Page 130 of All We Need

I can handle meeting him for coffee occasionally and getting to know him.Seeingpictures ofHarveyas a child would be strange, but he’s only doing whatI’dasked for.Givingme answers.

The phone rings twice before his monotone voice greets me. “Hello?”

“Hi,Martin.It’sAlessandra.”

He sucks in a breath. “Oh.Howare you?”

My fingers tap a nervous beat against my thigh. “I’mgood.Andyou?”

“Yes.Good.”

God, this is painful.Itshouldn’t be this painful.Mybrash exit at the bakery probably didn’t help, and consideringMartin’ssubdued character, it might be down to me to salvage this.

Booth would know how to handle this.

You’ve got this,Aly.

“I’m sorry.Aboutthe other day.Thething is…I’vespent so much time preparing myself for all the potential outcomes of connecting with my birth family thatIhadn’t considered what the hellIwas supposed to do ifIactually met them.Everythingwent from zero to sixty faster thanI’dplanned.”Iwince at my frantic tone.

OneMississippi.TwoMississippi.ThreeMississippi.

“I’m probably not what you were expecting either.”Themisery in his voice tugs at my heartstrings.

“No,Martin, it wasn’t you, but the situation…”HowdoIexplain this to a man who carries a lot of deep regret and whose home holds no memories of a family he lost?

I glance at the bathroom door and practically hearBoothsay,Giveit to him straight,Silv.

SoIdo.

“I didn’t have any expectations of coming toSuttonBay.Theexperience with my birth mom cut me deeper thanIlet on, but already you’ve surpassed her.Harvey’sdecision about whether he wants to meet me is his call.”Itake a steadying breath. “Iguess whatI’mtrying to say is that even if nothing comes from that, and if you’re still willing,I’dlike to get to know you whileI’min town.Andmaybe to stay in touch onceIleave?”

FourMississippi.FiveMiss?—

“I’d really like that.”Myshoulders relax at his optimistic tone. “Iguess we’re both pretty new to this.”

“I’m sure there’s a tutorial somewhere online.”Weshare anervous laugh. “Myschedule is pretty flexible.Howabout another coffee?Andmaybe you could bring those photos ofHarvey?”

“Coffee sounds good.Istomorrow too soon?”

My smile is genuine, voice sincere. “Tomorrowis perfect.I’mlooking forward to it.”

We hang up, a wave of relief crashes into me.Whenit retreats,I’mleft feeling content.LikeI’veaccomplished something.Finally.Afterspending so much time wanting to prove to othersIcan face this alone, it’s surprisingly refreshing to knowIdid this with the support of people who care for me.

With that over with, the nervous heat clawing up my neck is replaced with a chill.Ipad over toBooth’sdresser, desperate to cover up my blue toes. “Hey, which drawer do you keep your socks in?”

“Huh?” he shouts over the spray of water.

“Socks.Whereare they?”

“Baby,Ican’t tell if you’re saying socks or cocks.Ihope it’s the latter.”

“You’re useless!”Acceptinghe’s no help,Irifle through the dresser but pause at the contents of the bottom drawer.Whatthe fuck.Pullingthe questionable amounts of spandex out and arranging it on his bed,Iwait for him to finish in the shower.

A couple of minutes later, with a towel wrapped low around his waist, he emerges.Andfreezes. “Whatare—Oh.SoIcan explain that.”

I gesture to the bed, completely dumbfounded. “Youcan explain why you have seventeen pairs of cycling shorts?Seventeen.”

He has the gall to look amused.

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