Cassie looks around the store, at the mess still on the ground. It would be nice to take a break. And even nicer to have Joel’s help while they’re cleaning this up all afternoon.
“Okay,” she says. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 27: The Ex
I’d like to talk to you.
I spend far too long staring at the text message from none other than Joel Broder. I haven’t exchanged words with him since that engineered meet-up at Starbucks. He’s been dating Olive for a while now, and I figured I was the last thing on his mind. But apparently, I’m wrong.
I write back: Sure. When/where?
He names a location in the city that will be convenient for me to get to after work. It’s a bar. He wants to have a drink with me. After all these months, he’s asking me out for a drink. This is a very good sign.
I spend hours picking out just the right outfit. I’m not as pretty as Olive and definitely not as young, but I clean up good. I pick out a dark red skirt that shows off my legs and my favorite Wonderbra, and I sock away some makeup in my purse so I can touch up my face right before we meet. At the last second, I spot a gray hair in my right eyebrow, which freaks me out more than I’d like to admit. I had resigned myself to the sprinkling of gray hairs on my scalp that are now concealed by my color treatment. Do I need to start dyeing my eyebrows too?
For now, I’ll take care of this with a tweezers. But I certainly can’t let my eyebrows continue sprouting gray hairs. I have to look my absolute best if I even want to try to compete with Olive.
I wonder what happened with Olive. Did they break up? Or did he simply realize how much he misses me and is testing the waters?
When I show up, Joel is already waiting at the bar, clutching a Guinness in his right hand. That’s his favorite beer. I still remember all those little details about him. His favorite beer is Guinness. His favorite song is “The Distance” by Cake. His favorite dessert is apple pie. Does Olive know those things about him? I doubt it.
He’s got his phone out, and he’s typing something. There’s a smile playing on his lips. He looks… well, great. I hate to say dating Olive agrees with him, but something does. He’s wearing his green scrubs and his dark hair is tousled, but there’s something more youthful about him than I’ve seen in a long time. Years, maybe. He certainly doesn’t have any new gray eyebrow hairs sprouting.
He looks so good. So good it makes my chest ache. This is why I haven’t been able to date. I can’t get this man out of my head.
“Hi.” I wave excitedly as I approach the table. “How are you doing?”
Joel lifts his eyes from his phone. The smile drops abruptly off his lips, but then returns. But it’s a different kind of smile. Unreadable. “Hi.”
He stands up, and suddenly, we’re hugging. My body is pressed against his, my face in his shoulder, and his arms are wrapped around me. I haven’t hugged Joel in so long, and it feels so damn good. It’s like the last eight months just melt away. I want to cling to him and never let go.
“It’s good to see you again,” I whisper into his shoulder.
“Yeah,” he breathes.
When he finally pulls away, we both drop into our respective seats. He flashes that unreadable smile at me again. “How have you been?” he asks.
“Good.” I signal the waiter for a drink. “How about you?”
“Good,” he says. “Same old.”
“Right,” I say. “And how’s the hospital?”
“Good. The usual.”
“Masterson still counseling all the old people about sex?”
Joel flashes me a tired smile. “Yep.”