A Cosmic Kind of Love(90)

I gritted my teeth to hold back my growl of annoyance. It was wonderful that Mom had agreed to leave me out of her relationship drama, and kind of her to stick up for me with my dad. However, she would always be Mom, and just as I’d have to learn to let go of my father’s absences over the years and his behavior recently, I needed not to let Mom’s nitpicking get to me if we were going to have a relationship. “Okay. Enjoy yourself. Bye!”

I hung up before she could say anything else that might put a dent in my self-esteem.





THIRTY-FOUR





Hallie


As I moved around my bedroom, packing my small overnight suitcase with essentials, I caught glimpses of Chris in my shower because the bathroom door was ajar. Forcing my thoughts elsewhere, for we had no time for shower hanky-panky, I looked away and assessed my bag.

To my everlasting gratitude, Chris had been right about the photos of us online. Interest died down within a few days because a well-known actor was photographed having sex with a married film director in a rooftop pool. Chris and I were promptly forgotten.

Almost two weeks had passed since that awful Monday, and despite my mistrust of his father and Darcy, we’d never felt closer. I’d told him all about hearing from my mom and dad, and he was relieved for me. He didn’t seem to hold a grudge against them on my behalf and said he was happy to meet them whenever I was ready.

Chris wanted to meet my parents.

That shouldn’t have seemed like such a big deal, considering we were practically living with each other. However, it was. I was excited to introduce him to them. To show them that despite the relationship trauma I’d witnessed between them, I’d chosen a man who was good to me. Our relationship was so far beyond the toxic kind, I felt almost like I was cheating at life. How did I get so lucky to end up with a man like Chris while other people floundered through their whole lives going from one car crash of a relationship to another? It didn’t seem fair. But I wouldn’t ruin my happiness by constantly looking over my shoulder for something bad that would take it away.

I had a sixtieth-birthday party at the golf club near Richelle’s beach house, so Chris was going to drive me, drop me off, and then go to Richelle’s. He’d pick me up once the party was over, and we’d spend the rest of the weekend together at the beach house. I was nervous to see Richelle again now that Chris and I were a couple, but he’d assured me his aunt thought it was wonderful we were dating.

“Bikini,” I muttered to myself before rummaging through my bottom drawer. I pulled out the pink-and-white polka-dot bikini Mom mentioned last week. I’d thought I looked cute in it until my mom commented on the cellulite on the back of my thighs. We’d taken a spa weekend trip together, my treat, to shake off her depression. She’d complained about everything, including my body.

I’d never fully feel confident about how I looked, but I realized I couldn’t let my mom’s search for perfection poison my own self-esteem.

I would wear that damn bikini in front of Chris this weekend and do it with confidence!

Well . . . I’d try at least.

The bikini went into the bag, and I zipped it up just as Chris’s cell rang on the bedside table.

“Captain, your phone!” I yelled so he could hear me over the shower.

“Who is it?”

I checked. “It doesn’t say. It’s a two-eight-one area code!”

The screen door on the shower squeaked open. “NASA! Can you take a message?”

What could NASA want? Maybe it was about his book. I hoped that’s all it was about. I answered his phone, trying not to fangirl over the fact that I was about to talk to someone from NASA. Taking a deep breath, I answered calmly, “Chris’s phone, Hallie speaking.”

“Oh, hey . . . uh . . . Hallie Goodman?”

“Um, yes.”

“Hi, Hallie, this is Kate from the tech department at JSC. Is Chris available to talk?”

JSC? Ah, Johnson Space Center. And this woman knew who I was? Eek!

Wait . . . Kate?

Wasn’t it her email address I’d sent all my videos to? She was the one who forwarded my emails to Chris and made it look like they’d bounced.

“Hallie?”

“Chris is in the shower and asked me to take a message.”

“Right. It’s nothing that can’t wait. Can you just ask him to call me back?”

“Of course, no problem.”

“Great . . . and, uh . . . It’s awesome how that all worked out between you. You know you could write a book about it.”

I flushed, understanding her meaning. “The videos?”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to deceive you. But when I forwarded him those videos you sent to my email, who would have thought you two would end up together? That’s something cosmic if you ask me.”

Her words caused butterflies and a pang of longing all at once. Because it felt cosmic to me. Probably because I was deeply in love with Chris. I was pretty sure I was going to tell him I loved him soon. Not this weekend, because we were going to the Hamptons, and when I said those three words to him, I wanted to escape easily if he didn’t return the sentiment.

Shoving the worry away, I replied, “All is forgiven. Water under the bridge. I’ll let Chris know you called.”