Down the Rabbit Hole

“Sure.” She nodded with that tight smile, but he knew her, and he could’ve sworn she was trying not to cry. “I’m sorry you haven’t been fine. You seem to have a nice new, um . . . your date looks nice.”

“To be honest, I have no idea if she is or she isn’t,” he said, dropping his shoulders—along with all efforts at concealment.

“Oh.” That startled her. “First date?”

“Yeah. Are you here with someone?”

She flushed red. “Yes.”

There was a tense moment where they simply stood there, looking at each other. Then she did the most unexpected thing. Clasping her hands together, she stepped toward him. “Jeremy, I just want to say, I’m so sorry. And I’m sorry to do this to you while you’re on a date with”—she swept an arm out toward the dining room—“that nice woman. But I just—I have to say I’m sorry. About the whole . . .” She swirled her hand in a circle, looking down, shaking her head. “Breaking-up thing.”

The breaking-up thing?

“The breaking-up thing?” he asked out loud.

“I know I probably just beat you to the punch, but the way I did it!” She put her hands over her eyes. “I’m so ashamed. I’m impulsive and make snap decisions and I act on them too quickly, before I’ve thought. I’m just like Bill’s ex-girlfriend!”

“Bill?”

“And I hope to god she’s sorry too, because he’s a really nice guy.” She looked up and wagged a finger. Then she flushed and put a hand over her mouth, gazing at him. “But you. God, Jeremy, you didn’t deserve me. I mean the awful me, just walking out like that. And I understand why you didn’t call or anything. You were done anyway, but I wish we—”

“There you are!” a male voice said. “I was just beginning to wonder if . . .” The guy’s voice trailed off as he took in Jeremy. “Oh,” he said, with an expression like a smacked child. “Have I interrupted something?”

Yes, Jeremy wanted to say, a thousand times yes. What on earth was she talking about, beating him to the punch? She thought he was done? With what?

Macy’s eyes darted from Jeremy to her date and back. She seemed on the verge of saying more, but she stopped herself and said, “No, not at all. I just ran into an old friend. Bill, this is Jeremy. Jeremy, Bill.”

Bill stepped up and shook his hand. “Good to meet you.” His eyes shifted to Macy. “Uh, I’ll just meet you back out there. I wanted to be sure you were okay, is all.” He nodded at her, waiting.

“Okay,” she said. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”

But Bill lingered another minute, so she turned a falsely bright look on him and said, “Jeremy, great to see you. Hope you have a nice evening.” Then she disappeared into the ladies’ room.

Jeremy leaned back against the hall wall, then noticed Bill still standing there, hands in his pockets, head cocked like a spaniel awaiting a treat.

“Are you the ex-boyfriend?” he asked.

Jeremy spent a moment adjusting to the title. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“She mentioned she was getting over someone.”

“Did she?” Getting over. Not over. Was this some kind of test? Was Mrs. Hartz watching even now?

“Yeah.” The guy smiled and looked down, thinking. “To be honest I don’t think she’s let go yet. Hope I’m not out of line telling you that.”

Jeremy straightened. “No. No, not at all.” He gave a short laugh. “Really?”

Bill raised his hands and eyebrows, then turned back to the dining room.

Jeremy looked to the ladies’ room door. How weird would it be if he were still out here when she came back?

CHAPTER SIX

Macy had trouble catching her breath. What had she said? She couldn’t even remember. There were so many things she’d wanted to say but couldn’t. And they’d been standing outside the bathrooms. And he was there with another woman! She was pretty sure she’d been inappropriate.

She hadn’t even let him say anything. And he’d been about to say something, hadn’t he? She wished it were a tape she could rewind. Oh, if only Bill hadn’t shown up when he did!

She pulled her purse up and pawed through it for her phone.

“Carolyn?” she said, grateful that her sister-in-law had answered and not her brother.

“Macy, hi! I’ve been meaning to call you. Lute and I were just talking about it. There’s a guy in my office—”

“Wait. I need to ask you something,” she said, lowering her voice at the sound of someone entering the restroom.

“Where are you?” Carolyn asked, her voice taking on the same hushed tone as Macy’s.

“I’m on a date.”

“Great!” Her voice bounced through the phone.

“No, it’s not like that. I’m in the restroom. I just ran into Jeremy.”

“Oohhhh.”

“Yeah. And oh god, Carolyn, I made the biggest mistake. You were so right about me. I judged him too fast, too harshly, I shouldn’t have judged him at all! I loved him. Why did I give up on him?”