Oh boy.
“Alyson,” I say flatly. “To what I owe the pleasure?”
She seems shocked that I’m even speaking to her. “Sorry.
I didn’t know how else to reach you. You wouldn’t answer my calls, and nobody knows where you live now. This was the only place that your father mentioned that you would be.”
I eye her critically. “So your plan was just to ambush me at my place of work?”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s weird,” she says, embarrassment floating up her face. “But I wanted to ask if you were coming to the wedding. You didn’t respond to the e-vite.”
“I’m pretty sure me not responding automatically implies that I’m declining the invitation.”
“Oh, I see.” Alyson’s expression crumbles. “Look can we talk somewhere else? Have you had dinner? I’d love to take you out.”
If I hadn’t been burned by the many women who have been in her place before this, I’d think her gesture to reach out to me was adorable.
“Look, Alyson,” I start off, resting a hand over my hip.
“I appreciate you trying to make the effort. I really do. But it’s hopeless. You’re not the only woman my dad has been with who has tried to take on a maternal role and wanted to create a ‘bond’ with me. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried to make things work with them on my end too. But they don’t stick around long enough, and I somehow end up being disappointed every time. That’s why I’ve stopped trying. I’m sorry, but my answer is no.”
My words echo through the empty gym and Alyson shifts uncomfortably. She’s silent, biting her lip in contemplation as she wonders what she’s going to say next, her heels rocking back and forth against the mat. She turns around halfway and just when I think she’s going to just give up and leave me alone, she pivots back to me, her face wrought with determination.
“I know your dad hurt you, Sienna,” she says sympathetically. “And I know better than to pretend that his previous divorces didn’t leave huge scars in your family. But you must know that I really do love your dad. And he’s trying to change. It might not seem like it, but he is.” Conviction rings in her voice as she continues. “I’m not planning on leaving. I know there’s a lot of trust between us that needs to be built and I’m willing to make it work. Because I care about you, Sienna, and I think if you gave me one chance, you’d really see that.”
I let the words parse slowly in my head. Maybe she is telling the truth about her and my dad. And yet I can’t help but cling to that familiar cynical feeling just so I can keep my heart away from the prying hands of people trying to take it away from me. I put a lot on the line when I choose to care for people, and somehow, I’m the one who always gets burned.
It’s hard to trust anyone when the pattern of behavior has already been laid out.
And if there’s one thing I can trust, it’s consistency.
“We’re having a bridesmaid dress fitting in two days.
It’ll be nice if you could come. I’ve ordered a dress for you anyway, in case you change your mind,” Alyson says with a faint smile. Again, I don’t respond. She pulls out a pen and notepad and scribbles down something before tearing the paper off and placing it on the bench beside me. When she senses that I don’t have anything else to say to her, the smile on her face disappears and her head dips slightly in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry about coming here. I’ll get out of your way now. See you around.”
I watch her wordlessly as she disappears the way she came, the doors closing after her.
Sighing, I stare at the piece of paper left on the bench, my eyes scanning the details she’d written. It’s the location of the bridal store along with the date and time of the dress fitting.
I scrunch it into a ball with my hand and toss it into the trash before leaving.