Page 91 of Falling into Place
“I talked to Sasha.”
“I figured.” He took a pull and lowered the bottle to dangle between his knees. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. Even though I didn’t really think it mattered at this point when we’re so close to the end, and when I planned to follow through with the dates I had left, I understand Sasha’s side, too. I’d never want to make her look bad. Or you, for that matter. I know how hard you’ve both worked to keep Mom’s dream alive.”
“It’s more than that, now,” Macy said. “It’s our dream, too. We may have picked up the baton, but we’ve added our own flair. I like to think we’ve turned her baby into something even bigger and better than she could have ever imagined.”
God, he felt about two inches tall. “You have. I’m so proud of you both, and I’m sorry I almost fucked it up.”
Macy let out a long sigh. “It’s not as bad as all that. Is it ideal? No, but I also think Sasha’s overreacting a little. Whether it was real or not, people were entertained and learned more about Oklahoma City. Thousands of people discoveredLiveOKCbecause of you. You helped boost our visibility beyond anything we’ve ever seen, and I doubt anything could undo that. I think Sasha just views the authenticity piece as putting her personal reputation on the line, which is fair, especially because she’s the one on the ground working directly with local partners. But this wouldn’t make or break the business, okay?”
He swallowed hard, letting her words sink in. “Okay. Yeah, that helps. I still wish I’d maybe handled it better, but let’s be honest—I don’t have a clue what the hell I’m doing.”
“Obviously.”
Macy being Macy, blunt as always.
“I didn’t expect to feel this way about Carly. And I definitely didn’t expect her to reciprocate.”
“That’s mostly why I called,” Macy said. “I wanted to check in. See if there’s anything you want to talk about.”
She was giving him space to resume their conversation from before—about his dad. Which he appreciated, but he didn’t want to. Not anymore and not right now. Bringing that up again would confusehim, and after the last few days with Carly he just wanted to live in that bubble for a little while. Ignore all his baggage and be happy and carefree for once. Maybe it was stupid and maybe it was shortsighted, but it’s where he was at the moment.
“No.”
He felt her side-eye burning into his skull, but he held strong.
“Okay, I have a question, then. It would be pretty great if things could work out between you two, but with Carly and Sasha being so close, it could also get very messy if it doesn’t. So I have to ask, do you think you’re ready for something serious?”
“We agreed to take things slow.”
“What does that mean?”
He wasn’t sure, exactly. “It means slow. We’re not putting a label on it right now.”
“Slow doesn’t mean you’re not building something. That’s the whole point of starting in the first place, right? I just want to make sure you’re prepared for what could come next. And that you’re ready for that.”
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Carly, so he replied with an honest question. “How would I know if I’m ready?”
“For starters, recognize that attraction only gets you so far. You also have to be understanding and support each other. Communication is key, and you have to know you can be completely open, honest, and vulnerable with that person.” Macy looked at him with reluctance. “Communication has never been a strong suit for you.”
She wasn’t wrong, but defensiveness flared anyway. “I talk to people all day. Half my job is communicating things to nurses, other doctors, and families of patients.” It wasn’t easy to translate an intense medical condition into words family members could understand.
“In a relationship you have to be able to talk aboutyou,” Macy said gently. “About things that make you happy and things that don’t. What hurt you in the past and what hurts you still. You have to be able to communicate how you feel, whether it’s good, bad, or ugly.”
He propped his elbow on his knee and rubbed his forehead. Took a swig of beer for good measure.
“Do you think you can do that?”
Could he tell her everything? “I’ve been more open with Carly than anyone else.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Well, it’s all I’ve got right now.”
While Macy was one of those people who could wait in silence all day if it meant getting her point across or gathering the information she wanted, she also knew when not to push.
She reached over and squeezed his arm. “If what Sasha said is true, it’s still early. You don’t have to have all the answers now, but those are some things to start thinking about if this continues. You’ll figure it out, okay? You have time.”
Would he, though?
