Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“It’s sort of complicated.”
“Talk to me,” she said, tipping up her wine glass.
Taking a deep breath, I told her about Nate, the baby, and what had happened between us over the weekend. “So it’s really new,” I said. “But I really like him. And I think he likes me.” At least, I’d thought so last night.
“Got it. Is he the reason you’re hesitant to move away for the summer?”
“Yes,” I admitted, spinning my empty glass by the stem. “But he probably shouldn’t be. It’s not like we’re anything serious.”
She poked my shoulder. “Give it a chance, Em. It’s been one night.”
“I know, but…I’ve known him a while. And he’s been very up front with me that he’s not a relationship kind of guy and doesn’t really believe in happily ever after and all that.”
Mia nodded knowingly. “I once knew a guy like that. Want to know where he is now? At home with our three kids.”
“Nate’s not like Lucas at all, though. Or like Nick. Those guys are not afraid of showing their feelings.”
“They weren’t those guys when we met them.” Mia rubbed my arm. “I don’t know Nate, so I can’t say for sure, but I do know what it’s like to feel the way you do and worry he’ll never feel the same. Hang in there, give him some time to realize what he has. Concentrate on other things. Let him miss you.”
“Is that what you did?”
She thought for a moment. “Lucas and I lived an ocean apart for months after we first met, so missing each other came with the territory. But I’ll tell you what I did have to learn to do—stop obsessing over what the future would bring and learn to enjoy the present.”
I sighed. “You sound like Maren. She’s always telling me I should learn to be more mindful. She thinks it would help me achieve more inner peace and harmony.” I wiggled my fingers and made a heart pattern in the air between us.
Mia laughed. “God, I love Maren. Who knows, maybe she’s right! Certainly more inner peace and harmony never hurt anybody.”
I thanked her for the advice and the job offer, and we moved on to other topics. At three-thirty, I stayed with the little ones while she ran to pick up Gianni from school and a little later, I helped her get dinner together for the three of them. Nick had texted that there was no baby yet, but Coco was definitely in labor and he’d let us know as soon as he had news.
I got home around six and contemplated meditation or some yoga in the interest of being more mindful, but decided to put on my pajamas, do some laundry, and catch up on This Is Us instead (going through half a box of tissues because I cannot watch that show without crying). For dinner, I warmed up leftover spaghetti and wondered if Nate was doing the same. I was almost tempted to text him and see if he wanted help or company, but decided not to. He’d really been kind of an ass this morning.
And I’d gone to him last night. It was his turn. Even he should be able to figure that out.
While I was getting ready for bed, Nick texted that Coco had delivered a baby girl they’d named Francis, after Nick’s great-grandmother, and would call Frannie. Baby was fine, Coco was fine, and everyone was enjoying some champagne. It made me smile—they had every reason to celebrate. A once-in-a-lifetime love, four beautiful children, nothing but happily ever after ahead of them.
How did some people get so lucky? I wondered as I lay awake in the dark. In this massive world full of billions of people, how did some manage to find that one person they were meant to be with? How did they get all the pieces to fall so perfectly into place? Was it a matter of geography? Because Coco and Nick had gone to the same college. He saw her walk by on campus one day and knew she was the one. So there was timing involved, too. What if she’d been late for class that day? What if he’d been looking in the other direction?
I thought about Mia and Lucas. They had met in Paris when Mia happened to go into a bar where he was working one night. What if she had chosen a different bar? What if he hadn’t been working that night? What if it hadn’t been raining and she hadn’t gone into a bar at all? What if she’d kept walking? If any one of the circumstances had been altered the slightest bit, one of the pieces might not have fit, and their paths would never have crossed. Their story would have gone untold.
I considered Stella’s decision to be with a man whose company she enjoyed, even though there didn’t seem to be a physical spark between them. Was she settling because she’d gotten tired of waiting around, or was she making the best of it? Logically, I could see where having a companion like Walter would be better than spending night after night alone. But it just seemed so unfair.