Page 134 of Need You to Choose Me

I sip my Coca-Cola. “I don’t know if there’s a magic “it”. The idea that there’s only one person for us out there is scary.”

“But?” he presses.

I wet my lips. “But I think he comes pretty close. We have history. We have more than that, if I’m being honest. I’m trying to figure out what to do with it.”

The internship application is filled out and ready to be mailed, but I haven’t parted with it yet. I’d be dumb not to take the opportunity. I could use my degree by doing something I love. It could be a win-win.

But there’s always that what-if possibility that something could go wrong. The problem with obsessing over something like that, is that it takes away from the good. What is my alternative? I find some random job sitting behind a desk as a glorified secretary? That doesn’t sound nearly as fun as working public relations for a hockey team.

When I realize Bodhi is staring at me, I stifle a sigh. “Do you believe that everybody has one soulmate?”

His eyes scan my face before turning to his daughter. I watch his brows pinch as he studies her face, and I wonder if he sees her mother. “I used to,” he admits quietly, slowly turning back to me. “I’m not so sure these days.”

I guess that makes two of us then.

Before either of us can say anything else, his phone starts going off. He flinches when he reads the screen before turning it toward me.

Sebastian.

“Why is he calling you?”

“Probably because we share locations,” he admits, his cheeks turning a shade of pink I’ve never seen on him before. As if he needs to explain himself, he murmurs, “It happened after a night of celebrating our big win with tequila. I wandered out of the hotel and… You know what? It’s not that important.”

I’m definitely curious about what happened that required Sebastian to start tracking his location, but I don’t press him on it.

“Henderson,” he greets, pressing his phone against his ear and winking at me. “Uh-huh. I am. Yep. Did you know BirdseyeDiner has Coke that tastes better than McDonald’s fountain drinks? I’m not even joking. I know how much you love those.”

My giggle is light as I settle into my seat.

He makes a thoughtful noise. “What makes you think she’s here? Maybe I’m in town on business.” He’s quiet for a second. “I could be setting up a scholarship. I’m very generous like that. Even Gemma likes it here.”

Gemma perks up. “I’m going to go to school here.”

“Hear that?” Bodhi asks my brother chipperly. “There’s nothing wrong with starting them early. Some kids were born into ivy league legacies. My friend Mitch’s parents wanted him to go to Brown since he was pushed out of his mother’s—”

My brother cuts him off before he can finish his sentence, which is probably for the better.

Bodhi holds the phone out to me. “He’d like to talk to you.”

Eyebrows going up, I accept his phone. “So you won’t answer my texts but you’re willing to talk to me when you find out your friend is in town?”

Sebastian sighs. “Don’t be like that. I have a right to be upset.”

“Do you?” I question. “Because you seem to do whatever you want without anybody else’s say, but we’re still supportive. What, Seb? You don’t want me to be with Alex and you don’t want me to be with Bodhi either? Do you hear how ridiculous you sound?”

For a minute, he’s silent. “I never told you who you could or couldn’t be with.”

“You warned me away from Bodhi because of what he had going on with Gemma,” I remind him, causing Bodhi’s eyebrows to jump up his forehead. He must not have known that. “And you weren’t exactly waving around your pom-poms when you found out I was with Alex.”

“I told you my reasoning—”

“No,” I cut him off. “You told me what youthoughtyou knew. But you don’t know anything about Alex. You’re so two-faced sometimes. You’re allowed to get married to somebody we’ve never met and know absolutely nothing about, but the second I try to make something work with someone, it’s not okay? I already have one unsupportive family member who makes me feel like I’m not worth anybody’s time. I don’t need a second one.”

“Olive,” he says softly. “I’m not like Dad. That isn’t fair.”

From where I’m sitting, it’s not that different.

“You’re not Dad period,” I point out. “And I’m not a little girl you need to protect from the world. Drill that into your big, fat head.”

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