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By the time he made it to the sidewalk Grace was already there waiting for him.
The shop was small. It only had a handful of tables, so after getting their ice creams they took them outside so they could people watch.
“Can I ask you something?”
He scooped up some of the chocolate fudge ice cream he’d ordered and nodded. “Grace, you can ask me anything.”
“If we’re not on a date, why is it that you always insist on paying?”
Alexander smiled. “Habit, I suppose.” He paused while he took a bite of his ice cream. “Or I guess you could just say I’m old-fashioned.”
She didn’t say anything.
He waited for several minutes, hoping maybe she’d ask another question. When she didn’t, he turned to look at the Arch figuring that would be a safe topic. “Have you ever been up?”
“What?” she asked, distracted.
“The Arch. Have you ever been up to the top?”
“Oh. Yeah, once. When I was little. Ten, I think. Everything down below looks really tiny.”
Her gaze was on anything but him. Not in a way to make him think she was engrossed in what was going on around them, but more as if she was avoiding eye contact with him. So much so he felt he needed to ask, “Do you want me to take you home?”
That made her look at him.
“You seem uncomfortable tonight and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. This was meant to be fun. For both of us.”
A look of guilt crossed her face and it made him regret his words.
“It’s not you,” she said. “I have a lot on my mind.”
“If you need someone to listen, I’m here. I know we don’t know each other all that well, but—”
“Kurt wants me to move on.”
Her statement caused his mind to go completely blank.
Before he could recover himself, she continued. “The letter you brought me. Kurt said he wanted me to move on, find someone else, and... well, I’m trying to figure out how to do that. I’m not sure that I can.”
Things were beginning to fall into place. “Is that why you asked me about this being a date?”
Grace nodded.
Alexander set his ice cream aside and turned to face her. He was still trying to process what she’d told him with what he knew about his friend. “If you don’t feel you’re ready, then you’re not ready.”
“But what if I’m never ready?” she asked, pleading in her eyes.
“I think you will be. Eventually.” She opened her mouth to say something, but he went on anyway, cutting her off. “I know it may not feel that way now, but you even told me yourself that you’ve gotten better since you started your job at the café.”
She started to say something else but then seemed to change her mind. Instead, she nodded.
They went back to eating their ice cream in silence, watching the cars go by. Hearing the anguish in her voice reinforced Alexander’s determination to be there for her and help her in any way he could.
***
Chapter 6
Grace ran her hands over her hair in a nervous gesture. As she reached her neck, she felt her collar still around it. She went to the mirror and took a long look at herself.
