Page 80 of Meant to Be

“Of Cate’s room when she was a child?”

“No. But of her mother and all the memorabilia. Did she ever mention that backstory?”

“Backstory? You mean that her mother collects shit? Like a lot of Americans? I mean, my fatherwasa war hero, you know?”

“Butyouweren’t.”

“Yeah, Berry. I got that. Thanks.”

“Oh, c’mon, Joe. We’re not playing that game right now—”

“That game?” I said. “Wow. Okay. Got it.”

“We aren’t talking about your father right now, Joe! We’re talking about the fact that she grew up obsessed withyou.And had pictures of you in her room. Did she tell you any of that?”

“No, that hasn’t come up, Berry. We have other things to talk about, fortunately.”

“And you don’t think this is a significant omission on her part?”

“No,” I said. “I really don’t.”

“So you aren’t at all suspicious?”

“Suspicious?Of what?”

“Of her intentions.”

“Her intentions? She loves me!”

“Well, yes, I gathered that…. Clearly she was on a mission—”

“Whatever, Berry! We metrandomly. I walked by her on the friggin’ beach. I went up toher…. If anything, I was the one on a mission. She turned me down for the longest time. I flew to Paris to take her out, for goodness’ sakes.”

Berry stared back at me, shaking her head.

“Idid,” I said. “That’s what happened. Those are the facts.”

“Well, clearly it was an effective strategy on her part,” she said. “Playing hard to get or whatever.”

“She wasn’t playing hard to get…. Shewashard to get…. She was reluctant to go out with me.”

Berry rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Shewas,Berry! She had a boyfriend.”

“She had aboyfriend?” she said, as if this were yet another piece of pivotal evidence. “I didn’t know that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t fill you in on her entire dating history, along with all the details of her childhood.”

Berry blinked. “Did she cheat on him?”

“No. She broke up with him, and then went out with me,” I said, fudging the time line a bit. “Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

“Are you actually trying to tell me that you don’t see this poster thing as a red flag?”

“No,” I said, ready to die on the sword. “I don’t.”

“So, this woman—Cate’s mother—has a Kingsley obsession, and she raises her daughter to feel the same. And then, years later, she just happens to fall in love with you…foryou?”

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