Page 81 of Candy

He was always happy to watch television and quickly retrieved the remote and got settled on the couch as Carmen and I went into the kitchen.

“Can you try to call her?” I asked Carmen as I turned around.

She looked confused. “Why?”

“Because I tried to call her, and it went to voicemail.”

“Why would she leave without telling you?”

I sighed and hung my head as I put my hands on the counter. “We were having a heavy conversation when you interrupted.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She grabbed her phone and a moment later put it to her ear. A few seconds later, she hung up. “Voicemail.”

“Damn it,” I growled.

“What was the conversation about?”

“Our relationship,” I stated softly.

“Damn, is Candy pushing you for more than you are willing to give now? She needs to sit back and give you some room. You have so much going on right now.”

“No, it’s not her. I was the one to suggest something more, but she doesn’t seem interested.”

She gave me an odd look. “Are we talking about my sister, Candy? She is interested in you, Mike. I don’t know why she would say she wasn’t. I have never seen her give so much of herself to someone before. Usually, she’s pretty flighty. She doesn’t do relationships, but she has you living in her home, basically playing house. I mean, I don’t know if you two are sexually active or not, but it comes across as you two are very physically involved with one another.”

“We are,” I confirmed. “I thought Candy would be happy to hear what I said, but she obviously wasn’t because she took off.”

Carmen squeezed my arm. “Well, give her a few hours to digest what you said. Maybe she thought you were only saying those things to her because of Harley and not because you meant them.”

“I think she might.”

“It is evident how you feel about her, Mike. When you two are near each other, both of you light up. I would never have expected it, but I guess you can never guess when love will strike you or who it will be with.”

“No, I guess you can’t.” I was surprised at what Carmen said. I didn’t know that it was so obvious how I felt for Candy. If Carmen could tell, why couldn’t she?

I would have to ask her when she got home later.

* * *

Candy didn’t come home that afternoon, and it wasn’t until the following day, when I was in the kitchen making eggs for Harley, that I heard his excited voice saying hello to her.

I tensed, wondering what she would say when she stepped into the room. Was she going to ask me to leave? Would she tell me that she had changed her mind and wanted to marry me? Maybe I should have asked her differently and had a ring too. My stomach rolled with nervousness as I stirred the eggs in the pan.

I heard her set her keys down. “I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

I glanced at her; she wore the same thing she’d worn yesterday. “Where were you?”

“I went to my father’s house.”

“You should have at least sent a text. I was worried about you, and Harley kept asking me where you were.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have.”

I plated the eggs and then was about to call Harley in to eat at the table, but thought that Candy and I needed to have a discussion, and we didn’t need to do that over his head.

I brought the plate out to him along with his toast and milk and set it on the small play table Nolan had brought for him. “You eat and watch your cartoons. Candy and I need to talk.”

He acknowledged me as he dove into his food, and I went back to the kitchen, collected my coffee, then looked pointedly at her and then the back door. She nodded and turned to head out.

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