14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Parker
“Parker, are you listening to me?” My boss, Raymond, a tall, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, interrupts my thoughts.
I shift in my seat, tearing my gaze away from the window and refocusing on him. “Sorry about that, boss. Could you repeat what you were saying?”
He narrows his eyes at me. “You seem distracted lately. Is everything alright?”
I quickly nod and offer a reassuring smile. “Everything’s fine.”
“Good, because we have a big project coming up, and I need you on top of your game. As I was saying, a client has asked us to develop an app that tells moviegoers the best time to take a bathroom break without missing important scenes. I want you to take the lead on its development.”
I nod, struggling to conceal the perplexed expression on my face.
A bathroom break app?
It’s certainly a unique request. And maybe even ridiculous, but who am I to judge?
I diligently scribble down the absurd project specifications. The app is apparently meant to alert you thirty seconds before the perfect “toilet break,” and if you decide to leave the room, it’ll give you a summary of what you missed while you were doing your business.
Because who needs to actually watch a movie these days?
But hey, it’s a job, and I’ll give it my all.
As my morning meeting with Raymond comes to a close, my stomach grumbles. I make my way down the fluorescent-lit hallway to the break room, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filling the air as I open the door. I grab a packet of apple cinnamon instant oatmeal from the pantry and pour it into a mug along with some hot water before making my way back to my office, the warm mug cupped in my hands.
The scent of cinnamon is a small comfort as I sit back down at my desk, staring at the flashing cursor on my computer screen. A sobering reminder that I haven’t gotten much of anything done today.
I need to be working .
I need to be doing anything other than thinking about what happened between Amy and I days ago. I haven’t even talked to her since then.
Which is kind of a jerk move.
But I seriously don’t even know what to say to her.
I mean, I don’t even know why I kissed her.
Why did I kiss her?
I think back on the moment and the way she was just staring at her watch, counting down like she expected something magical to happen as the clock struck midnight...
And I just ... did it.
Maybe it was the champagne. Or maybe it was the fact that I ruined her date. I know for a fact that douchebag, Josh, would’ve kissed her without a second thought—but it was safer for me to be the one who did it. I could do it and not take it too far.
I was her first kiss.
And for some reason, that makes me feel some kind of way, which is so stupid. Maybe I do need to date around a little bit. Maybe it’s just been that long since I’ve kissed someone that it’s getting under my skin more than it should.
Then again, the idea of dating sounds awful.
My mind just keeps running back to kissing Amy again—to what I could’ve done. Like pushing her up against the wall outside of her apartment and letting my mouth travel well beyond hers.
This is bad.
This is so bad.
I need to stop this.
The distance between us must’ve triggered something in my brain. Maybe I just need to see her again, and then I’ll be reminded of how insufferable she can be—and how desperate she can be. It’s a win-win.
That’s what I’ll do.
I navigate to Google and go digging for another singles event. After all, I know Amy won’t say no to that. She’s probably already been to ten of them since New Year’s...
Yikes. I don’t like that thought.
My eyes land on an ice-skating night. I click over to it and read the details. It’s a pretty laid-back event, which is more my style. So, I pull up the link and then text it to Amy.
Me: Wanna go to this??
I hit the send button and then set my phone back on my desk, my foot tapping against the floor as I wait for her response.
Granted, she’s at work.
Maybe she doesn’t check her phone while she’s at work...
Jeez, what’s wrong with me today?
Rubbing the back of my neck, I navigate to Facebook, typing her name in the search bar. Amy Gibson. Super common name.
But there she is.
Her bright baby blues reaching into my chest and tapping on my heart.
No freaking thanks .
I exit out of her profile before I go creeping. I don’t want to see anything. It’s better to just wait until we’re together in person. Otherwise, I might actually start to...
No. I won’t fall for her. It’s just the kiss messing with my head.
My phone vibrates and I swoop it up, freezing as I read the screen.
Oh no.
I hit the answer. “Hey, Brittany.”
“Hey...” Her voice trails off in a way that makes my heart sink.
“Is everything okay, sis?”
“Yeah, no. I don’t know.”
“Is Dad okay?” I ask immediately, thinking back to the last time she called me at work.
“Yeah, he’s fine. Cranky, but you know that’s just how he is.” She laughs, though there’s not even a hint of humor in her voice. “It’s Cal.”
“Your fiancé.” I grimace, leaning back in my chair. “What’s wrong with him? Did he get arrested for streaking again?”
“No...” She lets out a sniffle, and I freeze.
“Oh ... he broke it off, didn’t he?” I say quietly.
“Yeah, and he didn’t even give me a warning—he took back the ring and everything. I don’t know why I let myself fall for him over and over. I just ... I want to be loved so badly , Parker. I don’t understand.” She breaks into sobs, and as much as I want to tell her I told you so , I don’t.
“It’s okay,” I say, attempting to comfort her. “He was kind of always a jerk. ”
“Yeah, well, he wasn’t always .”
I stop myself from arguing. “Okay.”
“Can I come stay with you? He wants me out by the end of the day, and I don’t have a place secured. I don’t want to stay with Dad. He’ll just threaten to go beat him up, and sometimes he actually makes good on his threats.”
“Oh, I know.” I grimace. “You can stay with me. Do you have anything you need to pack from there? Do I need to come and help you? I don’t mind.”
“I think I can get it all. I seriously just moved in. I hadn’t even unpacked all the boxes yet.” She groans on the other line. “I’m so stupid. I always think he’s going to change, and he never does. I don’t know why I can’t tell him no.”
“I don’t know,” I say, not wanting to bring up the trauma from our childhood that she’s never really addressed. “But you’re gonna be just fine without him, sis. You’ve got a great job at the firm. What did you do with your apartment? Do you still have your lease?”
“I paid to get out of it, like a true idiot.”
“Why didn’t he pay for it?” I ask through gritted teeth. “He’s the one who asked you to move in.”
“Not every guy is like you, Parker.” Her voice is snippy, but then she sighs. “Sorry.”
“It’s all good. Did you have a good New Year’s with Dad?”
“He spent most of it rattling on and on about you not being there.”
“Typical. ”
“Yeah, I know,” she mutters. “Which is another reason why I don’t even want to tell him about the breakup yet. He’ll freak out. He’s been so fixated on you and me both having the family that he wasn’t able to give us.”
“Yeah...” My phone chimes in my ear and I pull it away to see a text from Amy, excitedly accepting the invitation to go skating. Great. And now my sister is probably gonna tag along. “You sure you don’t need me to come help you move?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll come over to your apartment this evening.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see ya then. Love you.”
“Love you.” She hangs up, and I let out a sigh.
Well, this is gonna be fun.
“So ... Brittany is moving in with you?” Weston gives me a funny look as he slides into the booth across from me at the café for a late lunch.
“Yeah, she’s having guy problems.”
“It could be worse. She could’ve actually married him, and then she’d be dealing with a messy divorce—though she would maybe get rich doing it.”
“No,” I stop him, shaking my head. “I’m sure that guy had prenups on the ready. Cal was not the type to share anything. He even made her pay to break the lease on her apartment when he begged her to move in with him.”
Weston makes a disgusted sound. “Yeah, she’s better off kicking him to the curb. I’ll tell ya that much. Your sister needs better taste in men...”
“Yeah, and to think you used to have a crush on her.”
He gives me a sheepish smile. “I totally did ... and I seriously thought if I could just catch her attention, it would be over for the both of us. But gosh, I haven’t seen her in years. You know, I think I even made her a ring out of a bread tie once.”
“That’s weird ... and a little disturbing.”
“I think I still have it.”
“Yeah, point made. Stay away from my sister. You date around too much, anyway. She doesn’t need to go falling for you.”
“She’s a lawyer, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Man, lawyers are hot.” He grabs for his water and gulps it down. “Maybe I still have a crush on her.”
“Please just shut up,” I snap, shuddering. “It’s too weird. Let’s talk about something else. Besides, she’s three years younger than you.”
“So? Age is just a number, and three years is no big deal.”
I glance down at my menu, but nothing sounds appetizing.
Amy is three years younger than me...
And I kissed her.
“So, what happened on New Year’s?” Weston’s voice sounds distant. I’ve been avoiding this question all week from him, and now, since I’m stuck sitting at lunch with him, I’m going to have to answer.
“I walked Amy home. Her date was an idiot and ruined the night for her.”
“You mean, you ruined the night for her.” Weston gives me a chiding look as I glance up at him. “I would bet money that you had something to do with it.”
“That’s an assumption, and you know what they say about those—”
“I saw you up in her date’s personal space. Everyone did.”
“I told you, he was a jerk. He wasn’t even treating Amy well. He acted like she was dumb. And although she makes some very questionable choices when it comes to men, I don’t think she’s stupid by any means.”
“Because you like her.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“ Stop .”
Weston lets out a sigh. “So why did you go through all the trouble of walking her home, then? You never walk girls home.”
“I don’t know. She asked me to.” I focus my attention on the menu, scanning the sandwich section. I usually get the grilled chicken club, so I guess that’s what I’ll get. No pickles.
“You kissed her, didn’t you?”
“What?” I rip my eyes from the menu. “Why would you even say that? ”
He bursts into a fit of laughter. “I was just joking, but based on that reaction, you did , didn’t you?”
“I...” I stop myself from lying to him. My shoulders fall. “Yeah, I did, okay? But only because she spent the majority of the night going on and on about how she’d never been kissed before and was hoping for a New Year’s kiss. And since I ruined her date, I figured I should try to fix it.”
Weston’s mouth is agape. “She’s never been kissed?”
“Well, I mean, now she has.”
“Right, but you were her first kiss? That’s freakin’ cute. Now what? You gonna marry her, too? Based on what I’ve seen from her, she’s probably betting on that now.”
“No,” I say sharply as the memory of our kiss begins flooding my mind once more. Amy easily could’ve blown me off, but she didn’t. She kissed me back.
And it was the most electrifying kiss I've ever experienced.
But Weston’s right. Amy tends to get really excited about guys who show her attention. She’s eager to settle down.
And the thought of that is terrifying.
Because I don’t do relationships.
I try to brush off his comment. “I don’t think I’m Amy’s type. She much prefers douchebags.”
“Well, I mean...”
I shoot him a glare. “Don’t even go there. You know I’m not a douchebag. But it doesn’t matter. Amy and I are just friends. Nothing more. Besides, I don’t have time for a relationship. And Britt is about to move in.”
“Yeah, and I bet Britt will have a field day with this new friend of yours. Is the bet still on? Or are you just gonna be her boyfriend by Valentine’s Day?”
I swear I could punch him in the face right now. “Shut up. I’m gonna win the bet. Those tickets are expensive.”
“Not for you.”
I let out a sharp breath. “Will you just drop it? First, you start talking about my sister, and now you’re trying to make something out of nothing between me and Amy. I’m not in the mood for this—not today.”
Weston goes silent for a few moments, and just when I think the conversation is finally over, he grins and says, “So, when are you seeing her again?”
“We’re going ice skating tomorrow evening.”
“I knew it—”
“It’s another hapless singles event. Hopefully, she’ll find someone.”
“Yeah, okay. Are you going, too? Because now I kind of want to go, just to see what happens. Wait ... is Brittany going?”
I eye him, giving my best I might murder you look. “I don’t know.”
Weston nods, grabbing his water and taking a long gulp. “Oh, I’m definitely going now. I already know it’s gonna be a wild time.”