Page 41 of Second Act
A sharp pang sliced through Hugh. He could have had that, but he’d thrown it away. “I apologized to Jessica,” he said. “For being an asshole.”
“It’s taken you this long to realize that’s what you are?” Gavin asked. “I could have told you much sooner.”
“It seems to me you live in a glass house in this case.”
“I’ve mellowed since I fell in love with Allie.” Gavin dropped the taunting. “How did Jessica respond to your apology?”
“She said it helped repair some of the damage.”
“Is that what you hoped she would say?”
No, he’d wanted her to throw herself into his arms and say all was forgiven. “It was a start.”
“What is it you’re looking for, Hugh?” Gavin sat forward. “You haven’t mentioned her in years.”
Hugh straightened to stare out the window again. He hadn’t mentioned Jess because thinking about her was like probing an unhealed wound, so he didn’t. “I see how happy you are, and I want the same thing.”
“Well.” Surprise sounded in Gavin’s voice, which gave Hugh a moment of satisfaction. “I wasn’t expecting that. I thought this was a simple exercise in atonement and self-flagellation.”
“It is, but I can’t help wondering...” Hugh gulped down a mouthful of beer. Seeing Jess again had made him feel like he was missing a piece of himself, a piece he hadn’t realized he’d lost.
“You’ve told me that she didn’t want the kind of life you offered her. Now she’s built a life she does want, so maybe you should leave well enough alone.”
Hugh pivoted to look at his friend. “Maybe the life I have to offer is different now.”
Gavin snorted. “She runs a low-cost vet clinic in South Harlem. How exactly does that tie in with what you do?”
His words were an eerie echo of what Jess had said to him all those years ago about how different the things they wanted from life were. On the surface, she was right, but they shared a drive to succeed at whatever they did and a strong commitment to hard work. He’d just been too self-absorbed to give her room to do what she needed.
Hugh shook his head. “You’re right. My presence can be disruptive, thanks to Julian Best’s fame. I should stay the hell away from her.”
At least until he was sure of what he really wanted.
