I laugh, picturing Zach Galifianakis in the Hangover movies. “But they’re usually funny.”
“Good point,” Lainey says. “And besides, I can work with just about anything.”
—
After lunch, the sky turns cloudy, and nobody is in the mood for the beach. Lainey insists on a taxi back to the hotel, and this time, Tyson doesn’t balk. He is quiet on the ride home, and the second we walk in the room, he changes into workout clothes.
“Where are you going?” I ask him.
“For a run,” he says.
“Where?” I ask, thinking that Capri’s hilly terrain and narrow roadways aren’t well suited for running.
“Gym treadmill,” he says, putting his AirPods in his ears, then looking down at his phone.
“Okay. Have a good workout,” I say.
He nods and says thanks, walking out the door.
I look at Lainey, then grimace. “I think he’s upset with me.”
“Why would he be upset with you?”
“For forcing his hand. About Summer,” I say, as we both sit on the bed.
“As you should have. He should have told us his secret a long time ago. And you both should have told me in Dallas.”
I look away, thinking of another secret I’ve been keeping from her.
Lainey sighs and says, “I feel so sad for him. It’s hard enough to lose a friend….”
“I know.” I clear my throat. “And I can’t help but wonder if that’s why he broke up with Nicole. Maybe he compares everyone to Summer. Maybe he feels that nobody can measure up—not only to Summer but to the unfulfilled potential of their relationship.”
“That’s really sad,” Lainey says.
I nod.
“What do you think would have happened with them?” she asks.
“I don’t know. But they could be married with kids by now….”
“Wow,” she says. “Can you imagine?”
“Then again,” I say, thinking about the conversation Tyson and I had at the pool in Dallas. “It could have been a disaster. They could have broken up on bad terms. We might have had to pick sides.”
“As if you’d ever pick a side,” Lainey says with a friendly eye roll. “Ms. Switzerland.”
I smile and shrug.
“Maybe you should talk to Tyson,” Lainey says. “About all of this.”
“And say what?”
“I don’t know. Something about not comparing other women to Summer? Or at least giving them more of a chance?”
I nod, then lean my head back on my pillow, thinking.
—
Lainey’s in the shower when Tyson finally gets back to the room. I give him a hug. His clothes are damp with sweat, but I don’t care.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“For what?” he says without hugging me back.
“For what you lost. With Summer. I feel like I didn’t say enough when you told me in Dallas,” I say, releasing him as I look up into his eyes.
He stiffens. “You were fine,” he says. “I’m sure it was surprising.”
“Still, I wish I had said more…. And I’m sorry for earlier, too. I should have let you tell Lainey on your own terms.”
“It’s okay. It’s better that it’s out,” he says, glancing past me. “Where is your girl, anyway?”
“She’s in the shower,” I say, then ask if we can talk for a second.
“Sure,” he says, nodding.
After we walk out onto the balcony and sit down, I cut right to the chase. “Do you think that what happened between you and Summer is holding you back?”
