Page 12 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
Millie’s face falls slightly, but she quickly recovers. Adam slides into the booth next to me, leaving Millie to take the seat beside Lauren. I notice Millie doesn’t seem happy with the seating arrangements.
“So,” Lauren says into the awkward silence that follows, “how’s the sorting going?”
“It’s…” Adam glances at Millie. “It’s going.”
“It’s so hard,” Millie says, her eyes filling with tears. “Every little thing I pick up reminds me of Daddy. I don’t know how Iwould get through this without Adam.” She reaches across the table to squeeze his hand.
I stare down at their joined hands, then at my plate. Beside me, I feel Adam shift uncomfortably.
“I’m just helping out where I can,” he says, extracting his hand from Millie’s, and picking up a menu. “Anyone want to split an appetizer?”
Lauren shoots me a sympathetic look across the table.
“How have you been, Caitlin?” Millie asks, her tone solicitous but her eyes sharp. “I haven’t seen you since the funeral.”
“I’ve been fine,” I say shortly. “Working on job applications.”
“Any leads?” Adam asks, seeming eager to change the subject.
“A couple,” I reply, not elaborating. The truth is, I’ve been too preoccupied with my spiraling relationship to focus properly on my job search.
“Adam mentioned you’re hoping to find a job in a restaurant, right?” Millie asks. “Well, the guy who owns Garden Grill is a relative of mine. You know the really nice place that just opened? I’ll ask Mom to put in a good word with him.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, although I don’t believe for a minute that any word Millie puts in for me will be good.
What follows is the most uncomfortable lunch I’ve ever had the misfortune to be part of. Millie keeps bringing up shared memories with Adam, reaching over to touch him whenever possible, while Adam tries to include me in the conversation and Lauren shoots daggers at her brother with her eyes.
“I just don’t know what I’d do without Adam,” Millie says after the bill has been paid and we are packing up. “He’s the only one who really understands what I’m going through.”
I’ve had enough. I place my napkin on the table and stand up. “I need to go,” I say, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “I have some stuff I need to get done.”
“Caitlin—” Adam starts as he stands up to let me out, but as soon as I’m free, I walk toward the door.
Outside in the parking lot, the summer heat hits me like a wall. I take a deep breath of the humid air, trying to calm the storm of emotions brewing inside me.
“Caitlin, wait!” Adam calls, jogging to catch up with me. “What was that about?”
I spin to face him. “How often have you been having cozy lunches with Millie while I sit at home alone?”
His face hardens. “It wasn’t a ‘cozy lunch.’ It was two old friends getting something to eat after doing a difficult task together. I texted you where I was going.”
“You what?” I pull out my phone and check my messages. Sure enough, there’s a text from Adam that I must have gotten soon after I stopped checking my phone: “Finishing up at Millie’s. Going to grab lunch at Miller’s Deli if you want to join.”
My anger deflates slightly, replaced by exhaustion. “I didn’t see it.”
“Yeah,” Adam says, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Caitlin, I’m trying here. I really am. I know it’s been tough since the funeral, but I need you to trust me.”
“It’s hard to trust you when you’re never home,” I say, hating how small my voice sounds. “When you’re always with her.”
Adam steps closer, taking my hands in his. “Listen to me. You are the only woman I want to be with. The only one. Millie is an old friend who’s going through something terrible, and yes, I’m trying to be there for her. But you—” He squeezes my hands. “You’re the one I’m going to marry. You’re the one I want to spend my life with.”
I look into his eyes, searching for the truth. “I want to believe that.”
“Then believe it,” he says simply. “Because it’s true.”
A car door slams behind us, and I glance over Adam’s shoulder to see Millie standing by the restaurant entrance, watching us with an unreadable expression.
Adam follows my gaze, then turns back to me. “Let me make it up to you. Let’s spend the rest of the day together, just the two of us. I’ve been missing you too, you know.”
