Addicted to You - Suzanne Jenkins Page 0,10
that was in it. Thankfully, I had my computer with me.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s a tremendous loss. I’m a packrat. I hate the thought of anyone touching my stuff.”
He looked around her place, unadorned almost to the point of sterility. “This place doesn’t look like you’re a packrat.”
“I never moved my stuff out of my father’s garage or my room at their house. I guess I’m waiting to move in.”
“So tell me about your book.”
“Coincidently, I’m writing a story about loss,” she said, looking at him. “An older married couple finally is at the time of life where they could enjoy the fruits of their labor when their daughter and son-in-law are in a tragic accident, and now the grandparents have to raise the two kids they left behind.”
“Oh, that is sad,” he said, watching her. “The poor kids.”
“Thankfully, they have the grandparents though. And it’s fiction.”
Truth is stranger than fiction, he thought.
They were done eating. He sat back, fully satiated, watching her looking out over the water. She was beautiful. As calm as she purported to be on the outside, there was a sadness under the surface that she couldn’t hide, and the longer he spent with her, the more pronounced it became. He wasn’t the only one who’d suffered a great loss, evidently.
“Shall we walk the beach? The moon is so bright tonight. It’s good beach-walking weather, too, not too hot and not too cold. You can tell me more. You already know most of my dirt.”
“Yeah, I guess I can tell you about my history now. The stuff I didn’t want to go into before in case it ruined our dinner.”
“Now I’m intrigued. I’m ready to hear it. Let me help you clean up,” he said. “It feels good doing something domestic. You saw what I live in. Paper plates are the only way to go.”
After cleaning up the dinner mess, they dressed in hoodies and flip-flops and left for their beach walk.
They walked along in silence for a while, the moon casting a reflection on the calm water, and lurking behind them, the lighted pier. Sofia didn’t want to face the pier tonight, not with a new man, just in case Jake decided to make an appearance.
“I’m ready to hear more about you,” Ryan said. “Why is a beautiful young woman like you single?”
Thinking about what he was asking, if she blew it off or made up an excuse, if they saw each other again, she’d eventually have to tell him the truth.
“Thank you for the compliment. It’s a long story and sort of depressing. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
“I want to hear it,” he said.
“Well…” She told him the story of Jake and his death the week before their wedding. Deaf to the sound of her own voice after a while, Sofia realized she was rambling and ended the story. It was the first time she’d ever had to tell anyone about Jake’s death. The story seemed to shock Ryan, and he ran his hands through his hair, looking down at his feet, stumbling over his words.
“You poor thing,” he said, and then cringed. What a dumb thing to say to her.
Feeling confused, she shook her head, as if to clear the cobwebs. What had just happened? Chill. The story is upsetting, a familiar voice said. Let the dude express his condolences.
“Sofia, I’m so sorry,” he finally choked out. “How awful. When did it happen?”
“Thank you, Ryan. I can’t believe it, but it’s been a year. As a matter of fact, it’s exactly a year today. I’d forgotten, actually.”
Getting the chills again, she hoped she wasn’t getting sick. She thought of seeing Ryan Albright panhandling and again at Poki Poki. Did Jake have a hand in sending her a distraction?
She stopped on the beach. It was a wide expanse from the road to the water and the public egress spot. A bank of boulders had been dumped to prevent beach erosion, and that was exactly where Jake’s body had washed up.
“You’re a doctor, so I feel like I can tell you this without grossing you out, but right there.” She pointed. “That’s where his body was found.”
“Oh god, I’m so sorry, Sofia.”
They stood side by side, staring at the spot in the moonlight. Not having any idea what the man had looked like, he couldn’t even imagine what the scene had been.
“Thank you, what a bummer,” she said. “I hope you’re not too grossed out.”
“Sofia, not at all. Did you find