“I miss you,” he said. “I hate where we are.”
She bit her lip, nodded. So did she. “What’s happening with your sister?”
“Jail,” he said. “After she’s served her sentence, she’ll get shipped off to Montana. I’m going to try to get her some help. Therapy maybe. But she won’t be coming back to California.”
Zona nodded. “I’m glad you’re rid of her.” She wanted to say more. She couldn’t seem to get the words out.
He pulled his cart up level with hers. “I know it’s going to sound nuts, but I’m in love with you.”
“We haven’t known each other long enough,” she protested, not wanting to admit to either him or herself that she felt the same way.
“You’re wrong. It doesn’t take that long to fall in love. It takes a lifetime to grow it, I get that. Even though we’re through I keep hoping we could have a lifetime.”
“Maybe we could have had that, if we’d met earlier. If...”
“If two other men hadn’t messed you up so bad. I hate men who hurt women. They bruise you and then leave you broken.”
He reached over and laid a hand on her arm and she felt the electric charge all the way to her heart. She bit down harder on her lip, didn’t look at him. She couldn’t.
He removed his hand. “I’m selling my house.”
That did make her look at him. “What?” She couldn’t be with him, didn’t want to be with him, except she didn’t want to see him go.
“Putting it on the market in a few days. I can’t stay there, knowing you’re next door, remembering what we almost had. Don’t really need a house, anyway. I just bought that one because it was a steal. I’ll flip it and move on.” The look in his eyes burned into her heart. “I wish you were moving on with me.”
“I wish I could. I really do. Where will you go?” she asked.
“Got a friend with a condo for rent in Azusa. I’m going to live there for a year while I figure out what to do next. Azusa’s not that far if you change your mind,” he said softly.
“Oh, Alec. Why did you have to move in next door?” she said miserably. This time it was her laying her hand on his arm.
“To torture you?” he joked and tried to smile again. It wasa lame joke, too, and he dropped the smile and the comic act. “Ah, Zona.” He put a hand to her cheek.
An older woman pulled up next to them. “Do you two mind doing that somewhere else? Some of us would like to get a pizza.”
“Sure. We’re done anyway,” said Alec. He gave Zona a kiss, just long enough to make her want more, wish they could have more, then he wheeled his cart away.
The woman gave a snort of disgust. “You kids these days. Can’t live your lives without drama.”
As if Zona had chosen all the drama she’d been living. She started to laugh. “Oh, my gosh. If you only knew.” The laughing got crazier, then turned to sobs, and the woman grabbed her pizza and bolted. No words of comfort or encouragement. Not the motherly type, obviously.
Zona called Gracie on her way to the checkout stand. “I just saw Alec.”
“Oh, dear,” said Gracie.
“He’s moving,” Zona said, and started crying again.
“Where?”
“Azusa.”
“Okay, he’s not moving to another country.”
“He might as well be. Did you know he’s selling his house?”
“It just came through on the multiple listings.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
