“That sounds like the counselor talking.”
“It is, but it’s also true. Long-term relationships—the ones that matter—are all about weathering the peaks and the valleys. And you are still thinking long-term, right?”
“Yes.” Katie nodded. “I am. And you’re right. Thanks.”
Jo patted Katie’s leg and winked as she unfolded herself from the steps and stood. “What are friends for, right?”
Katie squinted up. “Do you want some coffee? I was going to start a pot.”
“Not this morning. Too hot. What I need is a glass of ice water and a cool shower. I feel like I’m melting.”
“Are you going to the carnival today?”
“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet. But if I do, I’ll try to find you,” she promised. “Now head on over there before you change your mind.”
Katie sat on the steps a few minutes longer before retreating into the house. She showered and made herself a cup of coffee—but Jo was right, it was too hot to drink it. Instead, she changed into shorts and sandals before walking around to the back of the house and getting on her bicycle.
Despite the recent downpour, the gravel road was already drying and she was able to pedal without exerting much energy. Good thing. She had no idea how Jo had been able to jog in this heat, even first thing in the morning. Everything, it seemed, was trying to escape the heat. Normally, there were squirrels or birds, but as she turned onto the main road, she saw no movement at all.
On the road, traffic was light. A couple of cars zipped past, leaving fumes in their wake. Katie pedaled onward and as she rounded a bend, the store came into view. Already, there were half a dozen cars parked out front. Regulars who came to eat biscuits.
Talking to Jo had helped, she thought. A little, anyway. She was still anxious, but it had less to do with the Feldmans or other troubling memories than what she was going to say to Alex. Or rather, what he was going to say to her in return.
She pulled to a stop out front. A couple of older men were fanning themselves on the benches and she walked past them toward the door. Behind the register, Joyce was ringing up a customer and she smiled.
“Good morning, Katie,” she said.
Katie quickly scanned the store. “Is Alex around?”
“He’s upstairs with the kids. You know the way, right? The stairs out back?”
Katie left the store and went around the side, toward the rear of the building. At the dock, a line of boats queued, waiting to fill up.
She hesitated at the door before finally knocking. Inside, she could hear footfalls approaching. When the door swung open, Alex stood before her.
She offered a tentative smile. “Hi,” she said.
He nodded, his expression unreadable. Katie cleared her throat.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about what I said. I was wrong.”
His expression remained neutral. “Okay,” he said. “I appreciate the apology.”
For a moment, neither of them said anything, and Katie suddenly wished she hadn’t come. “I can go. I just need to know whether you still need me to watch the kids tonight.”
Again, he said nothing, and in the silence Katie shook her head. When she turned to leave, she heard him take a step toward her. “Katie… wait,” he said. He peeked over his shoulder at the kids before closing the door behind him.
“What you said last night…” he began. He trailed off, uncertain.
“I didn’t mean it,” she said, her voice soft. “I don’t know what got into me. I was upset about something else and I took it out on you.”
“I admit it—it bothered me. Not so much that you said it, but that you imagined me capable of… that.”
“I don’t think that,” Katie said. “I would never think that about you.”
He seemed to take that in, but she knew he had more to say.
“I want you to know that I value what we have right now, and more than anything, I want you to be comfortable. Whatever that means. I’m sorry for making you feel like I was putting you on the spot. That wasn’t what I was trying to do.”
“Yes, you were.” She gave him a knowing smile. “A little, anyway. But it’s okay. I mean, who knows what the future might bring, right? Like tonight, for instance.”
“Why? What happens tonight?”
She leaned against the doorjamb. “Well, once the kids are asleep and depending when you get back, it might be too late for me to ride back to my house. You might just find me in your bed…”
When he realized she wasn’t kidding, he brought a hand to his chin in mock contemplation. “That is a dilemma.”