Page 46 of Refuge for Flora

“No. Is it a park?”

Barrett laughed loudly. “Girl, it’s a hundred and seventy thousand acres! It’s one really big park!”

Flora shrugged. “I didn’t know.”

“I’ll take you sometime. We’ll go see some of the sights. It’s pretty cool. I spent a lot of time there growing up.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I’d love to go.”

“Okay. I’ve got a couple of kayaks and we can take them and have a little fun. I mean, do you like being in the outdoors?”

“Sure. My grandpa used to take us fishing when we were kids and I loved it. Always wanted a horse or a cow or something like that. Maybe a donkey. I dunno. I’d settle for a dog.”

“I want a dog, but I work so much that it would be pretty lonely.”

Flora sat there as he ate and tried to formulate her question. “Do you think you actually have time for a relationship?”

His palm was warm as it landed on the back of the hand she was resting on the table. “I’llmaketime for somebody who’s interested in having a relationship with me.”

“Have you been in a relationship?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve been in two or three that lasted for some while, but somehow, they never worked. It seemed like one person always cared more than the other.”

“And did they care more, or did you?”

“Ahh, I’d say about fifty-fifty.

“After Jessica, uh, Jesse?”

“Yeah.” He took another bite of stew and chewed thoughtfully. “Honestly, Jesse was usually the tipping point.”

“They didn’t like the time you spent with him, or?”

“No. They thought I wasn’t over him. Her. Whatever. And that’s not the case. I just feel this sense of…”

She could see his thoughts drifting, so she finished the sentence for him. “Responsibility?”

Barrett nodded. “Yeah. I guess that’s it.”

“I think that’s pretty normal. But I really think you need to get past that because it’s causing you so much pain.”

He sat there for a minute before he spoke, a sadness in his eyes that Flora could feel and his voice little more than a whisper. “You know, I think I somehow believed I’d wake up one morning and it would all be a nightmare. You know, positive thinking and all that. But that’s not going to happen. That’s gone, and you’re right. Letting him hang around is just perpetuating that unrealistic thinking for me. I’ve got to stop it and move on.”

“You do. You really need to.”

His phone rang. With his one glance at it, she knew who it was. “Hello? Yeah… No, I’m at a friend’s house… Doesn’t matter.… I’ve already eaten.… I’m not planning to. Sorry.… Okay, bye.” She watched as he touched the screen, ended the call, and sighed, his shoulders slumped.

“What was that about?”

“Jesse. At my house. Wanted to know where I was. Wanted to know who the friend is. Wanted to know if I wanted dinner. Wanted to know when I’ll be home.”

“So you’re not planning to go home?”

“No. I’m planning to stay here if she doesn’t mind,” he said with a head toss toward the living room.

“She already told you she doesn’t mind. Finish eating and we’ll find something fun to do.”

By the time she’d cleaned up the dishes with his help, Mrs.Murphy had turned the TV to a news show. But when they walked into the living room, she snapped it off and looked up at both of them. “Y’all know how to play poker?”

---