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We stayed that way for a while, until Min finally let me go and ran out of the office. For a second, I thought she’d abandoned me to my guilt, but a second later she came back with a box of tissues. I grabbed a few of them, and to my horror, a fresh set of tears started.
“I don’t even know why I’m crying now.”
She came back, pulled me up, and hugged me again. I cried longer and harder than I had at my father’s funeral, at my mother’s. I cried more than ever before in my life. My collar was drenched, her sweater was drenched, and I knew what my face must look like. No doubt it was not a pretty sight. I’d be red and blotchy and a total mess by now.
She pulled away and handed me more tissues. I used them to wipe my face, making no effort to hide from her.
Min looked me square in the eye. “You’re crying because you never let it out, Thayle. Being strong after what you’ve gone through doesn’t always look like you think it does. Sometimes, it looks like this. Letting yourself be vulnerable with someone you love and trust. And on top of it all, you’ve been keeping something in that never needed to be a secret. I suspected years ago but also didn’t want to embarrass you by asking. And then I just thought you’d gotten over it.”
“Pfft, I wish.”
“Do you?” she asked softly.
I shook my head. “Now? No.”
I was finally getting a hold of myself.
“Do you remember the first thing you said when Cos proposed to Brooke?” Min asked. I shook my head again. “You said, ‘She’s so perfect for him. And for Grado.’”
“I vaguely remember.”
“That’s how I feel too, about you. You are perfect, absolutely perfect, for Neo. And for Grado too. And I don’t mean the vineyards.”
My heart stopped. Or seemed to.
“I mean, you’re perfect for our family. No one cares that you didn’t go to college, Thayle, even though I know it bothers you. No one cares about your upbringing or about anything other than the fact that you make Neo happy.”
My hand flew to my mouth. I couldn’t talk. If I did, it would kick off a fresh wave of tears. “You don’t know if I make him happy.”
“Of course I do. No one knows you like me, with one glaring exception, I guess, because this one may be a surprise for you. I’d have set the two of you up myself if I didn’t respect you both enough to know your own minds. This is not a total shocker to me, Thayle. I’m only surprised that you were able to keep it to yourself for so long.” She smiled. And it was true. I was the worst secret keeper usually.
“You aren’t mad?”
“Did you think I would be?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I think I’d convinced myself it was the reason we couldn’t be together. But maybe there was more to it than that. I think deep down I knew you’d forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. You did it to preserve what we all had, not wanting to rock the boat. How could I be upset about a decision you made out of love?”
This was why we were best friends.
I hugged her again, apologizing for her tear-soaked sweater. “I don’t know what got into me,” I said, attempting to regain some control.
“You never really let it out. I know you think you’ve got it all handled, and you do in a lot of ways, but I worry about you. A person could only take so much.”
She was right. And thankfully, I knew just who to call. Wayne couldn’t have been more on target if he tried. The guy was obviously a skilled therapist. Maybe I could talk him into coming out of retirement, just for a bit.
“You have no idea how good this makes me feel. I have so much to tell you.”
“And I want to hearmostof it. Keep in mind, Neo is my brother, after all. Let me go out and make sure no one is here.”
Composing myself, I stood there wondering how I could have gotten so incredibly lucky. Then, realizing Neo was probably waiting for me, I pulled out my phone and texted,We’re done. I’d been about to add,Come over when you can, when Min reappeared at my door. She looked as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Um, so, you may want to freshen up a bit. Like ASAP.”
“Just because I must look like I walked through a car wash?”
“That, and because...” She swallowed. Something was wrong. “Our VIP guest is a little early.”
