Page 67 of Rosie
“What did they do for your condition, anyway?”
“They put in a stent, like they did for Dad. Except there wasn’t any plaque build-up like there was with him.”
“Are you sure they didn’t freeze your heart solid?”
The organ in question stuttered in his chest. “Livvy …”
“Because I can’t understand why else you’d break up with Rosie.”
What the hell? First she was mad that they were dating. Now she was mad that they weren’t?
“Ithoughtyou’d be happy to get your friend back,” he spat.
Olivia groaned and put her face in her hands. “Look, Matt. I was wrong. And I apologized to Rosie but I realize I never apologized toyou. I shouldn’t have gone off the deep end like that and I’m sorry. You’re a grown man and you can choose who you want to date. And honestly, Rosie’s perfect for you.”
“Yeah, but I’m not right forher.” He lumbered over to the kitchen where he pulled out the half-eaten bag of veggie puffs his parents had brought over. They were the closest thing to potato chips he had, and he wanted to chewsomething.
Sitting down on the couch next to his sister, he held the bag out. Just because she was here to yell at him, didn’t mean he had to be rude. “Want some?”
She peered at the bag. “What the hell are those?”
“Veggie puffs. Mom did my grocery shopping.” He rolled his eyes as she shook her head. “They’re not bad.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
He munched, and she crossed her arms. “What the hell was ‘I’m not right for her’ supposed to mean? Are youcrazy?”
Probably. But he didn’t need to tell Olivia that. “She does enough work at the hospital on her shift. My condition isn’t going to go away. I could have another incident; I could need more procedures … She doesn’t need a guy whose heart is defective.”
“There’s nothing wrong with your heart. You’re a goddamn miracle. And she’d never dump you because of a health condition.” Olivia squinted at him. “Unless you didn’t tell her?”
“No, she knew.”
“Oh, right. She had to inform the asshole doctor at the ER that you’d had heart surgery.”
Gulp. “She told you that?”
“Yeah, she did. She saved yourfuckinglife with that, and you returned the favor bybreaking her heart.” Now his sister was on her feet, her tiny frame pacing around the living room. “I have never,ever, in the history of our friendship, seen Rosie so distraught.”
He hung his head as it started to pound, his throat growing tight. “She’ll understand eventually. I — I freed her.” Matt almost choked on the words. They sounded so hollow, even to him.
Olivia marched up to him and drew her hand back, then made a fist as if to stop herself. “If you weren’t still recovering, I’d slap you. That’s the mostridiculousthing I’ve ever heard. And Jake did some pretty stupid shit at the beginning of our relationship.”
He had no retort. His mind was caught up worrying about Rosie. He’d tasted her tears that morning of her surprise visit, and he hated that he had caused her more. The thought was bitter on his tongue.
His sister pointed at him and shook her finger. “When you decide to pull your head out of your ass, call me. You still have a favor to cash in. Use it wisely.”
Tears fell. She was going to leave. A sob came over him. “Sissy …”
Olivia sighed and her hand fell back to her side. He hadn’t called her that since he was in preschool. “What, Matty?” She asked, more gently than he deserved.
The dam broke, and tears ran down his face. “I love her. But what do Ido?”
She threw an arm over his shoulders and sat down with him as he cried. “Get it all out. And then let’s get your girl. I have an idea.”
Rosie sat, curled up on her grandparents’ couch, with a mug of tea in her hands. Gram and Grandad hadn’t pried yet as to what was wrong, but she knew they could tell something was off. Grandad was playing various tunes on his organ while she and Gram sat and listened. The last time she’d done this, back before they lived in this retirement community, she was devastated at not landing enough scholarships to go to her first-choice college.
But that had all worked out in the end after all.
