Page 32 of The Opposite of Romance
“Something like that,” he responds, gazing around.
“Well, it’s beautiful.”
“That it is.” He clears his throat. “Full disclosure. This was where my wife and I had our first date. It was our place, sort of.”
“Oh, thank you for being honest.”
I’m glad he told me. Though I’m not quite as glad he picked this place, knowing the backstory.
“So, tell me about yourself.” His lips turn up, but it’s less warm than it used to be.
“Well, umm. I’m an author. A romance author, actually.”
“Really? That’s interesting.” Drops of perspiration appear on his forehead.
“So interesting. I’m blessed to earn a living from something I’m passionate about.”
“Mmm, Uh-huh…” He gulps a quick sip of water. “And you’re divorced?”
“Yup. Recently divorced.”
“How recent?”
“A couple of months. But the separation was longer, and the divide before even more.”
“Do you ever feel like your heart is outside of your chest? Like ever since they left, you can’t take a full breath?” He huffs a laugh, but his eyes are looking more and more unhinged, twitching instead of blinking.
“No. Not really,” I respond honestly, a ball of nerves stuck in my throat.
“Yes, of course.” He nods. “Maybe you didn’t love him, either,” he adds under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing, sorry. This place is getting to me.” He downs the rest of his water.
“So, an ice cream shop, huh?” I ask, trying to get back to safer ground. I’m not sure what the hell is up with him, but this is beyond uncomfortable. Any excitement I held over the date is long gone, but I would rather have a polite evening than dial Sandy to come bail me out.
I also need to stay on good terms with Will since our daughters are best friends. But what comes out of his mouth next makes it even harder.
“It was Lisa’s dream. Lisa is my wife.” He grinds his teeth. “Ex-wife, I guess. I made her dream come true, and she left me over some dude she just met.” He looks up at me with tears in his eyes.
Alarms glare in my head.
“And now I’m left with an ice cream shop I never even wanted. And I can’t get rid of it because it’s Kayla’s connection to her mom,” he continues.
“That must be … hard.”
“I’m sorry. I thought I was ready. I wanted to be ready,” he blurts out. “You are my first date … after the divorce, and I thought I needed to get through it, but I can’t.”
“I understand…” I begin saying, but he interrupts me.
“And this place is bringing back too many memories. It’s where I proposed to her, you know?”
“Maybe I should leave. I’ll call my sister up.”
His face falls into his hands, a sob escaping him. I rush to the bathroom and dial Sandy.
“I need you to come pick me up at The Terrace.”
