“The University of Toronto is the top school in Canada, right?”
I nodded. I was proud that I’d been accepted at U of T. I’d done well at Dalhousie, back in Halifax, but this was a more competitive degree. Plus, the distance from family was good. They loved me, but sometimes the expectations were smothering. “How did you know U of T was the best school?”
“I remembered you talking about it. You didn’t get in before? I was sure you would.”
I set down my sandwich, appetite gone. “I did. But there was a lot going on back then. It wasn’t a good time to leave.”
He stared at me. His mouth dropped open and I knew he was going to ask. Not something I wanted to discuss.
“So, why are you here, Josh?”
His mouth closed and his shoulders lifted on a long sigh. He picked up the wrappers from his donairs and smoothed them out before folding them again. I waited.
When there were no more papers left to deal with, he rubbed the back of his neck and finally gave me a sheepish smile. “I came to apologize some more.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yeah, I do. I called my mom. And when I mentioned you, she wasn’t very nice.”
As I would have predicted. Still, the donairs didn’t sit as well in my stomach.
“She didn’t talk like that before, when we were going out, but you were right. She doesn’t like you. So, I’m sorry I didn’t know. And that I did something stupid, breaking up with you like that.”
It had been more than five years, and I’d moved past that whole agonizing time. But there was something warming in my chest after that apology. Josh believed me.
He was super close to his mother—his father had died when he was young, and he didn’t have siblings. It was to her credit that she’d done a pretty good job raising Josh on her own, but she did work the guilt and “poor lonely me” thing a lot. Josh was too nice to see anything but love when his mom overstepped, but I’d seen her through clearer eyes.
I wasn’t sure she’d like anyone Josh dated. Not unless it was someone quiet, meek and willing to settle near Mrs. Middleton. If someone asked her, she’d say she would be happy to see Josh settle down with a nice girl, but she wouldn’t want to be usurped or replaced. She hadn’t liked me because she thought I was a threat back then. I wasn’t biddable, and I didn’t plan to stay. She would not be happy to know Josh was here with me, even though we were no longer dating. Which the petty side of me liked.
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that you checked it out and let me know you believe me.”
He nodded. Looked down. “And your parents don’t like me?”
Again, golden retriever puppy, shocked that someone had slapped his nose. “What are you talking about?” My parents had always been kind to Josh. They hadn’t been thrilled that I had a boyfriend—what they called a distraction—but they had nothing against him personally.
“It wasn’t just my mom who told me it would be better for you if we broke up.” He held up his hand. “Sorry, I meant if I broke up with you.”
“What the— Are you saying my parents were in on this? They talked to you?” My voice got loud and high.
His eyes skittered around the kitchen. “Um, they didn’t tell you?”
I was feeling violent again, but this time I didn’t want to throw anything at Josh. I had different targets in mind. “No. They just told me I could go stay with Grandma and finish up at a different school.” I’d refused to go to the same school as Josh. I wasn’t going to expose myself to Rhonda and her gibes. Seeing Josh when I wasn’t with him? I couldn’t face it. “They talked to you?”
He huffed out a sigh that almost moved the mangled donair wrapping papers. “Yeah. They talked to me, said you were making a very important decision, and they were afraid you’d choose based on me instead of what was best for you. I talked to my mom, and she agreed.” He swallowed. “When I told them I’d do it, for your sake, they said they’d explain it to you. So I sent you that text.”
I dropped my head in my hands. It was all making sense now. “No, they didn’t talk to me.”
I’d been hurt. Badly hurt. Devastatingly hurt, the way it is when you’re a teenager and everything is new and your hormones are going at warp speed. And my parents had let me live with that, feel that horrible rejection and inadequacy, because of their own agenda.
“I’m sorry, Katie.” Josh’s voice was soft. “I would have explained, if I’d known they hadn’t. But I don’t get why they didn’t talk to you.”
I blew out a breath and lifted my head. “Did you hear about Nora?”
He frowned. “Your sister? Did something happen to her?”
“She got pregnant.”
“When? She was in med school, right?”
