Текст книги "Falling for the Wrong Guy"

Автор книги: Sara Hantz

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 10 страниц)

Chapter Fifteen

Blake pushed past Ruby on the stairs at home, not even acknowledging her presence.

“Hey,” she called out, rubbing her arm. “That hurt.” It hadn’t really, but she wanted to shake him up a little.

He didn’t reply. Didn’t even turn to check if she was okay. He just headed toward his bedroom, slamming the door behind him once he reached it. With a sigh, she continued up the stairs and went into her own room. Ever since their confrontation about Drew the previous evening, her emotions had been all over the place, going from totally getting where Blake came from and feeling extremely guilty for inflicting more pain on him, to being really annoyed with him and wanting to drag him out of his rigid, narrow-minded, unforgiving perspective.

It wasn’t like she had asked him to be best friends with Drew again, or for him to act like nothing had happened between them. All she wanted was a chance to explain everything and for him to realize that it didn’t change the fact that he was her brother, and she adored him.

Pointless.

All this fighting was pointless, since Drew no longer wanted to see her. Blake would get over it, and in the meantime, she would keep her distance from him. Just like she’d intended to with Drew. She’d immerse herself in her studies and forget about everyone else, because her time with Drew had definitely affected her grades. And not in a good way.

She glanced around her room. It was small and oppressive. She needed to get out of there, to breathe in some fresh air. She checked her reflection in the mirror. After combing her hair, putting on some lip gloss and pulling on her jacket, she ran downstairs and poked her head in the kitchen where her mom was cooking.

“I’m going out for a walk, Mom. No dinner for me, thanks.”

She knew she was treading on thin ice by wanting to boycott dinner, but she just couldn’t hack sitting there as a family pretending everything was okay when it so obviously wasn’t.

“But—”

“I’ll explain later,” Ruby interrupted.

She ran down the hall and bumped into her father who had just come down the stairs.

“Sorry, Dad.” She went to step around him then caught sight of the blank expression in his eyes. “Come on.” She took hold of his arm and guided him into the lounge and to his chair, which stood next to the couch and directly in front of the TV.

She crouched down in front of him. “Do you ever think of what it was like before your accident?”

He frowned. “What’s the point?”

“To realize that it wasn’t perfect then, either. I’m sure you had problems that you dealt with. But this. For nearly twelve years, since the accident, you’ve acted like it’s the end of your life. And it isn’t.” She’d never confronted her father before. But seeing Drew headed down the same path had jolted something in her, made her want to at least try to shake her father back into the land of the living before it was too late.

“What do you know?” he muttered.

“Plenty. I know that you’re destroying Mom. She does everything for you, and more. And you never show any gratitude.”

“What do you expect me to do? Jump up and down and kiss her every time she makes my dinner?” Anger flashed across his face.

His words might have been negative, but it surprised Ruby how animated he was. She couldn’t remember seeing him show that much emotion since the accident. It encouraged her to go on.

“Of course not. All I want is for you to try and live your life instead of wallowing in self-pity and being so self-absorbed that you are oblivious to the feelings of those around you. Just like Drew.”

She could bang their heads together.

“What’s Drew got to do with it?” Her fists clenched in frustration at the blank expression on his face. He so didn’t get it.

“The pair of you are so similar, I could scream. And while I’m at it, I don’t suppose you’ve been taking the new anti-depressants the doctor prescribed, have you?”

“What’s the point?”

“What’s the point,” she mimicked. “The point is so that you start to feel better. That you start to have a life.” She locked eyes with him, until he broke the stare and looked away. She jumped up. “I’m so tired of the pair of you.”

She strode out of the room and to the front door. As she stepped outside a gust of wind blew. She shivered and wished she’d picked up her scarf and gloves on her way out. For a moment, she debated going back to get them, then decided that if she walked fast she’d soon warm up. She opened the wooden gate, stuck her hands in her pockets, and stepped onto the sidewalk.

Without thinking, she started to walk in the direction of Tiffany’s house, then realized she didn’t want to see her friend. She just wanted to be alone to try and process everything that had happened. So instead she decided to go to a nearby park. She turned and stepped out onto the intersection.

“Ruby, watch out!” a voice shouted from somewhere behind her.

She froze and heard the car before she saw it. It whizzed past, and she felt a sharp, agonizing pain as it clipped the side of her body, twisting her around. As if in slow motion, she was knocked sideways off her feet, arms flailing, and thrown a few feet into the air. She landed on her arm, and then her head shot backward, cracking loudly against the asphalt.

Pain ricocheted through her entire body, and she fought to catch her breath. In the background, she heard the sound of screeching brakes. She attempted to lift her shoulders off the ground, but the pain was too intense. She dropped back and closed her eyes, allowing everything happening around her to drift away.

“Ruby, are you okay? Ruby. Ruby!”

She forced her eyelids open and was puzzled when she saw Blake’s face only a few inches away. He was devoid of any color, and his eyes looked worried.

“Blake?” Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper. The slightest movement made her head spin.

“You’re alive. Thank God,” he gasped, tears running down his cheeks.

“What?” She attempted to sit up, but with his hands on the tops of her arms, he gently kept her still.

“Don’t move. We’re waiting for the medics.”

Everything seemed fuzzy, and she desperately dredged her mind for clues as to what had happened, but it was too hard. She gave in to his demand and tried to focus on her breathing, hoping it might help relieve the pain.

“Is she okay?” she heard a woman’s voice close to her head. In her peripheral vision, she could see her brown shoes.

“She’s alive,” Blake snapped, looking up at the woman. “No thanks to you.” He took hold of Ruby’s hand, and she noticed how cold it felt.

“She stepped out in front of me,” the woman said, her voice cracking.

Did she step out? She couldn’t remember. She guessed it was possible, since she’d had so much on her mind after what happened with Drew. A dark feeling washed over her.

“I don’t blame him,” Ruby murmured.

“Who?” Blake asked, taking one of her hands in both of his and rubbing it vigorously like he was trying to help her regain circulation.

“Drew,” she said, guessing that she wasn’t making a whole lot of sense.

Blake closed his eyes as if trying to regain his patience, and then opened them again. “Really, Ruby? You want to talk about Drew?”

She tried to shake her head, but it made the world around her spin, so she held herself as still as possible. “No,” she admitted.

Blake swerved his gaze upward, to the owner of the brown shoes near Ruby’s head. “You would have seen her if you hadn’t been speeding,” he snapped.

“I wasn’t. I don’t think.” The woman’s voice faltered.

“The police can deal with it. Maybe you should wait over there.” Blake pointed off to the side of the road.

“What happened?” Ruby croaked, struggling to look at her brother, as his face kept going in and out of focus. The whole thing was so surreal. If it wasn’t for the pain, which was most definitely real, she’d think she was in the middle of a nightmare.

“I saw you through my bedroom window,” he said. “You were about to cross the road. I called out to you.”

She had a hazy recollection of someone shouting out to her. She didn’t remember it being Blake, though. Ruby nodded then wished she hadn’t. “I remember. Thanks. Where’s Mom?” More than anything she wanted to see her. She needed her mother to make things better like she always did when Ruby was hurting.

“She’s over there, talking to the police officer who just pulled up.” He nodded to the side of the street. “She’ll be back in a minute.” He stroked her hand and gave a reassuring smile as a pair of paramedics greeted her and started assessing her injuries with gentle touches.

Ruby tried to smile back, but her lips didn’t want to work properly. But she was glad that Blake was being Blake again. It had been a long time coming, and she hadn’t realized quite how much she missed him. “I’m so sorry about Drew,” she said, hoping that he would want them to be friends again, like they used to be.

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter. What’s more important is you getting better,” Blake said. Then the paramedics asked him to step to the side so they could get her ready to go to the hospital.

She closed her eyes to try and cut herself off from the pain and everything that was happening around her.

Drew stared at Ruby sleeping and his fingers ached to touch her pale skin to make sure that she really was okay. His breath hitched in the back of his throat as he watched her chest rise and fall with every rhythmic breath. It scared him shitless to think that he could have lost her. And she would have gone without knowing how deep his feelings were for her.

When Mrs. Davis had called earlier that morning to tell him about the accident, he’d been desperate with worry, and he had raced over to the hospital, breaking all speed limits on the way. He wasn’t normally religious, but he thanked God that all Ruby had sustained was a broken arm and a mild concussion. By all accounts, it could have been so much worse. He shuddered just thinking again that he could have lost her forever. And then how would he have coped?

Not well. Simple answer.

He was grateful to Mrs. Davis for letting him sit with Ruby while she went home to take care of Ruby’s dad and make him some lunch. Blake hadn’t been around when he’d arrived, not that he cared. He didn’t want to annoy Blake intentionally, but Ruby was far more important than their differences, and he was sure Blake would agree with him. And too bad if he didn’t. It wasn’t up for negotiation.

Mrs. Davis had said that Ruby was going to be out of action for a while, as the surgeons had to operate and put a pin in her arm. One thing was for certain, Drew would do everything he could to make life easier for her during her recovery. Nothing would be too much trouble. Whatever Ruby wanted Ruby would get, with bells on.

He worried that she might be shocked at the sight of him sitting by her bed when she woke up. But as long as she didn’t order him away, it would be okay. The main thing was that he had to talk to her.

To tell her he was a jerk for dumping her.

To admit that he had totally screwed up.

And to beg her to take him back.

“Drew?” Ruby’s shaky voice crashed into his thoughts.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw that her eyes were wide open—and staring at him. She looked tired, but her warmth still shone through. He felt an overwhelming urge to hold her tight, but he didn’t want to hurt her. He also didn’t know how she would respond to it, either.

“How do you feel?” he asked, smiling at her.

“Sore. What are you doing here?” she replied, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly until she winced.

Drew’s insides clenched. He hated to see her suffering like that and wished there was something he could do to take away the pain. “More to the point, what the hell were you doing walking out in front of a car like that? You could’ve been killed.” His tone was sharper than he’d intended. “Sorry, I don’t want to get on your case, but when I heard what had happened, I nearly lost it. I…” His voice cracked as memories of what happened with Reese flashed across his mind, and he shivered. The thought of it rocked him to the core. That was one déjà vu he didn’t want to contend with.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said softly. She waved the hand of her arm that wasn’t bandaged. “Ouch,” she groaned, her face twisted in pain.

“Should I call the nurse? Do you need pain meds?” He felt helpless seeing her like that and not being able to do anything about it.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. It will stop hurting in a few seconds. I just have to remember not to move at all.” She gave a shallow laugh and winced again. “Or laugh. Have you been here long?”

He noticed the lock of hair that had fallen across her forehead, and he wanted to brush it away, except he wasn’t sure she’d want him touching her. “About forty minutes. Your mom called to tell me, and I came right over. I took over from her sitting here as she had to go back to see your dad. She said she’ll be back later this afternoon. Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay. Dad needs looking after.”

Fleetingly, disappointment flashed across Ruby’s face, but it disappeared so quickly that Drew almost thought he’d imagined it. He didn’t know whether it was because her mom had gone, or because her dad wouldn’t be coming to visit.

“Are you upset because your father isn’t here?”

“No. Yes. No. Well, sometimes I wish he was more like a regular dad. And then I feel terrible for having those thoughts.”

She talked about having a regular dad, but Drew wondered exactly what a regular dad was. It certainly wasn’t his. And it wasn’t Ruby’s. Maybe it was just something conjured up by the media. “You know, I hadn’t thought about it before but my dad is a lot like yours.”

“How do you figure?” Ruby frowned.

“Your dad checked out a long time ago. So did mine. Admittedly it was through alcohol, but the results are the same.” He couldn’t believe that he’d never thought about that before. It seemed important that Ruby should see it, too.

“Hmmm. Maybe. Except your dad could change. He could stop drinking. My dad’s always gonna look like that, so not a lot of hope.” A look of horror flashed across Ruby’s face. “I didn’t mean…” Ruby stammered, looking flustered.

Drew witnessed in her eyes exactly what she had meant. That he’d think the same applied to him because of his burns. “I know what you meant. That his scars aren’t going away, so he may never choose to accept them. It’s okay. I’m not like your father,” he tried to reassure her.

She averted her gaze and stared down at her lap. That wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. She couldn’t have looked guiltier if she’d tried. Which probably meant she did think he was going down the same road as her dad. He didn’t want to press her on it. Not yet. And in a way it didn’t matter.

“Please could you get me something to drink?” she asked.

He poured her some water and handed her the plastic cup, then took a breath. “I’m sorry for what happened between us. I shouldn’t have ended it with you.” He paused for a moment. “Forgive me?” Drew wished he could work out what she was thinking. Most other times, her face was so expressive that he always knew. This time, for some reason, she was giving nothing away.

“What do you mean, exactly?” she asked, taking a slow drink of her water. There was a flash of…something in her eyes. Optimism? Hope?

“That I want to keep seeing you,” he replied, allowing himself just the tiniest bit of hope in return.

“Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” She widened her eyes.

That felt right. “Yes, like we were before,” he answered.

“But do you still want to keep it a secret?” she asked, her voice suddenly less soft.

He hadn’t even thought about it, and it surprised him that she had. He didn’t see the importance of it in the grand scheme of things. “Yeah, I guess.” He wanted things exactly as they were before.

“Because of Blake?”

He nodded. “Partly, yes. I want to protect you from his anger and the gossip that would result from it being out in the open.”

“You said partly. Why else do we have to engage in this subterfuge?”

This wasn’t going at all as he’d planned. He’d hoped Ruby would accept his apology, fall back into his arms, and laugh at how stupid he’d been. “Because I don’t want to rub anyone’s face in the fact that I’m happy. You know that. Nothing has changed in that respect. I don’t deserve it, but I can’t let you go, either.”

She put her glass down on the bedside table, wincing at the movement, and traced a line along her arm cast. “Then my answer is no. I’m sorry, Drew. I could just about go with your plan if it was because of Blake or the gossip, although I’m not totally convinced it’s the right thing to do. But, you thinking that you’re not worthy of happiness is crazy. It’s self-obsessed and reminds me too much of my dad. I’m not prepared to be part of it.”

“But—”

“Sorry, no buts.” She lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes. “I think you better leave now,” she said drowsily. “I’m feeling really tired.”

Chapter Sixteen

Tears stung the back of Drew’s eyes as he stormed down the hospital corridor, narrowly missing slamming into someone being pushed on a stretcher. He had to get out of there before he broke down and made an absolute idiot of himself.

He’d given more of himself to Ruby than he’d ever done to anyone else. She knew his innermost feelings. The things that haunted him. His anxiety about what had happened. Yet it wasn’t enough, and now he was back to where he’d started. Alone. But was he surprised? No. He’d had his head in the clouds when thinking that he could be with Ruby and forget everything that had happened in the past.

For the first time, he wondered what it would be like if he was more like his parents and could grab a bottle and drink until his senses were dulled and his troubles disappeared into nothingness. He shook his head. He wasn’t like them, and he didn’t intend to be. Ever.

He finally reached the hospital entrance and pushed open the double doors that led into the parking lot. He’d left his car in the overflow parking garage as there was nothing closer when he’d arrived earlier, so he turned and made his way toward it.

“What are you doing here?” a voice said to his left.

Blake. The one person he really didn’t want to see at that precise moment.

“I’m just leaving,” Drew said guardedly. Blake looked like he was spoiling for a fight, all nervous energy and blazing anger. And although in the past they would have been evenly matched, Drew didn’t like his chances now. Recovering from the fire had decimated his fitness level. Plus, he didn’t want to hit Blake. And Blake obviously wanted to hit him.

“Not yet, you’re not.” Blake stepped in front of him, blocking his way, his arms folded across his chest.

“What do you want, Blake?” Drew let out an exasperated sigh. “If you want to hit me, take your best shot. I’m not going to hit back.”

Blake blinked, obviously surprised at that. “No one hurts my sister and gets away with it,” he sputtered.

“I didn’t mean to. I love Ruby.”

Love.

He’d just admitted his love for Ruby, before his conscious mind had even realized. He had never doubted how much he enjoyed being with her, and how much he liked her. But love?

Saying it felt right. No matter what happened with them in the end.

“You’re such a punk, Drew.” Blake shoved him, and Drew’s muscles tensed as he counterbalanced to keep from falling. But that’s all he did.

“Come on, fight back.” Blake shoved him again, square in the chest.

“No.”

“Dammit!” Blake pulled back his arm, and Drew swallowed hard. Then his face erupted in pain as Blake struck a blow right in his nose, and Drew fell to the ground.

“Ow!” He cupped his hands over his face, his eyes watering. God, that hurt. He could feel blood dripping through his fingers, and he wondered if his nose was broken. He took a few deep breaths until the agony subsided.

Then, he braced his hands on his knees and raised himself to standing. He’d been burned on 30 percent of his body—a broken nose was nothing. He faced Blake, who was breathing hard, his face tomato red.

Blake’s hands were still clenched into fists in front of him. “Come on.”

“I don’t want to hit you, Blake,” he said. The slight stuffiness in his voice made him feel like the punk Blake had called him.

With a shout, his former best friend charged at him. Drew ducked and then stepped out of the way just as Blake tried to land another punch. “I never said I’d let you hit me twice,” he snarled.

Blake whirled around and came at him again, clipping him painfully on the jaw with his fist.

“Screw this.” Drew immediately responded with a punch of his own, and caught Blake on the shoulder, causing him to growl in pain. But Blake recovered in a split second and in response gave a swift jab that Drew couldn’t avoid. It connected with the side of his head, causing him to lose his balance and stumble. He turned and gut-punched Blake, who doubled over with a volley of curses, clutching his stomach. Stubborn ass, he rose up, clearly intending to throw another punch.

“Stop!” Drew hollered. Pain shot up his leg from his earlier stumble. He turned and faced Blake squarely.

Blake took one step toward him, but Drew stood his ground.

“I get it. You hate me. I don’t blame you. But punching me won’t change anything.” Drew’s eyes darted to the side, making sure he had sufficient space to get out of the way should Blake take another shot at him.

“You violated my trust. You betrayed our friendship. Hurting you will make me feel better,” Blake snarled. But he put his hands down, spitting on the ground and then wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You don’t mean that.” Drew’s muscles relaxed, as he realized that the fighting was likely over.

“What do you know?” Blake scowled at him and took a step closer.

“I know you.”

“Yeah, right,” Blake said.

“Yes,” Drew continued, ignoring Blake’s response. “And it cuts me up to know that I’ve hurt you. The one person who’s the closest to family that I’ve ever had.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” Blake shook his head.

“I know. I totally screwed up.” Drew’s voice cracked. “I used to be so jealous of you. Your relationship with Ruby. Your mom. I know it wasn’t easy, with your dad and not having money. But I’d have given everything I had to swap with you.”

Blake opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, then settled for looking awkward. “You never told me.”

Drew laughed, but there was no mirth in it. “Well, I was hardly gonna take out an ad in the paper.” Silence hung in the air. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “For Reese. For the fire. Reese told me you’d broken up again, and she swore she was through with you. I didn’t– My parents’ drinking had gotten worse, and I know that’s no excuse, but I was just feeling so… I just wanted someone. She was there, and she kissed me, and I let her.” He stared at the ground, unable to look his old friend in the eye. “We were going to tell you, and I swear, Blake, if you’d said you didn’t want me to see her, I wouldn’t have. Your friendship meant more to me than anything else in the world.”

He looked up then, facing Blake, who had returned to his normal color. All the fight seemed to have left him. He wasn’t even scowling anymore. “Except for Ruby,” Drew added. “But I won’t come between the two of you. You’re her brother, and she adores you. So I’m going to go. Tell her I’m sorry. I won’t bother her again.”

Drew turned and began walking toward the parking garage, just wanting to put some distance between him and every Davis on the planet.

“I always thought you two would be good together,” Blake said.

Shocked to his core, Drew pivoted, wondering if he’d heard right. “What?”

One corner of Blake’s mouth turned upward. “You heard me.” He turned and walked into the hospital.

The door opened, and Ruby glanced up from reading her magazine, expecting to see the nurse who had gone to get her a Popsicle to cheer her up. After Drew left, she couldn’t stop crying. She’d made the right decision saying no to him, she knew that, but it didn’t stop the hurt. Instead of the nurse, though, Blake stood there rubbing his knuckles, which looked red and bruised.

“What happened?” She hoped he hadn’t been hitting the wall again. Something he’d done on a regular basis the past twelve months.

“Nothing.” His sharp tone took Ruby by surprise. She’d hoped they’d gotten beyond their conflict. He’d been so kind to her yesterday at the accident.

“Sorry, I only asked because of your hand.”

He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a run-in with Drew.”

Ruby’s good hand flew up to her mouth, her eyes wide. “Is he hurt?” She couldn’t bear it if Blake had injured Drew. For all Drew’s hard exterior and his stupid idea that he deserved all the bad karma life could throw at him, Ruby knew that he probably stood there like some idiot martyr and let Blake punch him in the face.

“No.” Blake walked over and sat down on the chair beside the bed, lifting his legs and resting them on the lower bed rail.

Not counting the immediate problem with his hand, Ruby sensed something different about him. She didn’t know whether it was the way he sat there so relaxed, even after his fight with Drew. Or the fact that his face didn’t have its usual tightness about it, or what. Just something.

“Thank goodness.” She sighed and couldn’t help allowing a tiny laugh of relief to escape her lips.

“Good to see whose side you’re on.” Blake leaned back in the chair and lifted his hands behind his head.

“I still care about him, you know,” she said, biting on her bottom lip to stop the urge to cry which had suddenly taken hold again.

“Even though he dumped you?”

“And asked me back out,” she pointed out. “But I said no.”

“Ah. So that’s what he meant,” Blake said, his voice quiet and thoughtful.

“What?”

“He said to tell you he wouldn’t bother you again.”

“Oh.”

“He also said he’s in love with you.”

“Oh!” Ruby’s heartbeat quickened. He loved her. Why hadn’t he told her? Then again would it have made a difference? No. Because the situation was still the same. “I love him, too,” she admitted. “But that’s not enough. It would never work between us.” She let out a long sigh, wishing that everything could be different.

“Says who?” Blake looked across at her, and she looked right back.

“Says me. Until he can learn to forgive himself for what happened to Reese and to you, then there’s no point.” She wanted to fold her arms and glare at her brother, but her stupid cast wouldn’t let her, so she settled for the glare. “And you not forgiving him doesn’t help matters.”

“I did.”

“What?!” She sat up, then immediately regretted the rapid movement. “Owwww.”

Looking helpless, he grabbed her water glass and offered it to her. She took it, if only to make him feel like he’d helped. She took a sip and handed it back to him. “You did?”

He hitched a shoulder in a half shrug. “Well, I stopped trying to hit him, and I told him I didn’t mind you two together.”

Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. It had been a huge step for her brother, and she was so grateful. “Blake—” She reached for him with her good hand, and he leaned forward, took it, and squeezed it, before putting it back on the sheet and patting it awkwardly into place. Which, for Blake, was a momentous declaration of brotherly affection.

She wiped the tears as they started to fall. “That’s not completely forgiving him, you know.”

He ignored that. “Maybe you can help him. He…needs somebody,” he said.

She couldn’t believe she was sitting there having a conversation like that with Blake. She thought he would’ve done what he could to stop her being with Drew but now it seemed like he was trying to persuade her to give him a chance. She didn’t get it. “No. He has to help himself. Because if he doesn’t, he’ll only end up half a man. Like Dad.”

She hated to think of her father in those terms. And she hated that down the road, Drew could be in the exact same position.

“And if he does help himself, will you go back with him then?” Blake pressed.

“What’s with you trying to push me toward him?” she demanded. She waved her arm and then wished she hadn’t because of the pain.

He swung his legs down from the bed and leaned forward in the chair, looking intently at her. He cleared his throat. “I’m not. Well. Look, it’s gonna take a long time for me to get over what he did. But Reese’s death wasn’t…it wasn’t his fault.” He shuffled in his seat and looked very uncomfortable.

Ruby placed her hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze. “He hates himself for what happened, more than you’ll ever hate him. And I agree it wasn’t his fault. Maybe, in time, you’ll be able to forgive him for being with her in the first place.”

She believed that if Drew and Blake could even begin to repair their relationship, it would help both of them more than either could have imagined. They had too much history for them to let it all go.

“Maybe. If I’m being honest with myself, I think that Reese and I wouldn’t have gotten back together. It was probably our last breakup,” he said thoughtfully. Then he scrubbed a hand across his face. “You still haven’t answered my question about whether you would get back together with him if he straightens himself out.”

She took a moment before answering. Would she get back together with him? She didn’t want to think about it, because she wasn’t convinced he would change sufficiently for everything to work out. She gave a resigned shrug. “Let’s wait and see what happens.”