People milled about down the street in front of us, many on their way to brunch or in hopes of some early morning shopping. It was early Saturday afternoon and soon this place would be bustling with tourists.
Turning back toward Brick, I asked, “So, are you ever going to send me another bill?”
I’d begun to notice, now that I had a firmer grasp on my finances, that he hadn’t sent me a bill in over a month.
“I haven’t really decided yet,” he answered with a slight grin.
I shook my head in disbelief. “Anything to do with the new choice of meeting location, or perhaps the fact that you went out of your way to contact Everly on my behalf?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “No to the first part—I really do like the coffee here, and I do find you open up more outside an office setting. I would be doing this regardless of…other things. In regards to the second half, well…that was out of the norm, even for one so out of the box such as me. I acted more as a friend than a counselor or therapist, which is why I stopped charging you as one.”
“So, I guess if this all goes south, I won’t be able to sue you?”
He chuckled, shaking his head at my comment. “No, but you will have me around—as a friend—to put everything back together again.”
“And if it just happens to go well?”
“My bill will be in the mail,” he joked with a chuckle.
“So much for friendship.” I rolled my eyes. My coffee and muffin were delivered at that moment and I dug in, feeling famished. Brick was right; the coffee here was right on and their muffins weren’t all that bad either.
“Your Everly makes a good cup of coffee,” Brick said as I polished off the last of my muffin.
“She’s not mine,” I muttered.
“Sorry; you know what I meant. She made me a cup or two that day I visited her. Real nice, very sweet.”
“To everyone else,” I answered.
“Still giving you the cold shoulder?”
My silence was answer enough for him.
“She just needs time, August.”
“Time for what?” I blurted out. “Time to realize I’m not the same guy…because I’m not. I’ve showed her that over and over, but no matter what I do, I’ll always look just like him and that’s something I can’t change.”
“Time,” he simply repeated.
Time. Such a funny word for me. It was something I’d lost—so many memories and years gone in a single moment. And yet, here I was with nothing but time stretched out before me to do whatever it was that I chose.
It seemed my entire life always boiled down to that one word.
But what was I holding out for? What would giving things time bring to me at the end of all this with Everly? She’d never be mine…and why did I want her to be? Why did I feel such a pull to this woman I didn’t remember?
Looking at the people passing by, I watched them disappear into little boutiques and funky shops. Men would buy their girlfriends and wives tiny trinkets, a necklace or a pretty scarf to remember the special day. If I wandered into one of those shops, I wouldn’t know the first thing about Everly—what to get her and what she might like.
And yet, every time she was in a room, I had to be near her.
Why?
Were they feelings left over from a life already lived or did I truly love this woman?
I guess I would never really know.
“Have you seen Magnolia again since I last spoke to you?” Brick asked, pulling my attention away from the busy street.
“Date number three is tonight,” I answered.
“So things are going well, then?”
I nodded. “She’s beautiful. Nice to talk to. What isn’t there to like?”
“Have you slept with her yet?” he asked out of the blue.
“Jesus, Brick.” I choked on my coffee. “Give a guy some warning. No—she has one of those five-date rules.”
“And you see yourself sticking around until lucky date number five?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, why?”
“Just curious. That’s all.”
And now, so was I.
What did the good old shrink have up his sleeve?
Chapter Nineteen
Everly
Here’s to Sarah and her ballerina twirling, leap-flipping hard work!” I shouted, thrusting my wine glass up in the air as the three of us cheered and toasted my incredibly successful friend.
It had been a long time coming, but we’d eventually figured out a date when all three of us could sit down and have a celebratory dinner in Sarah’s honor. The delay was mostly due to Sarah’s crazy work schedule, not ours. But we’d figured it out and here we were.
My two favorite people in the world, several bottles of wine and a house full of home-cooked food.