Page 8 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
“You said you’d be home by breakfast,” I say, not looking up from my screen. “It’s well past lunch.”
He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. “I know. I’m sorry. Millie just really isn’t doing well.”
Of course. Millie. I close my laptop and finally look at him. There are dark circles under his eyes, and I notice he’s wearing the same clothes from yesterday. I swallow the angry words clamoring to come out.
“You should go shower and change. You hungry?”
“No,” he heads toward the bedroom. “I might try to sleep, though. Barely got any last night.”
I try not to imagine what he might have been doing last night. With Millie. “Yeah, get some sleep. You look exhausted. We’ll talk later.”
He gives me a wan smile and walks out of the room. A few minutes later, I hear the shower start.
It’s several hours later when Adam wanders into the kitchen. I’m busy putting the finishing touches on a creamy chicken pasta dish.
“Hey just in time,” I tell him with a smile. “Dinner is almost ready.”
“Hey,” he gives me a quick peck on the lips before heading to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. “Smells great. I got a text from my mom. She asked me to run over to Millie’s and check on her and Rhonda. They insisted on going back home. I can grab something on the way.”
Millie. Of course, he’s running to Millie. I slam the lid back down on the pot and stalk out of the kitchen.
“C’mon, Caitlin, don’t be like that,” Adam says, following me. “We buried her dad yesterday.”
“Don’t be like what, Adam?” I ask, the angry words I kept back this morning bursting out of me. “I should just shut up and be quiet? Just say nothing when I had to spend all day yesterday watching while you played emotional support animal to another woman?”
His eyes widen. “Emotional support animal? Are you serious right now?”
“She was all over you,” I say, and there is no holding back now. “Hanging on your arm, crying on your shoulder. Your arms were around her. How would you feel if you had to spend an entire day watching me in the arms of another man?”
“She was grieving!”
“And you let her treat you like you were her fiancé, not mine!”
“She’s like my little sister! I’ve known her my entire life! Her father just died, for Christ’s sake!”
I snort. “A little sister that you used to date.”
“I cannot believe you are jealous of a woman who just buried her father!”
I cross my arms. “If she’s just a sister to you, then why can’t you set some boundaries?”
“Boundaries?” His voice rises. “What boundaries should I set while she’s sobbing over her father’s casket?”
“I’m not talking about the crying,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m talking about the hand-holding, the way she kept leaning into you, whispering in your ear. The way everyone looked at me like I was intruding.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“No, I’m really not. Was I not flat out told by your mother last night that I’m not family? She is, I’m not.”
“Jesus Christ. We were all a mess yesterday. I’m sorry my mother offended you while she was grieving the loss of a lifelong friend.”
At that, all the fight goes out of me, and guilt and shame twist in my gut. I take a deep breath. “Adam, if you have feelings for Millie, just be honest. Everyone in this town seems to think you two are destined to be together, anyway.”
His face goes rigid. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it? I saw you with her yesterday, Adam. You and Millie looked like a lot more than just siblings.”
“I’m telling you, she’s practically a third sister!” he practically shouts, his face going red.
