might, she couldn’t read any kind of inflection into his words. Not amusement, not mockery, not anything close to annoyance.
He seemed to be the most reasonable man in the world right now, which prompted her to add, “I know I’m being ridiculous. I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” he said.
“I just…” She took a shaky breath, and then turned her face away.
“Lily, I’m sorry I upset you. I thought we wanted the same thing, but obviously, I was wrong. I’m going to sit in the backyard until the girls come in, and if you change your mind and want to talk to me, that’s where I’ll be. And if you don’t ever want to talk about this again, that’s fine, too. I’m sorry I offended you.”
Chapter Eight
L ily stood there and watched him walk back to the yard, and then she closed her door and locked it again, just because she wanted to. Then sank back down to her floor, as hot, stupid tears rolled down her cheeks.
She was so mad at the world she could hardly stand it.
Then she grabbed the phone off the countertop beside her and called her sister.
“I am so stupid!” she announced when Marcy answered the phone.
It sounded like complete chaos in the background, which it often did at Marcy’s house. Kids yelling, the dog barking, the TV going.
“John!” Marcy yelled to her husband. “Do not say another word,” she told Lily. “Not until John gets here to take care of the kids and get them fed, because I want to hear every word. Every single one.”
“Okay,” Lily agreed, thinking to use the time to pull herself together.
“John, I have to talk to Lily. Please just take care of things for a few minutes.”
Lily could hear Marcy moving through the house, probably going to hide in the garage, which she often did to get away from all the noise in her house.
“There,” Marcy said, nothing but quiet in the background. “Now, tell me. What did he do? I know he did something! I knew he would! Tell me everything right this instant!”
Lily sighed, all the words getting stuck in her throat. “You don’t understand. It’s not good—”
“What do you mean, it’s not good? I saw the way the man looked, and the way he looked at you. Of course it’s good.”
“I thought he was asking me out on a date,” Lily admitted pitifully.
“Yes. Dates are good,” Marcy said, ever cheerful. “They’re a very good way to start. So? Tell me.”
“He wasn’t asking me out. He just wants to sneak into my house after the girls go to bed, to sneak into my bed. Tonight, hopefully. Or maybe tomorrow while the girls are in school!”
“Oh,” Marcy said.
“Oh? What do you mean, oh? You don’t even sound surprised. Am I not supposed to even be surprised by this? I mean, is this what dating is like these days? Someone asking if you’d like to hop into bed with them? Of course, I guess you wouldn’t call that dating, would you? I’m so out of touch, I don’t even know what to call it, Marcy. What do I call it? Just so I know, because apparently, this is what my life is going to be like. I should at least know what to call it!”
“Lily, honey, breathe,” Marcy said. “Take a big, slow breath.”
Lily, instead, tried to hold back more tears and ended up hiccupping and sniffling in Marcy’s ear.
“Now, tell me again, very slowly. I mean, the man just didn’t walk up to you and ask if he could let himself in the back door later, did he?”
“No,” Lily admitted. “We were talking…about how hard it is to date with kids. Or I thought we were talking about how hard it is to date with kids. I guess he was talking about how hard it is to have a sex life when you have kids, and I was agreeing that…you know…it would be awkward, and that I wasn’t sure if I was ready to have the girls know I was…seeing anyone. They’re not even done getting used to the fact that we’re divorced. And then…I don’t know. I thought we were going out to dinner. He thought we were going to bed.”
“Oh, honey.
He seemed to be the most reasonable man in the world right now, which prompted her to add, “I know I’m being ridiculous. I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” he said.
“I just…” She took a shaky breath, and then turned her face away.
“Lily, I’m sorry I upset you. I thought we wanted the same thing, but obviously, I was wrong. I’m going to sit in the backyard until the girls come in, and if you change your mind and want to talk to me, that’s where I’ll be. And if you don’t ever want to talk about this again, that’s fine, too. I’m sorry I offended you.”
Chapter Eight
L ily stood there and watched him walk back to the yard, and then she closed her door and locked it again, just because she wanted to. Then sank back down to her floor, as hot, stupid tears rolled down her cheeks.
She was so mad at the world she could hardly stand it.
Then she grabbed the phone off the countertop beside her and called her sister.
“I am so stupid!” she announced when Marcy answered the phone.
It sounded like complete chaos in the background, which it often did at Marcy’s house. Kids yelling, the dog barking, the TV going.
“John!” Marcy yelled to her husband. “Do not say another word,” she told Lily. “Not until John gets here to take care of the kids and get them fed, because I want to hear every word. Every single one.”
“Okay,” Lily agreed, thinking to use the time to pull herself together.
“John, I have to talk to Lily. Please just take care of things for a few minutes.”
Lily could hear Marcy moving through the house, probably going to hide in the garage, which she often did to get away from all the noise in her house.
“There,” Marcy said, nothing but quiet in the background. “Now, tell me. What did he do? I know he did something! I knew he would! Tell me everything right this instant!”
Lily sighed, all the words getting stuck in her throat. “You don’t understand. It’s not good—”
“What do you mean, it’s not good? I saw the way the man looked, and the way he looked at you. Of course it’s good.”
“I thought he was asking me out on a date,” Lily admitted pitifully.
“Yes. Dates are good,” Marcy said, ever cheerful. “They’re a very good way to start. So? Tell me.”
“He wasn’t asking me out. He just wants to sneak into my house after the girls go to bed, to sneak into my bed. Tonight, hopefully. Or maybe tomorrow while the girls are in school!”
“Oh,” Marcy said.
“Oh? What do you mean, oh? You don’t even sound surprised. Am I not supposed to even be surprised by this? I mean, is this what dating is like these days? Someone asking if you’d like to hop into bed with them? Of course, I guess you wouldn’t call that dating, would you? I’m so out of touch, I don’t even know what to call it, Marcy. What do I call it? Just so I know, because apparently, this is what my life is going to be like. I should at least know what to call it!”
“Lily, honey, breathe,” Marcy said. “Take a big, slow breath.”
Lily, instead, tried to hold back more tears and ended up hiccupping and sniffling in Marcy’s ear.
“Now, tell me again, very slowly. I mean, the man just didn’t walk up to you and ask if he could let himself in the back door later, did he?”
“No,” Lily admitted. “We were talking…about how hard it is to date with kids. Or I thought we were talking about how hard it is to date with kids. I guess he was talking about how hard it is to have a sex life when you have kids, and I was agreeing that…you know…it would be awkward, and that I wasn’t sure if I was ready to have the girls know I was…seeing anyone. They’re not even done getting used to the fact that we’re divorced. And then…I don’t know. I thought we were going out to dinner. He thought we were going to bed.”
“Oh, honey.
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