Page 169 of Ewan

First, she was worried I wouldn’t see him again.

And now, she is worried I’m moving too fast with him.

Make up your mind, woman.

“Where did you get that idea?”

“Come on. It’s not hard to see that.”

She takes a bite of cake herself.

“I never liked your ex. Too fussy for my taste. Men weren’t like that back in my time.”

I chew slowly, curious to hear more.

“How were they back in your time?”

She thoughtfully chews on her dessert.

“They were stoic and knew their place.”

I laugh quietly.

She flashes a smile.

“I’m serious. I didn’t need to baby Walter. Even before we got married, and we were very young. You know that. Your mother must’ve told you the story.”

She sighs.

“He couldn’t wait to prove himself,” she drones on. "To prove to me he was a real man. That’s how men were in my day. Nowadays, though…”

She shakes her head, her stare blank as she thinks about it.

“They’re wishy washy, and their egos are tiny porcelain dolls. One little bump and they all shatter and are strewn across the floor. Like your ex.”

She nods in agreement with herself, still smiling, entertained.

“He wasn’t interested in making you happy when he was married to you.”

“That’s correct,” I say, unwilling to bend the truth so he looks better in her eyes.

Besides, she knows him.

“And now he lost his sleep because you’re seeing another man.”

I say nothing.

“I hope you are. I’d love to see you find true happiness after wasting your time with Joachim.”

“I don’t know about finding true happiness. Things are more complicated than that.”

“No, they’re not.”

She sips tea.

“You two just have to slow down. Take it easy.”

“I think we do,” I say, glad that we’re on the same page.

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