Page 69 of All In
It was Kacey.
Terrible date. Awful. Are u free? Need to vent.
A bomb of happiness exploded in my chest. I’d have a few things to say to Viv’s Magic 8 Ball tomorrow.Who’s got your outlook now, bitch?
Zelda cleared her throat pointedly. “Good news?” she asked.
“No, it’s…”
She sighed. “Spill it, T.”
“Spill what?”
“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid, you know. This isn’t a date. Or if it is, it’s the worst date in the history of dates.”
I sat back in my chair. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” she said, waving her hand. “I just ate a twenty-eight-dollar ziti, and this wine definitely didn’t come from the rack at the grocery store. The food makes up for what I already knew was a sham.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “Right before you visit She Who Shall Not Be Named, you get ridiculously happy. And when you come back, you’re a goopy puddle of misery.”
“It’s that obvious?”
“Yeah.” Zelda reached for a long, crackery breadstick from the cup between us and took a bite. “So, what’s Miss Kacey up to tonight?” She batted her eyelashes, still chewing.
“She went on a date and it wasn’t good.”
“Not good for her is good for you. I mean, youdolike her.”
“I do,” I said. “And it’s completely fucked because she’s Jonah’s girlfriend.”
“WasJonah’s girlfriend,” Zelda’s sharp voice turned soft around my brother’s name. “She is no longer Jonah’s girlfriend. It’s been almost a year since she’s beenanyone’sgirlfriend. The statute of limitations has run out on self-imposed celibacy. How old is she?”
“Twenty-four.”
“She’s a twenty-four-year-old woman. So, let’s say she lives to be…seventy-five. What, she’s supposed to stay celibate for fifty years? Never love anyone again? Be alone forever?”
“No, but…” I drummed my fingers on the linen tablecloth. “If she’s going to be with someone else, it probably shouldn’t be me.”
“Why not?” Zelda asked.
“Where do I start? I danced with her at a wedding and Jonah’s best friend looked like he wanted to murder me. Worse, my mother takes a lot of comfort from her. Kacey dropped out of nowhere and made Jonah really fucking happy at the end of his life. It’s a huge deal to Mom. And to our friends. And to me, too. She loved him right up to the end.” I rubbed my hands over my eyes. “How do I take that away from my mother? Why would I even try?”
Zelda’s expression became pinched. “Why would that take away something from your mom? Don’t you think it would make her happy to know you’re loved too?”
“We’re not talking love anyway,” I said, shaking my head. “My last visit to New Orleans, Kacey friend-zoned me hard. Or maybe I friend-zoned her. Whichever the case, she needs the space to figure her shit out.”
“Yeah, you’re giving her space all right,” Zelda laughed. “She lives four states away. No one can say you’re being too needy.” She leaned forward on her arms, pointed the breadstick at me. “You know what I think your problem is?”
“Enlighten me.”
“You want to be with her, but you’ve never had a serious relationship and you’re afraid of fucking it up. Right so far?”
“Maybe.”
“You want to give her space, let her recover on her own terms, without looking like you’ve been dry-humping her leg for the last year.”
