Page 37 of Replay

“Whoa,” he finally said. “You thought about that?”

I set my mug down. “We dated for almost two years. I always knew she didn’t like me. Of course I tried to figure out why. She’s very…possessive of you.”

His brow furrowed. “But she talks about me finding a nice girl and settling down.”

Daniel put another omelet on a plate and grabbed a fork. “Think he’ll figure it out?” He took a bite, watching Josh like he was the entertainment for the morning.

Josh ignored it. “So, Mom didn’t think you were nice?” His voice was high-pitched, incredulous.

“She seems nice to me.” Daniel apparently felt he was an integral part of this discussion.

“She is nice,” Josh stated, as if Daniel had argued the point instead of agreeing with him. “Why doesn’t Mom think you’re nice? Why doesn’t she like you?”

I sighed. “If you asked, she would tell you I’m nice and mean it. But I’m not the nice she wants for you in a permanent partner.”

Josh set his fork down and crossed his arms. “Tell me what that means.”

This might be brutal, but maybe he needed to know. It would help in case he started dating someone his mother didn’t approve of. My shoulder twitched. Someone else.

If this was too blunt, maybe he would decide he didn’t want to be friends. But might as well know now. “I don’t think she’s ready to be a grandmother, or to share you. And when she is ready, she’ll want someone different.” Even back then I wasn’t the imaginary daughter-in-law she pictured. “I’m not going to go back home to Nova Scotia, buy a house close to her, and let her come over and arrange things and tell me how many kids to have and how to raise them.”

Josh frowned.

I stood. “Your mom had a difficult time, raising you as a single parent, and she did a good job. And I’m sorry if what I said sounded mean, because I didn’t intend that. She loves you and wants the best for you. This is what she believes is best. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the impression I got from our interactions.”

Josh had his sad face on, but I wanted it all out there.

“Your mom and I are never going to be besties, so you should know that before we try being friends. I’m going to go now. Thanks for breakfast, Daniel, and thanks for dinner last night, Josh.”

I grabbed my bag and almost ran out of the condo. I might have just blown things up with Josh, and that upset me more than was reasonable. Not just that it would end our friendship replay—I didn’t want to hurt him any further.

Maybe his mother was right. I wasn’t good for him.

Chapter 13

I Don’t Fangirl Over Insurance Agents

Josh

Whoa. That was a lot to think about. Had Katie always felt that way? Was she correct about my mom?

“You okay?” Fitch eyed me as he took my plate away.

“Do you think Katie’s right?”

“Katie believes what she said is the truth. I don’t know if it is.”

I sighed. “I don’t know either. She’s just my mom, and…” I shrugged. She was a normal mom to me, the only one I had. She’d always taken good care of me, but— “Is Katie saying I’m weak? My mom does everything for me and wants to take over my life?”

Fitch shrugged. “I’ve never met your mother. You seem to be mostly functioning fine on your own, outside of an inability to cook and leaving things lying around the place. Even if Katie is right, when you have only one parent, then you would appreciate them and see them in their best light. That doesn’t mean you’re weak or that you can’t make your own decisions.”

“You’re not helping as much as you probably think you are.”

He nudged me. “You’re how old again?”

“Twenty-four.”

“You should be figuring this out yourself, right?”

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