I laugh at the way his face turns slightly pink in the dim light of the bar. The freckles may have faded, but he is still fair and his skin tone shows off his emotions way too easily.

“She and her boyfriend were on some kind of break,” he explains. “We went out two times, then she went back to her boyfriend.”

“She dumped you?”

“She didn’t dump me. It was two dates.” He glances behind him, where Kelli is taking some other customer’s order. “And even if she didn’t go back to her boyfriend, I don’t think there was going to be a third date. We weren’t a match.”

“Oh, I get it. I didn’t know you were so picky, Reese.”

“I’m not picky!” He takes a drink from his beer and licks foam from his upper lip. “I’m just waiting for the right person. And Kelli was nice enough, but it wasn’t her. Is that awful?”

“No, not awful.”

He traces a pattern on the condensation of his glass. “So how about you? Were you married before?”

“No.”

“Oh.” He nods. “So Josh’s dad…”

“Not in the picture,” I blurt out. “At all.”

And also serving a life sentence for murder. That too.

I’m used to getting a sympathetic look when I tell people I’m doing this all by myself, but that isn’t the look Tim gives me. It’s something different. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

“That sounds hard,” he finally comments.

“We’re fine.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t.”

“Look…” I take a drink of my own alcoholic beverage for courage. “I just want to be clear that my life is kind of complicated right now, and I’m not looking for… you know, anything. Except friendship.”

“Oh, good.” He leans back in his seat, which squeaks under his weight. “Because that’s exactly what I’m looking for too. Friendship.”

“Good then.”

“Perfect.”

I study him across the table as he smiles back at me. Tim is a good guy, he always has been, and I believe that if I tell him all I want is friendship, he won’t push anything further. He’ll respect my wishes.

After all, ten years ago, he saved my life.

Chapter 14

It’s sad that on a Saturday, I have nothing better to do than go grocery shopping. The shopping trip is literally the highlight of my weekend.