Page 108 of Falling into Place
He locked eyes with her. “I missed you while I was gone.”
“I missed you, too,” she returned, though with notably less enthusiasm. She could chalk up her lukewarm sentiment to the week she’d had, but it was more than that. Even if it was over, her time with Brooks changed her, and at this point she wasn’t sure what that meant. For her, or for herandBenjamin—because it seemed like that’s where he was going with this.
“Would you go to dinner with me tonight?” he asked. “So we can talk?”
With the history they had, she could at least hear him out. There were plenty of things she needed to update him on, too. “Sure.”
“What is today?” he asked, looking up and squinting. “Jet lag has me off on my schedule.”
In her state, Carly hardly knew, either. “Thursday?” She was pretty sure that was right.
“Thursday, huh?” He grinned.
She smiled back. She knew exactly what he was thinking.
He wagged his eyebrows. “You wanna?”
She nodded. “Barrios, here we come.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Carly
I’m sorry for everything I put you through, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
—Excerpt from letter from June Porter to Carly Porter, during Step 9 of her recovery program
The first thing Carly thought when she stepped into her mom’s backyard was how much Brooks would love her mom’s garden.
She rubbed her sternum and focused her attention on the patio and her mother, who waited for her at the wrought-iron table.
Her mom stood and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You look better today.”
“I feel better. Thanks for taking care of me this week.”
“I’m happy you let me.”
Carly regarded the table where they usually chatted. “Could we take a walk?” she asked, too antsy to sit.
“Sure. Just let me change my shoes.”
Five minutes later, they strolled down the neighborhood sidewalk in silence.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Carly noted.
“You texted to say you were coming over for advice, and you haven’t asked for that since you were twelve. I’m a little outside my element, here.”
“Fair,” Carly said with a small smile, then blew out a breath. “Benjamin came back early.”
Even from her side view, Carly saw her mom’s face light up. She’d always loved Benjamin. “He did? That’s wonderful!”
“Yep. Showed up at my door two days ago,” Carly said, and then explained what happened with his internship program to bring him home early.
Her mother’s brows came together, probably noticing Carly’s lack of enthusiasm. “How do you feel about him being back?” The question was standard June Porter–style and probably something she’d learned during Gamblers Anonymous meetings. No judgment, open ended, and didn’t give any room for assumptions.
“I don’t know. If he’d shown up out of the blue three months ago, I’d have been over the moon. He said all the right things, like how being gone showed him how much I mean to him and when he dated someone else, it never felt the same. That the idea of me dating another man woke him up, and it was a mistake to take a break while he was gone. I think he’s being genuine, and there’s so much history there. But now, after everything with Brooks ... I don’t know.” She leaned right to nudge her mom’s shoulder with her own. “I’m sorry if that’s not the reaction you hoped for. I know how much you love Benjamin.”
They turned a corner and headed toward a small pond toward the back of the neighborhood. “It’s not my opinion that matters. Are you still in love with Benjamin?”
