Page 69 of Thanks for the Memories
“I wasn’t feeling it tonight, and honestly, a break from each other was probably a good idea.”
“Oh, do you have your own gossip? Trouble in paradise?”
I nod. “This vacation hasn’t turned out the way I’d hoped.”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “She seems like a nice person.”
“Mmhmm.” I pause. “She’s decided to move here.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
All of sudden I feel the urge to tell him everything. About Bethany, Dante, and my confusing new feelings. Why? Because he’s my friend Jeremy, the same guy who flashes his abs to make me laugh and brings me donuts to cheer me up.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not sure we can ever go back to the friendship we used to have before I left Chicago. I have a new life here—new friends, my work, and …”
“Donuts?” he suggests, cracking a smile.
“Definitely,” I say as I open the box from Donut Giant. The delicious scent of sugar and calories hits my nostrils. I pick up one of the gooey chocolate coconut ones and take a bite. An explosion of happiness floods my taste buds. It’s the oddest thing, but this tastes even better than Dante’s gourmet french toast.
“It’s freaking good, isn’t it?” Jeremy asks, sitting up and moving to face me.
I nod because my mouth is full. He doesn’t say anything as he watches me finish the whole thing in only a few bites.
“Now you know I’m not trying to impress you,” I say after I take a sip of water to wash down the last bit. “Yoga pants and devouring donuts isn’t very sexy.”
“I think it is,” he says soberly. Jeremy isn’t serious very often, so when he is, it’s blatantly obvious.
I dab the corners of my mouth with my fingertips. It’s only a matter of time before our surprise kiss comes up, so it’s now or never.
“Jeremy, I wanted to talk to you about what happened on the boat.”
He lets out a puff of air. “That’s funny, I was just about to bring it up. I guess our minds are on the same thing,” he suggests with a wink.
Hmm … maybe.
“When I apologized, it came out completely wrong,” he says, his tone serious again. “The truth is, I’m not sorry about the kiss. I just didn’t want to make things weird for you because of your relationship with the chef.”
Ugh. I knew Dante was going to come up. I’ve been droning on for months about him and Golden.
“Dante and I are friends,” I say.
He leans his head to the side. “Are you sure about that?”
The image of Dante and me in my kitchen flashes through my mind for a second and then fades. He doesn’t have room for me in his life right now, and that’s okay. I’m just sorry it’s taken me this long to realize it.
“Yes.” I pause. “We had a moment recently, but that’s the extent of it.”
He wrings his hands nervously. “I’d be completely lying to you if I said I wasn’t happy to hear that.”
I try to swallow the lump in my throat. We’re now sitting sideways on the lounge chairs, facing each other.
“So, you don’t regret kissing me on the boat?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
He shakes his head.
“I just don’t want to screw things up. Our friendship is important to me.”
“It’s important to me too.”
