“Yeah. None of this is actually about Meghan. It’s about you and how scared you are of getting hurt again. And I get it, man. I saw you when your parents died. It almost killed you. But you and your aunt did a great job with Belle. She’s happy, she’s talented, and she’s independent. But what about the kid you were when it all happened?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m talking about being kind to yourself. Somewhere inside of you the kid that you used to be is still there. Still scared as hell at being left alone in the world. And so to maintain some kind of control, you push people away before they can leave you. But the end result is still the same.” James shrugged. “You’re still alone.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” Rich’s chest felt tight. He didn’t want to think about this now. That kid he used to be was long gone. He was an adult now, he made his own decisions.
And Meghan and Isla were better off without him.
His pager beeped, and Rich looked down, tipping it with his finger. “I gotta go.” He stood.
James nodded, following suit. “Please just think about what I said. And if Harper asks, I really reamed you out, okay?”
Rich’s lips twitched. “Harper’s a good woman,” he said, carrying his coffee cup to the trash. James followed him, his own cup still half full.
“Yeah she is.” His voice was thick. “And so is Meghan.”
Rich’s smile was wry. “I know. That’s why she’s better off without me.”
When he walked out of the elevator on the tenth floor later that morning, the hallway was filled with suitcases and boxes. Rich frowned, and for a moment he wondered if Meghan was moving out, but then the door to apartment 10D opened, and Kevin walked out.
“Jesus, you made me jump.” Kevin clutched his hand to his chest, his dark hair falling over his eyebrows.
“Welcome back.” Rich glanced at the luggage. “You want a hand carrying those in?”
“Would you? You’re a lifesaver.” Kevin shot him a smile. “Would you believe Grant broke his wrist on our third to last day away? He’s used it as an excuse to do nothing at all ever since.” Kevin’s voice was indulgent. He clearly thought it was funny. Rich picked up a box and carried it inside.
“Look who’s here,” Kevin called out. Grant looked up from the kitchen counter, where he was filling up the coffee pot.
“It’s the hot doc.” Grant grinned. Rich put the box down on the counter and his neighbors took their turn at hugging him. “Is it me or did you get even hotter while we were away?”
“It’s definitely you,” Rich said, shaking his head.
“Nope. There’s definitely something about you.” Kevin narrowed his eyes. “I can’t put my finger on it.”
Rich really wasn’t up to any more analyzing of his psyche. “Maybe it’s the fact I spent most of the morning with my hands up a guy’s ass.”
“What? Why?” Grant wrinkled his nose. “Actually, scrap that, I don’t want to know. Unless you’ve decided to join us on the dark side.”
“There’s no chance of that,” Kevin said.
“What happened to your wrist?” Rich asked his neighbor, grateful to change the subject.
“You really need to hear this,” Kevin told him. “It’s the best.”
“Shut up.” Grant blew him a kiss. “It was an accident, that was all. I bought these amazing tight pants from a shop in Lima when we first arrived, and decided to wear them out to a club. The only problem is, I must have put on a little weight while we were traveling, because those things were impossible to pull up.”
“So you broke your wrist?” Rich frowned, trying to get the connection.
“I was pulling them up one leg at a time, but my big toe got caught in the hem and bent backward and it really hurt.”
“He was screaming,” Kevin said, deadpan.
Grant smiled at him. “I was crying, actually, baby. Anyway, I was hopping around, these damn pants stuck to my ankles and I fell over and put my hand out to stop my face from planting on the tiled floor.”
Rich really tried not to laugh, but the image of Grant crying and hopping and falling all at the same time was too much.
“We almost had to cancel our flight home. Did you know you’re not allowed to fly within forty eight hours of getting a cast?” Kevin asked.