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A couple of months ago, I would have been bothered by the disarray left downstairs, but now that I know what it feels like to have Marlow wrapped in my arms—to kiss her—I’m not so bothered by the mess anymore.
15
MARLOW
LOLA ISN’T THE ONLY ONE I missed while I was gone.
After days of Dylan dominating my thoughts while he was away, his confession invaded my consciousness, and caused me to momentarily lose all rational thought. As he leaned in, I felt the gentle whisper of his breath on my skin. The temptation to finally know what it felt like to kiss him was too strong to resist, and I closed the remaining distance between us.
When our mouths met, it sparked a wildfire of affection that I never wanted to end.
I got lost in the moment, but when Dylan pulled back, I panicked. It doesn’t matter that he assured me he enjoyed kissing me. The very idea that he could reject me had me scrambling to find an excuse as to why it was a mistake.
For me, the fear of rejection is more distressing than the act of being rejected. Despite being illogical, the relentless reminders that I was inadequate when I was a kid linger in my subconscious. I’ve become an expert at avoiding scenarios where I could potentially face denial.
So naturally, I hightailed it out of Dylan’s, like I did the night outside of Willow Creek Café. It’s safe to say avoiding uncomfortable situations is my specialty.
Like the time I lived in Mesa, Arizona. I naively agreed to go on a date with my landlord, Stewart. To call it a disaster is an understatement. He droned on about his mother for a solid hour and picked at his teeth throughout the duration of our meal. As if things couldn’t get worse, when the check arrived, he asked me to cover it since he left his wallet at home.
When I declined a second date, he sobbed and begged me to tell him what he did wrong. A pipe burst in my kitchen the week after, and I paid the repair costs myself so I could avoid another awkward encounter with him. Thankfully I had a lease with no fixed term and moved out the next month.
Dylan might not be losing his hair or have an obsession with his mom, but that doesn’t make our situation any less awkward. If it weren’t for Waffles and Lola, I’d probably be preparing to move somewhere warm year-round, and that doesn’t include living next door to a hot single dad who I can’t stop thinking about.
After getting home last night, I went straight to bed and slept for twelve hours. I hadn’t realized how emotionally taxing taking care of a sick child could be, and I’m relieved that Dylan is back home with Lola. Watching her cry, unable to alleviate her pain, was heart-wrenching. A weight was lifted off my shoulders when her fever finally broke.
I want to check on her more than anything, but I don’t want to interrupt her day with Dylan. And I remind myself that I’m avoiding him at the moment.
I’m feeling sluggish, so I’m curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and my favorite cable-knit blanket.
I decide to call Quinn. We’ve texted a few times, but it’s been a few days since we spoke on the phone.
“Hey, stranger,” she answers in a singsong voice. “I was about to call in the search party. Is everything okay? How’s Lola doing?”
“Thankfully, her fever broke last night, so I’m hoping she’s back to her normal self soon. Dylan took the day off, so I haven’t seen her today.”
I texted Quinn while Lola and I were in the waiting room at the doctor’s office yesterday. She didn’t know until then that I’d been watching Lola while Dylan was out of town since she’s been in Florida.
“I’m so glad to hear it,” she says.
“How’s everything going at the shop since you’ve been gone?”
I offered to take care of things at Brush & Palette while she’s been visiting her grandmother, but she rightly pointed out that I have too much on my plate as it is. She’s not wrong. I have a habit of spreading myself too thin, especially when it comes to helping people I care about.
“Martha’s done a fantastic job managing the shop. She’s also kept me in the loop on all the town gossip.”
I don’t like where she’s going with this.
“According to her, Mr. Hot Single Dad got territorial when he saw you with Eric Schultz at the speed dating event last week.” She lets out an excited squeal. “If I had known you were into that kind of thing, I would have invited you to the last one.”
“I’m not.” I let out a groan of embarrassment. “Dylan’s mom convinced us both to go but conveniently left out that there would be speed dating. She got it in her head that Dylan and I should go together and decided to play matchmaker for two rather unenthusiastic participants.”
At least we used to be unenthusiastic.
“You heard about what Johanna did to her daughter Presley and her boyfriend, Jack, right?” Quinn asks.
“No, what happened?” I saw them both when Johanna invited me over for Christmas Eve, but we didn’t get to talk much.
“Presley was Jack’s assistant for three years before they got together. The Christmas before last, he invited himself home with her for the holidays, and they pretended to be a couple when they got to Aspen Grove. And guess what?” She pauses for effect. “It turns out Johanna knew who Jack was the entire time but pretended she didn’t, and she insisted Jack and Presley share a bedroom while they were in town. Now they’re madly in love and living together in New York City.”
