“It hurt me. But not because the business ended. Because I thought my best friend had betrayed me. Turned his back on me. That I’d never really known you.”
“It was just business, James. I never wanted to stop being your friend.”
“I think I understand that…now.”
Oliver and I continued talking. I wasn’t delusional that we’d fix our issues overnight, but the friendship we’d had since college was worth preserving. And so, even though I still had a lot to do to prepare for my performance Friday, we spent fifteen minutes catching up.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high, but it felt like we were on the way to repairing our bond. And in the end, I was happier teaching than I’d ever been running The Game Place, so things had worked out the way they were supposed to.
I spent the nextafternoon at my apartment putting the finishing touches on my talent show plan, then went to Marley’s for dinner. I needed to reassure myself we were okay. She’d been so in her own head the past few days.
She had two plates of pasta ready when I arrived. The dogs nipped playfully at one another in the corner as we sat down at the table.
“Does Oscar seem weird to you? He’s been doing that for the past few days.”
I looked over to see Marley’s dog sprawled on his back. He rubbed against the living room carpet, satisfied sounds emanating as he mouthed the air. Bambi stood sedately next to him, head tilted as though to say,will you look at this guy?
“I think he’s fine. You just put up a gigantic, foresty-smelling tree in his living room, not to mention this whole place has smelled like sugar and cinnamon since Monday. He’s just living his best life, enjoying all the fresh scents.” Oscar startled, bolted upright, then started furiously licking his crotch. I arched an eyebrow as Marley giggled. “See, what’d I tell you—normal dog.”
“The cookie smell has been overwhelming,” she agreed. “I’m trying to get ahead for the last weekend of the tree lot. All those selfie-takers have been clearing out the treats for sale.”
“Good problem to have though.”
“True.” She swallowed a big bite before she asked, “So what have you been up to the past few days, James? You’ve been super cagey about this whole talent show performance. I’m mentally preparing myself to either be blown away or experience a serious case of secondhand embarrassment.”
I laughed. “Ouch. I sincerely hope the former. Also, I’m not telling.”
Her playful smile warmed my heart. This was the woman I loved. The one I wanted to keep. She just had to let me.
“Fine. I guess I can wait until tomorrow.”
I felt butterflies—more like angry hornets—in my stomach as I thought about the preparations I’d made over the past few days. Marley was correct that abject embarrassment was a distinct possibility. I changed the subject.
“So…I called Oliver yesterday.”
She dropped her fork. “What? How have you been here half an hour and you’re just now mentioning this?”
“I dunno. It almost doesn’t feel real, but, yeah, we talked.”
“Wow. When you mentioned he sent those texts, I didn’t realize you were planning on reaching out.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Something Mrs. Allen said inspired me.”
“Ah. That’s sweet. She’s a good egg.” Marley seemed to have recovered, dabbing her mouth with a napkin before inquiring, “So how did it go, with Oliver?”
“Good, I think. As it turns out, I may have been a little harsh with him. It sounds like I probably could have salvaged the friendship. I just wasn’t ready to hear him then. I’m not sure where we’ll end up, but he was my friend for a long time. It’s nice to imagine not ending all that history on such a sour note.”
“That’s awesome, James.” She coughed and gazed away absently.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She shook her head and offered a self-effacing smile. “I’m just thinking it’s funny how you and I sort of had the same conversation the past few days.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I had dinner with Kasen the other night—you remember?” Marley had given me the heads up about having dinner with her ex. I had been trying not to dwell on it, not wanting to pry. I didn’t want Marley to think I didn’t trust her.
“Um hmm. Everything went okay?”