Page 26 of Deep Waters
Maybe he’d slowed down a bit, sure. But he still flirted and charmed women with an ease that managed to come across as complimentary instead of creepy. And judging from the eyes that followed him everywhere he went, women responded. It wouldn’t take much to convert that interest to intimacy. Had it all been a front?
He clutched his chest, looking strangely vulnerable in his soft tee-shirt and sleep pants, his feet bare on the kitchen floor. “Ouch.You really didn’t notice, did you?” He tilted his head. “I think that, deep down, I already knew.”
“Knew what?” I asked, dying to hear him say it.
“That if I couldn’t have you, no one else would compare.”
Even as I wanted to deny his words, my pulse picked up.
He held up his palms, backing toward the stairs with a grin. “I’ve met my quota for late-night honesty. Good night, Rae.”
I mustered the only words I could, “Night, Zach.”
Slowly, I turned in a circle. Looking for something,anythingto clean. Zach had given me way too much to ponder. I glanced outside. If it weren’t nearly midnight, it’d be a great time to take my frustration out on Jia’s garden. Weeding would be cathartic, yanking at all the intruders like I wanted to obliterate the thoughts and emotions bombarding me. Worry that I’d been a bad friend, not noticing Zach was lonely. More worry, that if we tried and failed at a romantic relationship, I’d screw up my most important friendship. Excitement that I wasn’t alone in recognizing the changes in our relationship. Anticipation for what that meant for us. Trepidation. I had a freaking thesaurus’s worth of emotions to take out on the weeds.
But the dark outside mocked me. There’d be no relief from that quarter tonight.
For a flash, I considered slinking into Zach’s room, asking him for more. But it was too soon. I wasn’t ready. Not yet.
Reluctantly, I trudged up to my lonely bed, sliding beneath the sheets and staring at the ceiling. Ruminating on Zach’s last revelation:if I couldn’t have you, no one else would compare. Is that what I’d been doing too? Had I been comparing every man I met to Zach, finding them lacking, and using that to stay happy in my sex-less Simon bubble?
His admission had me looking at our friendship in a new light. The nights when we shared a blanket on his couch, bingeing home improvement shows and episodes of boating reality TV. The shared dinners, barbecuing on the deck ofSailor Swift. We spent so much time together, on our boats, with our friends. How did I not see that our relationship had evolved into a partnership a click off romance? Would one adjustment to our heading be all it took to take us out of the friend zone?
Zach had turned everything on its head with this confession. But what did I want to do about it?
Chapter 12 – Zach
Fitting in a long run with Lee at lunch was the only thing that kept me functioning in the aftermath of my discussion with Rae. He seemed to sense that I needed to burn off some excess energy. We ran hard and wordlessly, each lost in our own heads. Of course, he was probably plotting a murder in his. I was just obsessing over Rae.
I’d left myself vulnerable after my late-night confession, so her text message after lunch gave me a lifeline.
Rae: How about we take the kids to Music in the Park tonight? I’ll pack a picnic, and you can walk over after work? Kind of a family date night?
My fingers flew fast across my keyboard.
Zach: YSE! It sad ate!
Zach: I mean, YES! It’s a date!
Where was autocorrect when you needed it? And what did it say about me that the predictive text suggested I bring condoms instead of cookies to dinner? Probably that my phone’s algorithm was intelligent enough to know what I wished I could say but couldn’t.
Zach: I’ll bring cookies.
I finished pulling napkins from the Harbor Brews’ storage closet, restocking the condiment bar before turning to Isa. “Hey, I’m going to the concert tonight with Rae and the kids. I know you have the night off, so let’s plan to close at five.”
Isa’s mouth dropped. “What?”
Used to her theatrics, I shook my head. “You heard me.”
She smirked. “Whatever you say, Boss. Please tell Rae thank you for me. I never thought I’d see the day you willingly closed early.”
“I’m not that much of a workaholic.”
“There’s burning the candle at both ends, then there’s burning the house down. I’m pretty sure all of you Fenwicks got the arson gene.”
I chuckled. “Just don’t call the fire department. We use the fires of our ambition to keep us warm.”
She giggled. “That’s why I’m thrilled that Rae has volunteered for the job.”
