Page 56 of A Summer Mismatch
He checked his watch. “I have patients in a few minutes. Can you talk now? Please?”
She knew he’d be relentless enough to not let her be until she spoke to him. She was missing Logan’s presentation, and he kept shooting her quizzical glances. “Fine, but really quickly.”
She followed Timothy out into the hot, humid air, already regretting that she’d agreed to talk now. Her shirt stuck to her, and she pulled it away from her skin to get some air.
“I’m free for dinner tonight at seven,” Timothy said.
“I’m watching Cameron tonight. For another month, actually.” Why couldn’t she just tell him she didn’t want to go to dinner? She didn’t need an excuse other than she wasn’t interested.
“Cameron can come, of course.”
“Timothy—”
“I want to celebrate. The reason I had to take a break this summer was so that I could work on opening up my own practice. And I got an office space!”
“That’s great!” she said genuinely. She knew how much Timothy wanted to have his own family practice. But couldn’t he have done it with her support too? Had it really required that he break up with her in order to find a space to set it up in?
“Italian sound good? I’ll pick you up.”
“Wait. Timothy.” She took a deep breath. “I’m with someone else now.”
Both of his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Who?”
She tipped her head toward the open door where they could both hear Logan talking about the boa constrictor. “Him.” Even as she said it, she didn’t actually know if it was true. Her grandpa hated him. His grandpa hated her. They hadn’t gone on a real date, yet. She didn’t know how a future together would even work, and the thought of disappointing her grandpa made her want to choke on her own emotions. But she knew enough to realize, regardless of the unknowns with Logan, she didn’t want to be with Timothy. She wanted something more.
Timothy chuckled and hugged her like he didn’t believe her. “We’re meant to be. You and me.” He rocked her side to side. “The timing is off again, but we always come back together.”
“Timothy, that’s not it.”
“You just need to get the animal man out of your system, and I’ll be here waiting, just like you’ve always waited for me.” He continued as if she hadn’t said a word.
She’d heard him do this to his patients before, when he ran into them out and about. He spoke over them as if he already knew the answer before fully knowing the problem.
“What we have is real,” he continued. “It’s lasted years, and it doesn’t make sense to give up a sure thing.” He kissed her on the cheek again, and then left, confidently striding in the direction of his clinic, so assured that he’d made his point that he didn’t even look back.
In one of the self-help books Grandma Winnie had given her, Julia had read all about sunk cost, and how it was difficult to give up things—including relationships, jobs, hobbies—that weren’t working for them anymore because of how much time and money they’d already invested into it. She didn’t want her love life to look like that—holding on to something that she needed to let go. Wanted to let go.
She went back inside the equestrian center, and Grandpa sidled up next to her. “How did it go?” he whispered.
“It went fine.”
Grandpa’s grin widened. “Good. I always knew you two were meant for one another.”
Her stomach plummeted. “Grandpa. We’re not together anymore.”
“You should be, though. Timothy is a wonderful man. He’ll give you a good life.”
She frowned, and was relieved when someone shushed them. Grandpa leaned against the wall with a satisfied nod.
Julia tried to focus on Logan’s presentation. It wasn’t long before she was drawn in by his stories and laughing at his and Kai’s impressions of what chinchilla’s might sound like in a conversation.
Even Chuckles the parrot kept things exciting with his occasional exclamations, though true to Shirley’s word, the bird stayed well-behaved in his stroller.
They were just about to wrap things up when Grandma Winnie rushed into the room, looking as though she’d run all the way to the equestrian center from her bungalow. Her face was drawn and sweaty, and she paused to grab the back of a chair when she came in. Harry and Rosa were with her, and they were just as out of breath.
Julia approached her grandma, concerned. Grandpa was close behind. “What’s wrong?”
Grandma took in the room. First, Smitty on one side and Grandpa heading toward her, both men civilly existing in the same space. Her eyes lightened. “Nothing. I think.”
