Page 89 of The Broken Heart Playlist
I chew my lip. I’d be a liar if I denied his words.
He gives a small shake of his head. “The irony is, I encouraged you to try out the reading program. I practically threw you into his arms.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I simply and selfishly wanted you to know. And yes, we can continue working together without any awkwardness,” he says firmly, divining my thoughts. “I like and respect you enough that I want you to be happy. And if this Gideon guy is the person who will make you happy, then that’s enough for me.”
I swallow past the sudden tightness in my throat, feeling a swell of affection for this sweet man who is putting my happiness before his. “Thank you. And take Tess up on her offer to set you up with Kenzie. You won’t regret it.”
“Mom, when is Gideon coming back?” Lisset asks as we drive home from school on Wednesday.
My hands tighten on the steering wheel. “He said he’d be away for two weeks and the two weeks end this Saturday.”
She pauses, working it out. “So, three sleeps and then we see him?”
“Maybe.” I frown at her hopeful tone. “But he may decide to stay away for longer. I don’t really know.”
She grunts, not satisfied with my vague answer. I’m not satisfied, either. Gideon hasn’t called or texted once. I have no idea what’s going on.
My hands are now strangling the steering wheel. I make a conscious effort to relax them.
“I miss him,” she admits dejectedly.
I miss him too.
I miss his calm, steady presence, his quiet patience with Lisset. There are also so many other things I miss. Our chats. The friendly banter. The spicy fragrance of his after-shave lotion. His flirting prowess that inevitably draws a smile out of me. A teeny tiny part of me even misses Uno.
Lisset reads to Toto, her greyhound soft toy, every night without fail. And every day she asks me when Gideon is coming back. We’re both grappling with a Gideon-shaped hole in our lives.
I turn into our driveway just as Aaron pulls up outside our house and parks on the street. He unfolds his tall body from his car.
“Uncle Aaron!” Lisset runs full tilt toward him and he catches her easily, sweeping her into a hug.
He looks over at me and smiles. “Hey, Kate. How’s everything going?”
I step toward him, my suspicions stirred. “Fine. Just as it was fine two days ago when you stopped by.”
At his sheepish look, I prop my hands on my hips. “Tell Tess we’re coping perfectly well and she doesn’t need to keep sending you around to check on us.”
“Tess didn’t send me,” Aaron admits.
“Oh.”
He lets out a sigh. “I told him you’d be suspicious.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gideon asked me to check in on you while he was away.”
A pulse of joy surges through me. “He did?”
“He did,” Aaron confirms with a smile. “The man has fallen hard.”
So has the woman, I can’t help thinking.
Gideon returns Saturday afternoon. It’s an unusually hot day for May, the haze in the air hinting at summer. I feel that swoop in my belly as I watch him pull into his driveway and exit his car. I remain in the living room staring at him through the curtains in the window, my hungry eyes taking in his disheveled dark blond hair and handsome face, so sexy and rough-looking. The urge to run across the street and throw myself into his arms is so forceful it steals my breath. Why does his return make everything seem a little more right in the world? The swell of happiness filling my chest scares me, so much so that I don’t rush out to greet him.
Lisset, however, has no such compunctions.
