Page 79 of Out of the Storm

“He told me that you went over to meet his mom.”

Jeff turned back to the popcorn and hummed an “mm-hmm” in response.

“He tends to be a little weird afterward.”

“Yeah,” Jeff said, stomach tightening. “He was.”

“Losing his dad when he was a kid really messed him up, but it messed his mom up too. She’s never been the same. I think she really pulled away after that. Gary’s terrified of losing people now. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed.”

“I... have,” Jeff said, tensing from her tone, which was maybe slightly accusatory. Or perhaps she was just trying to warn him. Either way, it made him feel uneasy.

“Gary is someone who will always be there for you. I think his fear of losing people, well, Gary thinks it makes him clingy, but I think it just made him realize how important it is to really be there for people.” Jeff nodded, turning this over in his head. Mel continued. “Okay, this will probably sound silly, but Gary is like vanilla ice cream. Or, I think that’s how he seems himself. Like, I think he feels like he’s overlooked sometimes. And maybe he hasbeen. But, trust me, you’re lucky to have him. He’ll never let you down. I know you probably think there are more exciting men out there, but Gary’s exciting too, in his own way.”

Jeff pinched his lips to keep himself from smiling too much. Vanilla ice cream. God, Gare. He was so fucking cute.

Hand on her hip, Mel said, “Just... be careful with his heart, okay? He’s my best friend, and truthfully, I think he’s probably one of the sweetest men on the planet.” Yeah, Jeff knew that already. “He’s sensitive too. And, Jeff, he really likes you. I’ve never seen him like anyone this much.”

Jeff’s cheeks warmed.I’ve never seen him like anyone this much.He wanted to respond with something nice in return, but words wouldn’t come.

The popcorn finally started to pop. Jeff shook the pan.

“Gary hinted that he thought he might be hurting you or overwhelming you somehow,” Mel said, “and I wanted to add that, yes, I know Gary can be kind of... enthusiastic. But that’s what makes him special. Once you have his heart, that’s it, you have it.”

Now Jeff couldn’t hold back. Because Gary was not overwhelming in the least. He couldn’t believe that Gary’d ever think of himself that way.

“He’s not...” Jeff tried to think of how to phrase it. “It isn’t him,” he managed to say, the sound of the popcorn popping making it hard to formulate his words. “It’s me.”

“It’s not him, it’s you?” Mel repeated, a bite to her tone. “God, you’re not leaving him, are you?”

“Jesus,” Jeff sputtered. “Of course not.”

“Okay. Good.”

“Something happened years ago. I need to... to fix it,” he said. “Or fix me, maybe. It’s not Gary. Gary’s... fine.” He’d nearly said Gary was perfect, but that seemed too mushy to say to someone else, even if shewasGary’s best friend.

Mel narrowed her eyes and studied him for a couple of seconds.

“I felt that way too before Ken. Like I needed to fix myself, I mean.”

Jeff stayed quiet while the popcorn finished. Mel strummed her hot-pink nails on the brown countertop before suddenly opening one of the drawers and starting to search for something.

While she looked for whatever the hell it was that she was looking for, Jeff removed the bloated popcorn pan from the stove, set it aside, and turned off the stove. He went to try to break open the foil when Mel’s hand came to rest atop his outstretched forearm.

“Here,” she said, holding out what looked to be a business card with her other hand. “Don’t tell Gary I had this, but...”

Taking the card, Jeff looked it over. He had no idea who the woman was—Martha Goldstein—but when he noticed the title “Psychologist” underneath her name, his stomach plummeted. He tried to hand the card back to Mel. Nowayhe was seeing some sort of counselor.

“Keep it,” she insisted. “It’s none of my business whether you call or not, but if you think you need fixing, well, it’s probably worth talking to someone.”

“I—no.”

“Just take the card. Think about it. For Gary.” Mel chewed on her lip for a few seconds, like she was trying to work out whether or not she wanted to say something else. Finally, she said, “I know it seems weird, but talking to someone can be really helpful. Ken and I probably wouldn’t be together had I not been open to trying something new. I’d been single for a long time before talking to Dr. Goldstein.”

Jeff studied the card some more. Mel probably wouldn’t like him much if he kept refusing to take it. He wanted Mel to like him. Who knew what the hell she’d say to Gary if she hated him. So, heshoved the card into his wallet and reminded himself that he only needed to take the card, not to call.

“I hope it helps,” she said, her voice so full of sympathy it was making Jeff want to turn inward, to collapse in on himself like a black hole.

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, returning his focus to the popcorn.

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