True believer - Nicholas Sparks [80]
As Alvin explained, Jeremy tapped his computer keys, calling up the Weather Channel on the Internet. On the national map, the Northeast was a blanket of white.
L-I-B, he thought. Who could have guessed?
“I guess I’ve been busy,” he said.
“Hiding’s more like it,” Alvin said. “But I hope she’s worth it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t bother pulling my chain. We’re friends, remember? Nate’s been in a panic because he can’t reach you, you haven’t been reading the papers, and you haven’t been watching the news. We both know what that means. You always get like this when you meet someone new.”
“Look, Alvin . . .”
“Is she pretty? I’ll bet she’s beautiful, right? You always strike gold. Makes me sick.”
Jeremy hesitated before answering, then finally gave in. If Alvin was coming down, he’d learn soon enough, anyway.
“Yeah, she’s pretty. But it’s not what you think. We’re just friends.”
“I’m sure,” he said, laughing. “But what you consider friends and what I consider friends are just a little different.”
“Not this time,” Jeremy said.
“Does she have a sister?” Alvin asked, ignoring the comment.
“No.”
“But she has friends, right? And I’m not interested in the ugly one, remember . . .”
Jeremy felt his headache coming on again, and his tone took on an edge. “I’m not in the mood for this, okay?”
Alvin paused on the other end. “Hey, what’s going on here?” he asked. “I’m just joking around.”
“Some of your jokes aren’t funny.”
“You like her, don’t you? I mean, you like her a lot.”
“I told you that we’re just friends.”
“I can’t believe this. You’re falling in love.”
“No,” Jeremy said.
“Hey, pal, I know you, so don’t try to deny it. And I think that’s great. Weird but great. But unfortunately, I have to cut this short if I’m going to catch my flight. Traffic is miserable, as you can probably imagine. But I can’t wait to see the woman who finally tamed you.”
“She didn’t tame me,” Jeremy protested. “Why aren’t you listening to me?”
“I am listening,” he said. “I just hear the things you’re not saying.”
“Yeah, whatever. When will you be here?”
“I’m guessing around seven tonight. I’ll see you then. And, by the way, say hello from me, okay? Tell her I’m dying to meet her and her friend . . .”
Jeremy ended the call before Alvin had a chance to finish, and, as if to underscore the point, he shoved his phone back into his pocket.
No wonder he’d been keeping it turned off. It must have been a subconscious decision, one based on the fact that both his friends had a tendency to be irritating at times. First, there was Nate the Energizer Bunny and his never-ending search for fame. And now this.
Alvin didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about. They may have been friends, they may have spent a lot of Friday nights staring at women over beers, they may have talked about life for hours, and deep down, Alvin may have honestly believed that he was right. But he wasn’t, simply because he couldn’t be.
The facts, after all, spoke for themselves. For one thing, Jeremy hadn’t loved a woman in years, and though it had been a long time, he could still remember how he’d felt back then. He was certain that he would have recognized the feeling again, and frankly, he didn’t. And in light of the fact that he’d just met the woman, the whole idea seemed preposterous. Even his highly emotional Italian mother didn’t believe that true love could blossom overnight. Like his brothers and sisters-in-law, she wanted nothing more for him than to marry and start a family, but if he showed up at her doorstep and said that he’d met someone two days ago and knew she was the one for him, his mother would smack him with a broom, curse in Italian, and drag him to church, sure that he had some serious sins that needed confessing.
His mother knew men. She’d married one, raised six boys, and was sure she’d seen it all. She knew exactly how men tended to think when it came to women, and although she relied on common sense instead of science, she was completely accurate in her judgment that love