For three months, I had stayed away from Karen because I believed it was the only way to protect Daniel.
Now he was telling me that perhaps protecting him did not mean abandoning her.
It meant allowing all of us to grow up.
I grabbed my keys.
The Second Chapter
The bookstore was supposed to close at nine.
I arrived at 8:54.
Through the front window, I saw Karen behind the counter, arranging a stack of books.
She looked up.
For a moment, she simply stared at me.
Then she walked to the door and unlocked it.
“Alex?”
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Shopping.”
She glanced at the clock.
“We’re closed in six minutes.”
“I’ve always been terrible with deadlines.”
She stepped aside.
I entered.
The store smelled of paper, wood, and freshly brewed coffee. Warm lamps illuminated the reading tables, and a small display near the entrance featured books by local authors.
Behind the counter stood a framed photograph of Karen on opening day.
She looked happier in that picture than I had ever seen her.
I pointed at it.
“You look proud.”
“I am.”
“You should be.”
She looked at me.
For a moment, neither of us knew what to say.
Then she folded her arms.
“Daniel?”
“He came to see me.”
Her expression softened.
“How is he?”
“Confused. Trying. Still convinced that threatening me is a healthy communication strategy.”
She laughed.
“That sounds like my son.”
I stepped toward the counter.
“He told me to come see you.”
Karen’s smile faded.
“He did?”
“More or less.”
She looked down at her hands.
“I never wanted him to feel that he had to choose between us.”
“He knows that now.”
“I hope so.”
I watched her for a moment.
Then I said the thing I had rehearsed during the entire drive.
“I missed you.”
Her eyes filled.
“I missed you too.”
“I tried to convince myself that staying away was enough.”
“And?”
“It wasn’t.”
She gave a small, sad laugh.
“No. It wasn’t.”
I moved closer.
“Karen, I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. I can’t guarantee that every day will be easy. I can’t promise people won’t talk. And I can’t promise Daniel will never struggle with this.”
She nodded.
“But I can promise that I won’t hide you. I won’t treat you like a secret. And I won’t ask you to make yourself smaller to make other people comfortable.”
Her eyes shone.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear someone say that.”
I reached for her hand.
She let me take it.
“The divorce is almost final,” she said.
“I know.”
“And when it’s final, I want to have a conversation with you.”
“About what?”
She smiled.
“About whether the man who once thought terrible diner coffee was a personality trait is worth taking a chance on.”
I laughed.
“That seems like a fair question.”
“It is.”
“What’s your preliminary assessment?”
“Under review.”
“Brutal.”
She laughed again.
Then she grew serious.
“Alex, I don’t want you to love me because I was hurt. I don’t want to be a rebellion against Michael or a way for you to prove something to yourself.”
“Neither do I.”
“I want to be with you because you know who I am.”
I squeezed her hand.
“I want to be with you because I’m still discovering who you are. And every time I learn something new, I like you more.”
She stared at me.
Then she stepped around the counter.
For a second, I thought she was going to kiss me.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around me and held me tightly.
I closed my eyes.
It wasn’t a romantic kiss.
It wasn’t a promise.
But it was the first time in months that I felt we were moving toward something rather than away from it.
When she pulled back, she smiled.
“Go home, Alex.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Go home. I have to close the store.”
I laughed.
“You’re kicking me out?”
“I’m a business owner now. I have standards.”
I walked toward the door.
Then I turned around.
“Karen?”
“Yes?”
“When the divorce is final, can I take you to dinner?”
She pretended to consider it.
“Will there be terrible coffee?”
“I can arrange that.”
“Then yes.”
I left the store smiling like an idiot.
