Things We Never Got Over

Knox assures Naomi that the bar can be a safe place for her if her ex-fiancé returns. He tells Naomi to knee him in the groin and then kick his head when he doubles over. He also gives her the security code to get into his office in the back.

The two go into his office, and Knox immediately feels the urge to kiss Naomi. Naomi, however, shares the story of her disastrous engagement to Warner. He was a controlling partner, and she had to play happy because, given Warner’s money and status, their friends and family all assumed they were a perfect match. She tells him that a month before the wedding, Warner accused her of flirting with a man while they were out at a bar. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her out. The night of the rehearsal dinner, after Warner’s snooty mother criticized the food as cheap, Warner slapped Naomi just to humiliate her. Knox is incensed: “A man doesn’t put hands on a woman like that. Ever” (378). The two hug, and as the heat rises, they make love on his office desk.

When Naomi drives home after work, she finds her cottage broken into and ransacked. The cabinets, drawers, and shelves are in disarray, and “bitch” is scrawled in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. She calls Knox, who tells her to get out of the house. But Naomi assures him that no one is there. Knox and Nash arrive. “Either the ex or the sister” (388), Nash decides as he looks at the mess. Knox is furious.

Naomi and Waylay accompany Knox on a day trip to Washington. He drives to Hannah’s Place, a shelter where he and Jeremiah from his salon volunteer to give unhoused people shaves and haircuts. By giving the shelter residents new and stylish looks, “you’re changing the way they feel about themselves” (395), Naomi observes. As she watches Knox take care of the shelter residents, Naomi feels the depth of her love and wonders why Knox resists the idea of being in a relationship. One resident seems to bother Knox: a silver-haired, bearded man named Duke. Naomi sees Duke and Knox meet in the parking lot where Knox hands Duke a backpack.

The next day, Knox understands what he has to do. He thinks his relationship with Naomi is getting too complicated. He thinks to himself that he is “F.I.N.E.”: freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional. He invites Naomi out to dinner and tells her that they need “to stop this thing” (405) and that he told her from the start “I don’t do strings” (405). Naomi struggles to understand the breakup. When Knox awkwardly hands her an envelope stuffed with cash, she throws it at him and leaves.

Outside the restaurant, Naomi berates herself for “picking the wrong fucking guy” once again (409). When Knox comes outside, Naomi takes off at a near run. When she approaches her cottage, she runs into the CPS agent, who is there for a surprise visit. Naomi thinks about lying but then tells the woman the truth about her day and the emotional mess she is in between her ex-fiancé and her now ex-boyfriend. The agent assures her that no guardian ever has a perfect life, that Waylay is doing much better in school, and that Naomi is handling things fine. “You got to stop worrying about what everyone else needs and start thinking about what you need” (412), she tells a tearful Naomi.

When Naomi gets home, she knows she has to tell Waylay and her parents about the breakup. Her mother tells her she wants her to be happy. She tells Naomi no one would blame her if she did not pursue guardianship of her sister’s abandoned daughter, but Naomi assures her mother that she’s committed to Waylay. That night, she calls Stef, who is vacationing in Paris, and tells him about the breakup. Stef tells her this is on Knox if he cannot appreciate her. He tells her he will leave Paris immediately.

Back home and alone with his dog, Knox tries to convince himself he did the right thing. A framed photo of his parents reminds him how happy they were until his father, after losing his job, developed an alcohol addiction. After his mother died in a car accident, the family disintegrated.

His brother and Lucien arrive. They cannot believe Knox broke up with Naomi. “You are the stupidest son of a bitch in the state” (424), Nash tells him. Knox tries to explain his logic: He is not about relationships, he cannot change, and it was always just about sex. Nash reminds him about when he tried to force lottery money on him, arguing that Knox doesn’t know how to fix things or keep them alive. He says that “When you love somebody, you show up. Even if you are pissed scared. You show up” (426-27). Naomi’s father comes to the door. He scolds Knox and tells him that he is a coward: He did not break up with Naomi because he does not care about her but because he cares too much about her and that scares him.

The gang at Honky Tonk tries to cheer up Naomi, who they call “New Naomi.” Stef emails her an encouraging to-do list to get over her funk.

Two mornings after the breakup, Naomi, determined to be resilient for Waylay, makes breakfast for the two of them. They talk about Knox, and she assures Waylay it had nothing to do with her. Waylay understands and commiserates: “I am sorry that Knox was such a douche waffle” (440). Naomi suggests they throw an impromptu bonfire that night with friends as an early birthday party for Waylay.

Knox is miserable. He cannot sleep, and he cannot stand to be in Honky Tonk. He goes out for a bike ride and passes his grandmother’s house. When he sees all the cars parked there, he stops. He wanders into the backyard and sees that all his friends and his family are having a party; obviously, they are siding with Naomi. He sees her and is stunned all over again by her beauty, now by the firelight. He makes a snide comment to his brother that now he can make his move. Nash nearly hits him. “You don’t have to be an asshole all the time” (449), he says. Waylay breaks Knox’s heart when she tells him, “Aunt Naomi’n me are used to people not wanting us” (450). Choking back tears, he departs the picnic.