Online Book “Taking Chances” Chapter 18:
“How could I have said something so stupid?” I asked,
plunking my head down on the table for the umpteenth time.
“Telling someone that you love them isn’t stupid.” Courtney defended
me, as she always did.
“It sure feels that way. What if I scared him off? What if
he doesn’t want to see me again?” I moaned as I checked my phone again, sighing
at its blank face staring back at me, mocking me.
“If those three little words scared him off, then he doesn’t
deserve you, anyway.” At my sad look, Courtney grabbed my hand and continued.
“Stop worrying. He’ll call. You just took him by surprise. That’s all.”
Joe stopped by the table with our tacos, and I suddenly
wondered why he always waited on us, rather than having one of the waitresses
serve our table. Maybe there was something to this Courtney and Joe idea that
Seth had suggested.
I decided that thinking about the possibility of the two of
them hooking up would help keep my mind off Seth for a while, so I dipped my
toe in the water. “Joe looks especially hot tonight.” I waggled my eyebrows
playfully at her.
He did look rather handsome, with his unkempt, surfer-dude
look. Court responded to my prompt with a non-committal “Mmmhmm.” So I pushed
on.
“He has his own business, he’s kind, he’s smart, he’s funny,
and he’s crazy about you, Court. A girl could do a lot worse.”
“Did he ask you to talk to me?” Her face crumpled as she
said it. “I told him to let it go.” As she slid out of the booth, she added,
“It will never work out, so just drop it. I need a tissue. I’ll be right back.”
I was shocked that Courtney and Joe had talked about the
possibility of a relationship and was slightly hurt that Court hadn’t mentioned
it to me. How could she think of herself as unworthy of being happy? What kind
of demons was she carrying around with her?
When she returned to our table, I weighed my words carefully
before saying, “Sweetie, I don’t care if you want to be with Joe, or with
someone else, or with no one. I just want you to be happy.” She smiled, so I
continued, “You are a wonderful person, and you deserve happiness. I hope that
you are able to find peace with yourself because you shouldn’t be carrying this
heavy burden. If you aren’t able to talk to me about it, maybe we should get
you an appointment with a professional.”
“A shrink?” Courtney snorted. “Been there, done that. It
didn’t work for me.” At my concerned look, she continued, “I’ll be fine. I just
have some things from my past that I’m not proud of. I need to work through
them in my own way and in my own time.”
“In other words, you want me to butt-out.” I smiled to let
her know I wasn’t angry. “You take your time. I’m always here for you if you
need anything. You know that, right?”
“Same goes for you, Sister. Hug it out?” Court stood and
extended her arms to me.
“That is soooo hot, but a kiss would really seal the deal
for me,” Joe said near our ears as we hugged, ending the sweet moment. Court balled
her napkin and threw it at him as he swaggered away with a big smile on his
face. I shook my head with an exasperated, “Men!”
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