I smiled. “Thanks. But he’s pretty set on remaining alone for the rest of his life.”
“Ah. He’s that guy.” She nodded knowingly and leaned back in her chair. “I was married to that guy for twenty years. Trust me on this. He’s probably stewing in a big pot of misery right now.”
I shrugged. “Hard to say for sure. He’s pretty spare with his feelings in his texts.”
“Listen, if you decide to see him, make sure you wear something amazing, just to rub it in a little. He deserves it.”
That made me laugh. “Okay.”
“And when you get back, let’s get you out and about. I know some nice young guys I’d be happy to introduce you to.”
The idea had less than zero appeal, but I tried to smile and nod. “That would be nice. Thanks.”
Thursday evening, I called Ellie while I was packing. After going over some details for the wine tasting, I told her I was seeing Dex and the girls on Sunday.
“You are?” She sighed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“The kids asked to see me! How could I say no?”
“I guess you couldn’t. I saw him the other day.”
I gasped. “Where?”
“The dentist, of all places. In the waiting room. He was there with the kids.”
“How did he look?”
“Grumpier than usual.”
“Did he recognize you? Say hello?”
“He gave me a grunt and a nod.”
I smiled sadly. “Sounds about right.”
“So you’re meeting for coffee?”
“Yeah.” I stared at the clothing in my closet. “Sandra says to wear something amazing.”
“Do it. Make him crazy.”
“But it’s cold there, right? I don’t think I own any make-him-crazy sweaters and jeans. He used to like the skimpy stuff.”
“You know what? It’s not the clothes, Win. It’s you. It won’t matter what you wear. Show up and just be yourself—that’s who he fell in love with, right?”
“I guess.” I pulled a dresser drawer open and took out the white sweater I’d been wearing the last time I saw him. It was soft and cozy and oversized—I wore it when I wanted to hide from the world, not when I wanted to set it on fire.
But I folded it up and tucked it into my suitcase. It wasn’t tight or revealing or the slightest bit sexy, but it was comfortable and warm, and I felt like me in it.
If plain old me wasn’t enough for him, there was nothing I could do about it.
Twenty-Seven
Dex
Friday afternoon, I pulled into the complex parking lot and noticed an unfamiliar car in Winnie’s driveway. At first, I assumed it was the real estate agent or maybe someone looking at the place, but then I saw Winnie herself come out the front door and check the mailbox.
My breath caught, and my heart hammered in my chest. My foot slammed on the gas, my tires screeching as I swerved into my driveway. I didn’t even pull into the garage, and I nearly forgot to turn off the engine as I jumped out and ran for her front porch.
Her eyes went wide as I raced up the steps, and she backed up against the door, hugging the mail to her chest. “Dex. Hi.”
“Hi.” Breathless, full of pent-up feelings for her, my entire body vibrated with the need to touch her. My hands twitched at my sides. “Did you just get in?”
“Yes.” Her eyes glanced at the strange car in her driveway. “I borrowed my mom’s car to run by and grab the mail and just, um, check on things here.”
I nodded, although I barely heard a word she said. She was so fucking beautiful. It had only been two weeks since I’d seen her, but it felt like she’d been gone for a year. How had I forgotten the midnight blue of her eyes or the gold in her hair or the way her cheeks grew pink when she looked at me?
Her thick black lashes lowered as she studied our feet. “Did you just come from the gym?”
I glanced down at my running shoes. “Yeah. I had a couple private coaching sessions.”
“How’s that going?”
“Good.” But I didn’t want to talk about that. I didn’t really want to talk about anything—I just wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad. Would she shove me right off this porch? Or would she kiss me back?
When she looked up at me, I nearly lost it and put my mouth on hers. Her lips fell open, and I swayed forward.
“I should go,” she said, breaking the spell. “I’ll see you Sunday.” Then she zipped past me without so much as bumping my elbow.