I opened my mouth again, debating what to say next, but Addison ducked her head and skirted past me, back out the front door. She left it open behind her, and I stared into space until she reappeared with yet another bag in her hand.
“I don’t know if you like Italian, but I ordered something for you and had them pack it up just in case you hadn’t had dinner. It’s probably still warm.”
I took the bag and looked inside to find spaghetti and meatballs in a clear container, waiting for me.
“I hope you don’t mind, but there’s a little bite taken out of one of your meatballs. Dylan was curious.” Addison chewed on her bottom lip, and my tense muscles loosened.
It was thoughtful of her to have gotten this for me, even if she’d been careless about keeping me informed. It was a gesture she hadn’t had to make, but she’d done it anyway. And her bond with Dylan was so clear to see already. That was the important thing. Forgetting to tell me her plans had been an honest mistake, and one I was sure she wouldn’t repeat.
“Make sure to send me a text if you’re going to leave next time, okay?” I let out a little sigh, then walked over to examine what she’d picked out for Dylan’s room. It was like her Pinterest board come to life—stacks of books, and a box with a light gray bookcase inside. And a framed Bob Dylan album too.
It must have taken her hours to find it all, and my overreaction seemed all the more stark to me. Nice job, dickhead.
“I’m sorry for freaking out,” I said as I looked over everything. “This is all new to me, and to be honest, it scared the shit out of me.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She rounded the couch to join me. “I should probably apologize too, actually. I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m pretty embarrassed about the way I behaved yesterday. I shouldn’t have told you all that stuff about me and Greg. I’m imagining that was why you decided to work late, and why I felt so compelled to get out of the house and all. Then I was too embarrassed to call you. It was just the start of a weird vibe, and I shouldn’t have said any of it.”
I waved her off. “The only thing you have to be sorry about is that you wasted your time with that jackass to begin with. I stand by what I said. Any man would be lucky to have you.”
Instantly, I regretted the nicety. It was like all the air had been sucked from the room, and all that remained was the reminder of what I’d said to her last night, and the mutual understanding that I could never prove what I’d said.
She glanced away, a chocolate-brown lock falling in front of her face. I itched to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, to pull her face closer until she was only inches from me, and then . . . But that was a slippery slope, and I was already skating a little too close to the edge.
“Did you have a good day at least?” I asked, and she looked back at me, thoughtful for a moment.
“Yes, mostly. It was a little odd, though.”
“Crazy at the mall?”
She shook her head. “No, not that.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
She blew out a sigh and shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly what I did wrong. I definitely would’ve texted, but Tiffany told me you were going to be home really late when she stopped by this afternoon, so I didn’t even think you’d be aware we were gone, never mind worried about Dylan. And Tiffany knew that I was going to take the baby to the mall because she offered me your credit card to use, so I’d assumed you’d authorized that.”
“Tiffany was here?” I asked. Why the hell hadn’t she mentioned that? I thought back to the conversation. Why did she act like she had no clue where they might be? Unless Tiffany had just assumed that their outing would be a daytime one, and so she was truly at a loss about where they’d be tonight.
“Yeah.” Addison nodded. Her lips quirked a little. “It was a little odd. She gave off a certain kind of vibe.”
“What kind of vibe?” I asked.
Addison blushed to the roots of her hair. “I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus.”
“This is important, Addison.”
“Fine.” She let out a sigh. “She sort of admitted that she knew you . . . very well. I got the impression that you and she were a bit of an item.”
“Ah.” My mouth went dry and I thought about pulling my phone from my pocket and dialing Tiffany right on the spot. But all I said was, “We’re not.”
“I see.” Addison glanced away again, apparently intent on something in the corner of the room.
“We were . . . sort of. At one time. We had a close call once, but I stopped things before they went too far. If she still has feelings for me, they certainly aren’t reciprocated, and I’ll talk to her about this.”
“Oh, please, I don’t want to cause any trouble.” Addison held up her hands in front of her like she was trying to catch a soccer ball. “I just didn’t want you to think that I would be careless with Dylan’s safety like that. I’ll text you directly next time.”