What are you reading on these fine spring days? I’ve been having the best time, sighing and laughing as I make my way through some of the best romances I’ve read in a long time. I binged on Bridgerton—you’ve heard of the Netflix/Shondaland series, right?—and then sat down with all of Julia Quinn‘s books upon…
The sentence struck me so strongly I had to stop the audio book where I heard it and repeat it. Then I had to go back the next day and hear it again. The language is so beautiful. I instantly conjured up a quiet little girl curled up in a chair, reading.
I race up to her and follow her into the kitchen. “What are we having?”
“This.” She pulls on my t-shirt and I wrap my arms around her and lean in for a kiss. Sweet as the chocolate chip cookies packed in a plastic bag on the table. Warm as the summer sun. Necessary as air.
I pulled him close, took off his mask—brazen woman that I am. And kissed him.
And I’ll do it again. I’m sure of it. I sit beside him as his gaze takes me in inch by inch. He’s studied my hair, badly in need of a cut, and he’s gone over every inch of my face and my body. On a normal day, I’d feel self-conscious. But today, it’s wonderful to be the center of attention.
“C’mon, Rex.” Like I have to prod him to hurry after Monster.
We race around the corner where a woman wearing an Old Bay mask is picking up the little creature.
It’s Jessica. My heart gets a workout like nothing it’s experienced before. It pounds out a tune before rising with joy when she looks up at me and smiles.
“Look what I found. This little kitten ran right into my arms.”
Smart cat. Exactly what I wish I could do. I stop about ten feet away. I don’t know if I should get any closer to the woman who isn’t speaking to me.
What Hanna says next is something I do not expect. “Wake up, Jess. You’ve got a good thing in that man.”
She’s got that little wrinkle between her brows. It’s her signal that she’s saying something difficult and she knows it. But she means it, too.
Here is the next chapter in my #pandemic #romance: Dan: What the doctor ordered. The symptoms may—or may not—be from covid-19. Dan is not only feeling lousy physically, though. He’s missing Jessica and his conscience is making him feel guilty and stupid. If that’s not enough, and it is, his dog and new cat are driving him crazy.…
I wash the mess off my hands and take a deep breath, gathering my courage before I punch in Dan’s number.
What to say, though. How are you, Dan?
Need anything—like my forgiveness?
No. No. No.
Pulling up a chair to the dining room table, I hunker down to see if this computer can be saved. The brown goo is so thick around A it oozes around S when I press the key. When I hit S, it oozes out of D.
There doesn’t seem to be any way to open the laptop and clean the keyboard and you know what’s under the keyboard. The rest of the computer. I let fly a string of words I would never normally say on Mother’s Day—especially if my mother was here.
I deserve it. Jessica has ghosted me. For more than a week, Jessica hasn’t responded to a text, answered a call, called me back, or answered an email. Yup. I know I did wrong. I know she’s angry. Even without hearing it straight from her.
Mary K. Tilghman, writer 