Page 19 of The Lake House

Shrugging again, I reply, “It was more than a crush, but then I got married… she already was.” I stop myself. Does it really matter? It’s not like I’m trying to get with her now or that she’s even available. “Anyway, I was just saying I saw her, that’s all.”

Roger chuckles. “Yeah… I’m buying that.” He shakes his head. “If that was the case, you wouldn’t have really mentioned it now when we were talking about this other chick that was obviously finding youoh so sexy… you brought up Giules right in the perfect moment.”

“Seriously, Rog… I was just saying. Anyway, she’s married. I’m busy with a kid… it’s cool.”

“Stop trying to downplay this, dude. You should totally talk to her… catch up or something.”

“Catch up? There’s nothing really to catch up on… we don’t really know each other anymore.”

“Yeah, okay. You know you want to talk to her, and that’s enough. Plus, I’m not telling you to take her out… just have a conversation with her. If she’s married, she’s entitled to have friends. You can be her friend while she’s in town.”

“She’s got friends. She’s got Liv.”

He shrugs. “I don’t know, dude. You can never have too many friends.”

At that moment, Lily and Rachel come up to the table. Lily takes a seat beside me and Rachel sits next to Roger.

“You already done playing, baby girl?” I ask my daughter, pushing her blonde hair from her sticky forehead. From the looks of it, she’s been playing hard.

“I think she’s hungry,” Rachel says.

“I am… is the food almost ready, Daddy?”

“Any minute now, baby girl. The food should be here any minute.”

Roger leans down closer to the table and whispers to Lily, “Yeah, Daddy’s hungry too, but not for food.”

I’m going to kill him.

ChapterEight

GIULIANA

“Ilove how he says this isn’t over, like you’re not divorced… What in eternal hell is wrong with that man?” Liv looks at me through eyes bulging out of her head. “Dickwad.”

“He’s clearly delusional or has amnesia and forgot what happened the past year,” I say.

“And the way he said he’ll always find his way back to you? What the hell, Giules. That’s fucking psycho shit… it sounds stalkerish or something.”

I grimace. “I know.”

Liv and I are sitting outside at a cafe downtown just enjoying the morning breeze two days after I’d had dinner at her house the other night. I had only gotten to talk to her for a few moments yesterday. Apparently, she had been sick to her stomach and couldn’t get out of bed. Now she seems fine. Except for the drink she’s nursing, a rather unusual choice for her. Maybe I was bothering her, and she wanted some alone time with Dave while he was home from work. Josie had been at Dave’s mother’s house, spending a few nights there.

“Clearly,” Liv agrees, smirking.

I furrow my brows. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Since when do you want to come to a coffee shop to get decaf? You never drink decaf. Now, all of a sudden, you do?”

Liv shrugs. “I went to my doctor the other day. Turns out I have high blood pressure and need to cut down on the caffeine.”

I squint, trying to understand what she’s telling me. “How the hell do you have high blood pressure? You’re so tiny.”

“Hey, I may be tiny, but I’m fierce! Isn’t that a line from Shakespeare or something?”

I giggle. “Yeah. Something like that, I think.”

“Anyway, have you given any more thought about going to see Declan?” She takes a chug of her decaf.

“What? No. When had I ever given that any thought? That wasn’t even an option. How am I supposed to go see him? I wouldn’t know what to say after so long. What would I even say to him?” Realizing I’m rambling aimlessly, I catch my breath and stop myself before continuing. “You know, come to think of it, Idothink you’re coming down with something, woman.” I reach over to feel her forehead, but she’s as cold as ice.

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