended his right hand to Ben. “I’m Tyler Young. I’m a developer on the automotive analytics team.”

“Ben Levy-Walters. Cooper’s new assistant. Today’s my first day.”

“Welcome to Synergy. I’m sure Marlee’s told you everything you need to know, but if you ever need anything from the programming team, come find me.”

Ben shot me a look as the elevator door opened. “I sure will.” He bit his lip, and as I walked past him, he whispered, “Yum,” and unsubtly popped his lips.

I lifted my chin and stepped onto the elevator. After straightening my blouse, I busied myself with my phone—Jackson had texted—until Tyler said a casual “See ya” and walked out on the fourth floor.

I refused to look up. I wasn’t here for their assumptions or judgments about Tyler and me. Hell, I didn’t know what to think about Tyler at this point. Could we still be friends after what he’d said?

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