Page 35 of The Problem with Dating
“What?”
“Do not jump to conclusions,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t assume why she was uncomfortable or embarrassed,” he suggested. “Ask her.” Nate shrugged a shoulder. “It could be that she might thinkyoudidn’t want her here oryouweren’t ready to introduce her to your family. Remember, she saw a family gathering that you hadn’t invited her to.”
Sayer nodded. “It’s possible.”
“I didn’t invite her because she said she was fucking busy and this shit was last minute,” I told them.
“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that,” Sayer pointed out.
And he was right.
She didn’t know that.
Chapter 19
Echo~
This shit was not supposed to be this difficult.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this embarrassed. Gideon had told me stories about his mother that first night, but it never occurred to me that she’d set me up like that.
I also couldn’t deny that it kind of sucked that Gideon hadn’t invited me to his family’s gathering. Sure, it’d be moving too fast, but it still kind of felt like a punch to the gut. I mean, I knew we weren’t in a relationship, but seeing actual proof of that had dimmed the butterflies in my tummy. Even though I wasn’t looking for a ring, I thought…really, I don’t know what the hell I thought. Maybe Louise’s ambushed had my brain scrambled.
And now, walking into my house, my phone was ringing, and when I pulled it out of my purse, I saw Marco’s number flashing across the screen. Ever since Tuesday, he’s been sending me text messages or calling me, and I’ve yet to reply or answer my phone for him.
Placing my purse and phone on the kitchen island, I went to the fridge to get some water. What I really needed was a drink, but I was afraid that, if I started, I just might not stop.
I didn’t want to know why Marco was calling, and I wasn’t quite ready to examine my feelings for Gideon Hayes. One seemed like a headache, and the other seemed like a heartbreak.
Or, maybe, I was just fucking stupid.
That possibility made more sense, and it made even more sense when the knock on my front door caused my stomach to dip.
Gideon.
It could only be him, or Louise here to apologize, and either way, I wasn’t sure I was ready to face either of them. I felt foolish leaving the way I had, but it would have felt twice as awkward had I stuck around.
However, I didn’t relish being a coward, so I went to answer the door. When I swung it open, Gideon was standing on the other side. He looked stoic, and was giving nothing away, but you could feel the tension.
I let out a sigh, opened the door further, and stepped aside to let him in.
Turning my back on him, I made my way back towards the kitchen for my water. I was feeling fidgety and a bottle of water in my hands would help.
Of course, he followed me, but why wouldn’t he? Gideon’s been railroading me into forgiving him ever since he found out our meeting had been legitimate.
I pulled out a barstool from underneath the lip of the kitchen island, sat down, and fiddled with the bottle in my hand. And I kind of just sat there, looking at him, not really knowing what to say or do.
He finally spoke, and I found myself disappointed. “My mother’s going to call you later to apologize,” he said. “What she did to you was wrong, and I made it clear that it hadn’t been appreciated.”
Great. Now Louise was in trouble, and I felt even worse. “Gid-”
“No matter what’s going on,” he interrupted, “she was wrong, Echo. Her meddling went too far, this time.” Of course, he was right, but I still didn’t like the idea of Louise getting in trouble.
“I hope you weren’t too hard on her,” I replied.
