Chapter 14
Three days until the wedding
Jack
Hailey hadn’t returnedmy texts or my calls.
Ella was getting married this weekend.
I sat in my parents’ backyard while my stepdad stood over the barbecue grill, preparing to feed a dozen of my little sister’s friends, who were currently bopping around, screaming and laughing at my sis’s first official summer pool party since they’d moved into this house.
“Jack! Look!” From the top of the slide, she waved excitedly before taking a fast ride into the deep end, followed by three of her friends in short order.
Informally, I was here as a second set of eyes to watch over the kids. Having worked as a lifeguard, my reflexes kicked in. I scanned the water, counting heads, all that. I bit my tongue against yelling, “Hey no running!” at one of my sister’s friends as they horsed around, until finally two girls playfully pushed at each other, squirming and losing their balance, and I was forced to call out, “Enough of that! You wanna crack your heads?”
My sister looked over, mortified, and I figured I’d just become a legendary hard-ass as far as her social circle was concerned. The two fighters looked like they might cry from the scolding, but now they were on the same side at least, scowling at me as they wandered over to the shaded snack table and ate Cheetos.
The grill has my stepdad, Don, away from the pool, and he gave me a little nod of thanks for my work.
“Jack, if we haven’t said so already,” my stepdad flipped burger patties with a greasy metal spatula, “this place is amazing. And the pool!” His eyes got all shiny with pride. “I know what your mother did to catch me, but I sure don’t know how I got so lucky to have a son like you.”
I smiled good-naturedly, although it was embarrassing every time. “I’m the lucky one.”
My stepdad snorted. “Yeah, you are.”
This had been the running joke since I won that money in Vegas...and then tried to blow it all on stocks...only to accidentally pick some penny stocks that blew up. It’s like the harder I tried to lose it, the more money I made.
I’d talked to my stepdad about some of it because he was there for me when I was at my lowest. He was the one who kept reaching out to me when my dad died and I wanted to hate Don. He was the one who said I could come home when I dropped out of school, that he’d figure out a way to get me into therapy or even rehab if I needed it. I cried when he’d offered. I mean, no one wants to go home and be babied because they were falling apart. But having the option in case you really needed it made all the difference. That was a dark time.
My next move was gonna be getting him and Mom to retire, but it was hard enough getting them to take this place. I knew I had to wait on another gift for them, and when I did, I’d have to show them the long string of digits in my bank account that proved I didn’t need the money for myself.
“Actually, I think maybe my luck’s run out.” I tried for a joking tone. It came out grim as hell. “Ella’s getting married this weekend.”
My stepdad said nothing for a long time. Bees buzzed around the hedges, humming. I reached over and grabbed a bottle of sunblock to get my arms.
“You gave it your all, Jack,” he said meditatively as he monitored the grill in his Kiss the Cook apron. “That’s all anyone can ever ask from anybody. And she’s a fool—”
“She’s not.” I didn’t raise my voice, but I cut him off. Nobody talked bad about Ella. Not even my stepdad. Not even if he meant well.
Don sighed like he thought maybe I was a bit of a fool, at least about her. Which? Accurate. “You going? To the wedding?”
I snorted, scratching my leg and doing my lifeguard checks as the kids splashed around the pool. “It’s at Rolling Green. You think they’d let me through the door?”
“Her dad is a fool. No.” He waved the spatula at me for emphasis. “You can’t silence the truth. Stewart is a fool not to see how good you are for Ella, what a good person you are.”
Before I could argue, the call came in.
“Jack!” My financial adviser sounded jovial as hell. “It’s all wrapped up. We finalized at $8.7 million, which covers the land, all buildings, and the name. In addition, all current licenses, including liquor, transfer until they need to be renewed. I’m sending you documents. Do you know how to use the electronic signature system?”
“Yeah.” This wasn’t my first rodeo, although it was my first commercial purchase. “Thanks. I appreciate your work.”
“Well, TriPointe Developers Inc.,”—she said it like she wanted me to know through the phone line she was winking; TriPointe was my recently formed company—“they were happy to do business with you.”
I thanked her and ended the call, letting the documents download to my phone. There were a lot.
“Buying something?” My stepdad asked casually.
I nod. “Rolling Green. Wedding present.”
My stepfather threw the spatula onto the grill, laughing. “God-DANG boy.” His eyes cut over to see if I was joking. I wasn’t. He laughed again, a little more nervously this time. “Well, you know what you’re doing, otherwise you wouldn’t have the means, motive, or opportunity. But...you OK?”
I nodded, steeling myself to seem casual even though my nose stung with tears and there was a big lump in my throat. “Yeah.” It came out ragged despite my best intentions, and I had to clear my throat to get the words out. “Old time’s sake, you know?”
“She doesn’t deserve you,” my stepdad said loud enough for me to easily hear but in a tone suggesting he’d muttered it to himself.
Ella did deserve me. We deserved each other. I couldn’t control her. I could only choose for myself how I felt, and every day I woke up still in love with her.
My phone rang. I assumed it was the banker calling back, but it was Hailey’s number.
“Are you OK?” I asked immediately.
“Come over here before I lose my nerve.”
“Where are you?” I stood, doing a last check of the swimmers.
“Three Birds. Making Ella’s wedding cake.”
I get it. “I’ll be there in ninety.”
* * *