Page 92 of Love Unforgettable
“I’ll have the dry aged New York strip, medium rare, mashed potatoes, and green beans.”
She’s perfect.
I give the server my order and she leaves us be. I don’t want to talk about what I’m bringing up next, but I feel like it needs to be done.
“So, Trevor’s been hitting it pretty hard, huh? Really messing with your head?”
“Yeah, he has. But I don’t want to talk about him.”
“Trust me, neither do I. But I think we need to get it outta the way if we plan to ever move forward.”
I can’t have her continuing to have thoughts on this guy when I want him processed and gone.
“Ugh.” She throws her head down on the table, banging it lightly.
“Don’t go damagin’ the goods there, sweetness,” I kid. She raises her head and smiles with half her face.
“I don’t know how I didn’t realize what he was like. Who he really was,” she says.
“Well, most oftentimes we only see what people want us to see. No fault in that.”
“For so long?”
“Well, how long was it?”
“Like over six years,” she says with a big sigh. I didn’t realize the relationship had gone on for that long. That shocks me.
“You were together for over six years?” I ask.
“Well, no,” she replies. I breathe a sigh of relief. She continues, “We were together for almost a year in college, and that was normal. I think. Except Kat and Remi would tell you that he was a dick even then and I just didn’t see it. That I made excuses for it. Then he didn’t get into the same graduate school as I did and that’s when he went to New York. We broke up because long distance was going to be too hard. And five more years went by.”
Our server delivers our drinks, as well as some dinner rolls with butter. Lexie pauses her story until after the server leaves.
“Earlier this year he came back suddenly, out of the blue. Just showed up and we picked up where we left off, like nothing had ever happened. And it was great. Until he left one day without a word. No notice, no note even. Not a call, nothing. Just gone. I called, I texted, I emailed, but I heard nothing from him. Not for six months, until he showed up at Remi’s hotel last week. He was here for a day, then said he had to go back east for a couple days, and after that he would be here for good. The next time I saw him was the wine event. The rest you’ve been party to.”
“That’s a lot,” I say. I pick up a roll, break it apart, then spread butter on it and take a large bite. Lexie nods in response. I swallow, then continue talking. “So, then his wife accused you of seducing him in front of a bunch of people, and a day later he shows up at your house expecting you to forgive him.”
“Pretty much sums it up,” she says.
“What do you want to do now, sweetness? Where he’s concerned.”
“I don’t know. I’m not a fan of him showing up at my house like he did tonight. I do have to buzz someone onto my private property, so he shouldn’t be able to just come knocking on my door. But, there is nothing stopping him from coming to the winery at any time.”
“You call me immediately if he does anything like that.”
“No. No way. I can’t call you every time something happens, or he comes by. You have a life to lead, businesses to run, that’s crazy.”
“I’m not really givin’ you a choice, sweetness. Promise to call me.” I look at her directly until she catches my eye and holds my gaze.
“Okay,” she says. “I promise.” She grabs her glass to take another drink, only to find that it’s empty. “Whoa, that went down quick,” she says.
“Another round?” I ask.
“Sure,” she says. “Why the hell not.”
I look at her closely. She seems a little loose for only having had one drink. Granted, I’ve only seen her before when she’s drinking wine, so I don’t really know how hard-alcohol affects her. Our meals arrive, and we spend some time eating before resuming conversation. I’m happy to discover my steak is excellent and cooked to perfection. Because if there is one thing in this world that I appreciate, it’s a well-prepared piece of beef.
“How’s yours?” I ask pointing my fork at her plate.
