"I never stopped. Having her here yesterday proved those feeling are stronger than I realized."
He pauses, and I can sense his eyes on me like he's trying to figure out what to say next."So, what are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing." The mood shifts, and I could cut the tension with a knife.
"Why not?"
"You know why not. Lauren doesn't need someone she has to take care of for the rest of her life. She needs someone to take care of her. Once upon a time, I was that person, but not anymore."
"Did she tell you this herself?"
"She doesn't have to. I know her, and she can take care of herself, but she wants a partner, someone to lean on and pick up the slack when times get hard. She wants the family, dogs, and vacations. I know because we had our lives planned out."
He doesn't say anything for a long time.
"You still there?" I finally ask.
"Yep. I’m not sure what to say. I know Lauren. She and my wife are friends, and I think you’re wrong. You know a different Lauren than the woman she’s become. But that's something you have to learn for yourself."
I seem to have struck a nerve with Noah, and I can't figure out exactly what it was I did or said.
"Be patient with her. She doesn't let people get close easily, and I'm sure you understand why."
"Meaning I'm the cause of why she doesn't let people in?" Noah might not say it, but I will.
Again, he says nothing, but he doesn't have to. I was young when I left and handled it the best way I knew. Though judging by our talk yesterday, it wasn't the right thing to do.
Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty, right? If I knew then what I know now, I’d do things differently. And it would be better for both of us.
“I also have to consider that we brought Lauren in to treat you, and if you two are moving on to something more, we should get someone else in to replace her. Ethics and all that.”
“No. It’s Lauren or no one. Not being able to see anything takes a whole lot of trust in those around me, and there’s no one I trust more than her.”
An awkward silence follows, and I don’t know if it’s because I put my foot down or something else.
"Hello, boys!" A woman says from the door, and a minute later, a dog rests its head on my knee.
"Hey, Paisley," Noah says.
"Aw, she knows you’re her human. That's Gem, and she’s your Seeing Eye dog. Is this a good time?" Paisley asks.
"Yep. I was just leaving,” Noah replies. “Either way, Gavin, there’s no use dwelling on the past. That's the motto around here. All you can do is move forward and make things right. It sounds like you want to, and I think you should, for what it's worth." I hear him stand. "Go easy on her, okay?" he adds as he walks out.
I know that’s not what he was going to say, and my gut says he's not telling me everything.What is he keeping from me?
Paisley quickly distracts me by introducing Gem to me. I’ve always loved dogs, so it's easy to bond with her. I'd rather spend my time around an animal. They don't talk back. However, Paisley doesn't seem too bad. She has a bubbly personality and doesn't allow the word “no” in her vocabulary.
"How long have you been working here at Oakside?" I ask her when we sit down to take a break, and Gem curls up on the couch with her head in my lap.
"Over a year. I met my husband here. Well, that's not one hundred percent true. He was my brother’s best friend. Easton went to the military, and we all lost touch with him until I ran into him again here."
"This place seems to have a knack for bringing people from your past to face you, huh?"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Lauren. We dated in high school."
"Oh, I've met her a few times, and she’s nice."
Paisley changes the subject, leaving me thinking everyone is hiding something. But the only thing that comes to mind is that she's seeing someone.
It would explain the phone calls and how she gets weird around me. Of course, she's taken or seeing someone. The rest of the time, Paisley and Gem are here, I tell myself I want Lauren to be happy no matter what. Yet the more I repeat it, the more I know it's a lie.
I want to be the one to make her happy, but I don't have a shot in hell now. Do I?