Page 47 of My Best Friend's Dad

“Soup too.”

“No, babe. That’s for you.”

“You can’t just eat ice cream for dinner.”

“I can and I will!” She laughs manically. “But seriously, what’s in the box?”

While I pour the soup that smells like freaking heaven into a bowl and get her a big slice of the ice cream cake, I tell her all about my parents’ visit and their weird plans for me to suddenly be a crafter and open up an online store.

“Whoa.” Mika sits down beside me at the small table on the far side of the kitchen. She loves the acrylic chairs. My mom picked them out. They were a strange choice, but when it comes to my mom, it’s always someone else making the decisions for her.

I’m pretty sure she just asks the salesperson at whatever store she goes to for what they think is best and buys the first thing they recommend. For clothes as well. She gets her groceries online, but that’s about the only time she exerts independent thought when it comes to shopping.

“That’s a bit much.” Mika slides the first bite of ice cream goodness into her mouth. “Mmmmm. Soooooo good! This cake isn’t a bit much. It’s amazing. Best cake I’ve ever had.”

“I can’t wait. This is the first day I’ve actually wanted to eat anything.”

“You and Dad both.”

“What?” Oh my god. Oh no. Did I make Rowleigh sick?

Right after the barn picking, I called Mika to debrief all the way back to Providence. I told her everything. Every-freaking-thing. She wasn’t mad. She was overjoyed. She thought it was great that her dad was calling off the wedding, but she encouraged me not to regret the kiss. I didn’t know where it was going, and she took that to mean I was leaving the option open should it arise in the future and feel right.

“He called me when he got to London. He said he had his head in a bucket the whole flight over. Good thing it was a private plane.”

My stomach hasn’t been the greatest, but I definitely got the head cold shit end of the stick. I feel a thousand times worse, aching down to my bones at the fact that Rowleigh got sick. He no doubt caught whatever I had before I came down with it. I know it was me because everyone at work was getting sick. While my boss fired me, she was sniffling away, and not out of any kind of sympathy.

“He updated me about the wedding. He was so wretched that Geneiva felt sorry for him. She wasn’t mad about him calling it off. Her dad is pissed, but whatever. He’s a jerkhole anyway. I don’t know about the hotels right now. I guess the business deal is still kind of up for debate.”

Rowleigh doesn’t have anyone there to bring him soup or ice cream cake. He has no one to give him a hug or hold him to help him feel better. My chest closes up, and even though I’m achy all over from this cold, this ache is different.

I want to be close to him.

I want to help him feel better.

I want to do the small things that no one has likely done for him in a very long time.

He’s rich, and rich people can take care of themselves. They can buy the best care, best doctors, best whatever. He could have someone come to his house to cater to his every need.

But the thing is, I know he wouldn’t.

He’d get through it alone, and he’d come out the other side of it eventually. Probably like he’s done ever since he and Marlene divorced. He’s never trusted someone to take care of his heart. He was busy. He’s still busy. He hasn’t taken the time to slow down and feel because feeling sucks. He was probably tired of hurting.

But he took a chance with me.

He kissed me.

He told me I was great.

I should have told him that he’s also great. I mean, I kind of did at the gazebo during that storm, but I should have made sure he’d heard me, good and proper.

“Where’s this bear devil child you got from the barn? Dad told me about it. I can’t wait to see it!”

I point across the room to the bookshelf in the living room. It’s mostly full of books, but I made a space to display the bear.

“Ahhhhhh, yes! I love it! Yes, today, spawn of Satan, yes! You’ll be a great mother to the little demon. It looks like a regurgitated hairball that someone glued teeth and eyes to after they dehydrated it. It’s terrible. So good. So, so freaking good. You’re a queen for finding it and giving it a loving home.”

“Thank freaking farge my mom didn’t see it. She would have shit bricks and then had to go to the hospital for a different reason.”