That was clear from how she talked about it. She was precise about what worked and honest about what didn't. And she had the specific combination of empathy and hard practicality that made people want to follow someone without being asked. He said so. She looked at him.
You sound surprised. I'm not surprised. He said, "I'm just saying it out loud because you deserve to hear it. " She was quiet for a moment. She looked at her soup bowl. "My ex used to say I cared more about work than I cared about my personal life. " She said, "He said it like it was a flaw.
It's not a flaw, Marcus said. No, she said firmly. It's not. After the girls were in bed, they sat in the living room. Not close.
Not far. The comfortable middle distance of two people who are moving toward each others at a pace that neither needs to rush. I want to ask you something, Marcus said. She waited. What did your father say to you when he called you that night?
After I talked to him, Olivia looked at the floor. A small smile moved across her face. He said, "You came to his house and told him you weren't going anywhere. " She paused and he said, "And I'm going to quote him directly. " He said, "I've lived long enough to know a man worth knowing. " And Marcus Williams is one. Don't be an idiot, Olivia. Marcus laughed.
Sudden and real. That's Robert, he said. "That's exactly Robert," she agreed. Then her smile softened into something more careful. He's never said that about anyone in my entire life.
I've never heard my father tell me a man was worth knowing. She looked up at Marcus that landed. Yeah, Marcus said quietly. I imagine it did. She shifted on the couch, turned toward him slightly.
What did he say when you went to see him? She said, "What exactly? " Marcus thought about it. He didn't want to produce a performance of the memory. He wanted to give her the real thing. He said you'd push back.
Marcus said that you'd test whether I meant it. Not on purpose. Just how you're built. He held her gaze. He said I'd need to be patient.
I said I was. He said stubborn and patient aren't the same thing. She looked at him for a long moment. He's right. She said they're not.