“It means you don’t actually know.”
“You know, call me crazy, but it’s sounding to me like youactually want me to contact her.”
“Do you want to?”
“God, I don’t know, Nick.” Rebecca could feel her frustrationmounting. She’d felt it all day, which she didn’t understand.
“You want to know my thoughts?” Nick said, and then grunted, theweights becoming harder to lift.
Rebecca sat down on a nearby bench, mentally counting his reps.“Do I have a choice?”
“Nope.”
“That’s what I thought. Two more, by the way.”
Nick finished his reps, dropped the weights, and grabbed his waterbottle. “I’ve known you for how long?” He took a swig of water and Rebecca didthe math in her head.
“Twenty-two years? Twenty-three?”
“Right. And I’ve seen you through a lot of ups and downs withchicks.”
Rebecca nodded and didn’t bother to correct his descriptor. Thistime.
“And in all those years, I never saw you as…” He squinted as helooked off into the middle distance as if searching for the right word.“Affected. As you were by this girl. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or abad thing. I honestly don’t. Me and Michelle have had many conversations aboutit.” He looked at Rebecca then, and she could feel the love he had for her. “Iknow I pushed you the other way before, but…I’m not sure you should let herpass you by without being completely sure. You know?” His voice went soft. “Idon’t want to see you miss out on somebody that might be your Michelle.”
To say Rebecca was surprised would be an understatement. Nick wasnot an emotional guy. He didn’t share feelings. In fact, he liked to pretend hedidn’t have any. But the softness in his brown eyes in that moment touchedRebecca deeply. So deeply that her vision blurred.
“No. Cut that out,” he said, pointing, and swung his towelplayfully at her.
Rebecca laughed and caught the one tear that had spilled over witha thumb. “Sorry. Crisis averted.”
“Thank fucking Christ,” he said. “There’s no crying in the gym.”
“Oh, trust me,” Rebecca said, standing and pulling herselftogether. “There’s plenty of crying in the gym. Plenty. Come with me and I’llshow you.”
There was no more talk of Spencer for the rest of Nick’s workout.In fact, they joked a bit more than usual; Rebecca was sure Nick was trying tolighten the mood just a bit. It worked. By the time he high-fived her andheaded to the locker room, she felt a lot better. And even more confident asshe scrolled through her contacts to find Spencer’s name right where she’d leftit three months earlier, and stared.
What the hell should she do?
* * *
Travis’s birthday was February fourteenth. Spencer’s parentsalways said he was their Valentine baby, and every year, they threw him acombination birthday/Valentine’s Day party to celebrate. He requested thesame thing each time: cheeseburgers, fries, and half-moon cookies frosted withhearts instead of the traditional half-vanilla, half-chocolate.
They’d finished dinner and the Thompson family was now sittingaround the dining room table having cookies before Travis opened his gifts.
“Did your girlfriend at the bakery make these for you, T?” MaryBeth asked him, as she bit into the cookie he’d given her.
Travis’s blush crept slowly up his neck until his face was a deepred. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he said unconvincingly, giving his shoulders ashrug and ducking his head a bit.
“I don’t know. I don’t think she makes birthday heart cookies forjust anybody.”
His blush deepened, which made his sister grin.
“Mary Elizabeth, stop teasing your brother.” Their mother said itlike she was talking to two elementary-aged children, must have realized it,and shook her head, an expression of quiet happiness on her face.
“No, it’s okay, Ma. I can take it.” Travis took a huge bite of hiscookie.
Mary Beth threw Spencer a look and whispered, “He loves it.”
