Page 93 of Late Nights & Love Lines
They both stare at me with wide eyes, and I’m forced to wipe my palms on my shorts.
“You don’t know how to do what, babe?” Tabby’s voice doesn’t carry anything but kindness.
“This.” I point from me to her. Doesn’t that explain it all?
“Are you nervous?” Bella asks, and I swear understanding flashes in her pretty blue eyes.
“I passed nervous when you two sat down.” If I speak any faster the words will be a jumbled mess.
“Are you saying you don’t know how to hang out?” Tabby’s brow furrows, but I’m also pretty sure she’s seconds away from climbing over the island to wrap me in a hug.
I take a step back.
“Hang out. Host. Make friends. Whatever you want to call it.”
Huh. That wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
“You didn’t have any friends at home?” Bella asks.
And the nerves are back twofold.
“I never stay in one place very long, so it wasn’t worth it.”
“And when you were a kid?” Tabby asks.
“Not sure. Maybe in elementary school, but after my dad died, everything changed.”
Bella sucks in a gasp, drawing my attention to her pale face. “We might have more in common than you think.” She smiles, but it showcases a sadness I thought I’d buried years ago.
“Let me get this straight.” Tabby paces the length of the island while mindlessly patting her son’s back. “You’re telling me you never had any of the traditional girlfriend-type experiences?”
I shrug. “Like what? I don’t feel as though I missed out on anything, if that’s what you mean.”
“No.” She stops abruptly with her index finger pointed at me. “So, you never had sleepovers, got ready for prom with friends, or got so drunk at a party the cops brought you home?”
“I’m pretty sure having the cops bring you home isn’t a traditional anything,” Bella interrupts.
“Sneaking out in the middle of the night to watch the stars?” I shake my head and keep shaking as she keeps going. “Camping? Shopping? Wine nights? Clubbing? Pajama parties where you do spa treatments? Nothing?”
“Tabs, you’re making her feel worse,” Bella mutters out of the side of her mouth.
The truth is, I don’t have any feelings about missing any of that. I’ve never thought about it because it wasn’t an option.
“Did you at least go to a school dance?” Tabby’s wobbly chin says she’s about to burst into tears. How the heck did this get so heavy so quickly?
“No,” I say as unemotionally as I can, even if my body is gearing up for an epic fight-or-flight response.
Tabby exhales harshly, then pulls out her phone and rage-types a three-minute message while I stand shifting from foot to foot and Bella tries to ease my worries with her gentle smile.
“Okay.” Tabby finally disengages from her phone. “We’ve got a lot of time to make up for. We’ll start by hanging out today, and maybe have a wine night tonight, but don’t you worry, we’re going to give you all the experiences.”
“No, that’s not…I mean, I don’t?—”
Tabby stalks me with catlike intent and I almost laugh at how fitting her name is. Then she launches herself at me while managing to turn her body to the side, so when she wraps me in a crushing hug, she doesn’t squish her baby.
“It’s okay to be scared, Row. I’ve been there. I spent years not being able to trust anyone because of what Leo put me through when we were younger. They were very lonely years, but slowly, I learned to let people in. And we’ll be here for you while you find and expand your limits on trust. We’ve got you, babe.”
Good God, how long is she going to keep me locked in this embrace?
