Page 94 of Thanks for the Friendship
“Maybe it was just too good of a deal to pass up?”
I sigh. “It must be, because they won’t even consider anything else.”
I scoop up two marshmallows still floating in my bowl.
“We should probably move forward with renting that condo?”
“Yep. Let’s do it.” I pause. “Did Gabby tell you about Diane Hillard’s wonderful visit?”
“No.”
“It’s been a really fun day,” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Reagan’s face turns red as I tell her about Diane and her accusations.
“I really want to call her and set her straight,” she sneers. “She had no right to treat you like that.”
“Thanks for wanting to defend me, but it won’t make a difference. Diane will never go against Sara—she’s the daughter she never had.”
I bring my cereal bowl to the kitchen and tell her I need to get ready for Cal.
“I’m glad Cal’s coming to be with you after the day you’ve had.”
“Me too.”
If only she knew about my mini meltdown after our last date. I could use a pep talk, but I really need to face this on my own. Cal says he’s willing to take the risk and give us a try. The question is—am I?
* * *
When I open the door, I don’t say a word and thankfully I don’t cry. I’m not thrilled about this new crybaby version of myself. I’m wondering if all the years of not crying are finally catching up to me.
Cal immediately engulfs me in his arms and holds on to me for dear life. I must be crazy to even consider walking away from moments like these. I’ve been allowing fear to control me. It has to stop or it will rob me of the peace I feel when I’m with him.
“I’m so glad you wanted to see me,” he says, kissing my hair.
I clasp my hands behind his lower back and don’t let go. “I have so much to tell you, but first I want to apologize about the other night.”
He puts his finger to my lips. “Nope. You had every right to express how you were feeling, and your concerns were valid.”
I invite him inside, and we sit down on the couch. After my nutritious dinner consisting of a bowl of cereal and some grapes, I changed into a pair of black joggers and a cropped sweatshirt. Cal is still wearing his scrubs, and somehow he even makes those things look sexy.
I sit with my legs crossed and face him.
“Thank you for being so patient with me,” I say. “I had the worst timing, especially after the night you planned for us.”
“Yes, dinner and ice cream required a lot of planning,” he teases.
“You know what I mean.”
He laughs. “So talk to me about what happened with Diane.”
I let out a long sigh and tell him about our unpleasant visit.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” he says. “Maybe I should call her.”
“Why? So she can berate you too?” I ask. “You know as well as I do that she’s not going to listen.”
He nods. “Did she ever tell you the story about why Sara’s so important to her?”
