Not Pretending Anymore by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 23
Molly
A week later, my father was at the hospital for a scan. It was my day off, so I went with him. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could, and I also wanted to give Kayla some time to run her errands. She’d been by his side nearly every minute since his diagnosis.
They’d taken Dad back a few minutes ago, so I sat in the empty waiting room by myself. While I was thumbing through a magazine, Will walked in, carrying a coffee in each hand.
“Hey,” I said. “I didn’t think you were on today.”
“I’m not. I came to keep you company.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek before taking the empty seat next to me.
“You did? Thank you. That’s so sweet.”
He extended a hand with one of the Styrofoam cups, then pulled it back and switched. “Actually, this one’s yours. It’s black. Mine has cream and sugar.”
His thoughtfulness made me feel guilty. I’d mostly avoided him over the last week, since Declan had left. I hadn’t felt up to spending time with another man. In fact, it had been an effort to get out of bed most days, so pretending to be happy was more than I could handle.
Will peeled back the plastic tab on the top of his coffee. “How’s your dad doing?”
I sighed. “He’s lost a lot of weight, and his skin tone is off. But he’s doing his best to be in good spirits.”
Will nodded and took my hand. The gesture was sweet, but it also reminded me of how tightly Declan had held my hand on that last evening before he left. Which in turn, made me feel even guiltier. I was sitting next to a man who was trying so hard to be here for me, yet I was thinking about someone else.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but it looks like you’ve lost some weight, too,” he said. “I’ve heard you tell more than one new father that it’s important to take care of the caretakers. I’d like to do that for you, Molly. You don’t need to carry this all on your own.”
God, I’m an awful person. The guy I was supposed to be dating had offered to take care of me because I was sad. And part of the reason I was sad was because of another man.
I squeezed Will’s hand. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
Over the next half hour, our conversation moved to lighter topics. We talked about work, who was secretly sleeping with whom this month, and Will kept me entertained, telling me about all of the bizarre things he’d seen shaved into a woman’s private area over the years.
“Someone really shaved the Chanel logo down there?”
“How could I make this shit up?”
I laughed and realized it was the first time I’d done so in a week. But then my cell rang, and my smile wilted. Declan’s name flashed on the screen. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Will eyed me and sipped his coffee. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”
I shook my head. “I’ll call him back later. He knew my dad had an appointment, so he’s probably checking in to see how things went.”
Will nodded, but said nothing.
Since I’d been dodging him, he didn’t know Declan had left. I figured it might be a good time to fill him in.
“He moved to Wisconsin,” I said.
Will’s brows lifted. “Declan moved?”
I nodded. “He had a change in his work assignment.”
“Is this a permanent move?”
“No. But Declan actually lives in California. He might come back for a few weeks after he’s done in Wisconsin, but then he’ll be going home to Newport Beach for good.”
“I didn’t realize he didn’t live here.”
Of course, since I’d used Declan to make Will jealous, I hadn’t mentioned that tidbit.
“Yeah. He was never here permanently.”
Will quietly sipped his coffee some more. The next time he spoke, he shifted in his seat to look at me. “How do you feel about that?”
“About Declan being gone?”
He nodded.
My relationship with Will had started with a lie—Declan and I pretending to be a couple. If we had any real chance of things working out, I needed to be honest. So I was, even if it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“I’m sad he left. We had grown close. But he’s a good friend, and we want to keep in touch.” I paused. “Will that upset you?”
Will looked into my eyes. “Is that all you are now? Just friends?”
Whether my heart wanted more or not, that was what we were now. So I nodded.
Will shook his head. “Then, no, I won’t let it upset me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous of your relationship with him. But if you say you’re only friends, that’s good enough for me. Right now you need all of your friends to support you, even if one happens to be too damn good-looking for my liking.”
I smiled. “Thank you for understanding, Will.”
He squeezed my hand. “Just remember, I can be here for you, too. All you have to do is let me.”
