Page 42 of Say Something
“I know it’s a fact. I may have also seen him at your office.”
“What?” I asked, turning to face him now. “Why were you there?”
“I just happened to be driving by.”
Note to self: You have absolutely no privacy in Oak River. Especially when you live right off Main Street.
“Well, it was nothing,” I said and continued weaving through the booths. “He brought me lunch. An apology for pissing me off.”
Michael’s tone darkened. “What did he do to piss you off?”
I looked over at him, surprised by his tone. I’d never witnessed my little brother act protective on my behalf before. Or at all, for that matter. Being grown up looked good on him.
“It was nothing,” I shrugged, downplaying the argument Danny and I had at the farm. “We just have a hard time being around each other and remaining civil.”
“Seemed pretty civil at The Bar for Mr. Smith’s party.”
“Well, we go from day to night pretty quickly. It’s easy to fall into something comfortable with Danny. Then we remember we got divorced for a reason, and that reason hasn’t fully been resolved yet.”
“So what are you waiting for?”
I reached the end of the row and stopped, stepping to the side and looking up at him. “What do you mean?”
“Resolve whatever it is that needs resolving,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Michael, it’s not that easy,” I laughed.
“Sure it is.”
“No, it’s not. There are years of damage.”
“But you still love him.”
My eyes filled with tears. “It’s not enough,” I said, my throat thick with emotion. I was going to cry. Right here in the middle of the flea market. “Can we please just not do this right now?” I asked, wiping the corner of my eye.
He softened, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Jessie. You’re both still so stupid in love with each other, I just don’t get why you won’t work it out.”
Because Danny deserves so much more than me.
“I hurt him pretty bad,” I confessed. “It’ll take a lot more than a Band-Aid to fix us.”
“Jessie,” he moved to look into my eyes. “You may have hurt him, but I can assure you, that man doesn’t care about any of that. He still looks at you like you hung the moon and all the stars. You probably wouldn’t even have to apologize.”
I laughed.If only.
“No, I’d definitely need to apologize.”
“So do it,” he pressed. “You know what I would give to have one more moment, one more second, to understand why she left? I’d give my life for that chance. You don’t even have to do that. You can just walk up to the guy, say you’re sorry, kiss and make up.”
I frowned, looking past Michael, focusing on his truck out in the parking lot. I hated that my brother was right, and I hated his pain over losing Kara even more. But regardless, Danny deserved a lot more than me. He deserved a family and someone who could give him that.
“Maybe you should let him make the decision.”
Had he read my mind? Or had I said that last part out loud?
“You said you hurt him,” he continued when he saw my puzzled look. “Sounds like he should be the one who decides whether or not he forgives you, not you.”
Right again, Mikey.
The thing was, I was pretty sure there was nothing left for Danny to forgive. It wasn’t a matter of forgiving really, it was a matter of talking. It was a matter of me telling Danny every thought and every feeling. Exposing him to my darkest thoughts, laying myself out bare. I wasn’t ready for that.
“Let’s go,” Michael said, tugging me towards his truck. “I want to grab some pie from the farmer’s market on the way back and it shuts down at two.”
My laughter was light, but my heart was heavy...my mind on Danny, as usual.
