The Easy Part of Impossible - Sarah Tomp Page 0,59
tried to see out the dark windows. He’d brought her to a playground. The swings and slides looked like giant insects in the shadows.
“Ria.”
He gazed into her eyes and smiled. He licked his lips. Those lips she’d kissed so many times before. She could, so easily, move to him. Forget talking. She could press herself against him. Let his hands roam over her. And hers would wander too. She could lose herself in that.
If only her head wasn’t attached.
He reached behind her seat, opened a cooler, and pulled out a bottle of wine.
“I know your news calls for champagne, but I couldn’t get anyone to buy it. This is my mother’s favorite white wine. It’s sweet and we can pretend it has bubbles.”
“Did you ask Benny?”
“Ask him what?” Sean pulled out a corkscrew, sharp and twisting.
She played with the bouquet, regretted not putting the poor roses in a vase at home.
“Did you ask him to get champagne? Was that part of his plan for tonight?”
“Of course not.” He stopped messing with the bottle. “He’d probably kill me. Is this a bad idea?”
“Now you’re asking me?”
“What the hell is going on, Ria? You apparently got really good news, but you didn’t tell me. Or even Maggie. So, whatever. But at least I thought you’d finally be happy.”
“You should have told me that you knew about the NDT.”
“You’re the one who didn’t tell me.”
“It was my news.”
“And I’m your boyfriend. I should know your news. It sounds like the NDT is a fantastic opportunity. You should be telling everyone.”
But everyone had it wrong.
“You should have asked me what I wanted to do tonight. Wine? Why would I want wine?”
“I wanted this to be special.”
“I want to go home.”
Instead of answering, he started the car. Drove silently away from the playground. She studied him, blond and gorgeous, a perfect gentleman. The tendons in his jaw pulsed and his knuckles looked white against the wheel, but still he did what she asked.
She cradled the bouquet in her arms, breathing the flowers in, knowing their smell wouldn’t last.
Once he’d parked in her driveway, she turned to him and asked, “Why me? Why’d you ask me out?”
He didn’t say anything. The quiet lasted long enough for her to wonder if he knew the answer.
“You’re special.” He reached out and played with a lock of her hair. “You never hesitate, never back down, no matter what Benny says or does. You make it look easy. That’s why you’re going to be famous someday.” He was smiling now, caught up in being sweet.
“You wanted to date someone famous?”
“What? No. At first I was going to ask Maggie out. She would actually talk to me.”
“So then what?”
“Well, Benny knew. I guess it was obvious when I kept following the two of you after practice every night. But he thought I liked you. He threatened me a little bit, about treating you right and all that kind of stuff, but then he said I should go for it. That you needed something besides diving to think about.” Sean wrinkled his nose and went on, “Don’t be mad. I’m glad how things worked out. I just never would have thought I could have a chance with you. So when Benny gave me permission, it felt right.”
“He gave you permission.”
“Well, yeah. And that was a good thing. I never would have stood a chance if he didn’t want you dating.”
He was right, of course. But so wrong, too.
“I hate cut flowers.”
Even after the entire mess of a night, he looked stunned.
“They’re dead,” she continued. “But they don’t even know it.”
“What?”
“I don’t drink wine. I hated that fluffy restaurant. You didn’t let me look over the dam.”
It had all been a mistake.
Benny’s mistake. Months ago, he’d set Sean on the wrong road, and then he’d gotten it wrong again tonight.
“Don’t take romance advice from a single man who only loves one thing.” She opened her door, stepped out onto her driveway. “I want to break up.”
“I know,” said Sean. “I’ve always known.”
Twenty-Seven
Ria peeked in her parents’ bedroom. Dad lifted his head from the pillow.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t,” he answered. “I can’t sleep if you’re not home.”
“I’m home.” She crawled into bed between them.
Mom rolled over and ran her fingers through Ria’s hair. Murmured, “It’s so soft.”
“You missed a documentary on blood-borne parasites tonight,” said Dad.
“Don’t remind me,” Mom groaned.
She felt too big for the space but couldn’t make herself get up.