Thirty-one
Usually Sundays flew by like a blink but this one had the endurance of a marathon runner. After checking his emails and making a to-do list for the next day, Will tossed his phone on the coffee table and settled back against the soft couch cushions. They were heading into a busy season. He needed to touch base with marketing and advertising, and at this time of year he enjoyed being part of the conversations around store displays. He’d left messages with Comfort Plus and had a lunch meeting scheduled with Holden on Thursday. They’d officially squashed the deal with Home Needs, which had pissed Fredrick off to no end. Will had plenty to keep him busy. Keep his mind off Lexi and the way she’d hugged him, held him when her mom agreed to come to his place.
Relief at a distraction from his own thoughts coursed through him when a knock came at his door. He’d seen both of his sisters when he dropped by his grandparents’ place for lunch so it wouldn’t be them. He paused. He wasn’t ready to see his parents. Will was certain he’d never been this mad at either of them. He took a fortifying breath and squared his shoulders, just in case. When he got to the door and saw through the peephole that it was Ethan, everything inside him relaxed.
He opened the door to find his best friend dressed for the crisp weather in a leather bomber jacket and gloves, a light-gray Side Tap beanie tugged over his slightly-too-long hair.
“Hey. Thought I’d check in. Last night was quite the show and you’re not answering your phone.”
“I turned it off. Come on in.”
Ethan shook his head. “Actually, I was headed out to the new site just to go over a few things with my dad. Thought maybe you’d come for a drive.”
“Let me grab my coat.”
Ethan backed his Ford Bronco out of Will’s drive and didn’t hesitate to dive into the previous evening’s events. “What the hell, man?”
Will shook his head, leaning back in the passenger seat. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. I mean, I knew he was pissed about Granddad’s announcement, about Maddie taking over, but when you break it all down, it makes sense. My dad is good at his job in the position he’s in now. Maddie is ready for this step and it causes the least amount of disruption. Plus, even though my dad would never admit it, Maddie’s vision is a lot more in line with what my grandfather wants.”
“How’s Mads doing? Has to be a punch to the gut to have her father act like that.”
That was Will’s exact concern. Maddie deserved this position. And it was his grandfather’s decision to make. “She seemed okay. I had lunch with her, my grandparents, and Kyra. My phone is off because I’m avoiding my parents but I wanted to check in on all of them. Everyone is a mix of hurt, shocked, and frustrated.”
“Took the spotlight off you and your fiancée for a night,” Ethan pointed out, merging onto the freeway.
Giving a humorless laugh, Will stared out the window. “It’ll give the Times something better to write than who is Alexandria Danby and does she deserve William Grand.” He hated the bitterness in his tone but he also hated that other people felt they had the right to decide what was best for anyone other than themselves. Like a person didn’t know their own damn mind.
“And who is Alexandria Danby?”
Will looked over at his friend. “What does that mean?”
Ethan sent him a quick glance. “She was a waitress you helped out in an awkward moment who became your fake fiancée before she became your real girlfriend. I’ve seen you with her. I’ve seen her talk about you. Which part is fake?”
His friend knew him too well. “Right now? Only the engagement. And honestly? A huge part of me wishes it were real. That I had a very real hold on this woman.”
“She’s wearing your ring.”
Will smiled. “For show.”
“Could you see yourself actually marrying her? How does she feel? She’s one hell of an employee, I’ll say that. She works her ass off and we’re not only on schedule for most things, we’re ahead for some of them. Brady actually smiled the other day. Not seeing him weighted down with stress is a huge relief.”
Will had no doubt about her work ethic. It was one more thing that drew him to her.
“I never expected any of this. I couldn’t have predicted it. I only met her less than a month ago but I swear, E, every minute I spend with her makes me want the next and the next and the next.”
Ethan whistled, the sound loud in the enclosed space. “Maybe planning a real wedding will shift your parents’ focus away from your dad’s wounded pride.”
Will laughed, scrubbed his hands over his face. “Jesus, man. Don’t say that. This all started because the idea of my parents staying out of my love life was so appealing.”
“Love, huh?” Ethan looked over at him, then turned on the wipers. Will ignored his friend’s not-so-subtle question. There were too many other things to deal with. He could do a deep dive on his feelings some other time.
They drove for the next twenty minutes chatting about beer, football, life, and work. It was nice. A little break from all the rest.
“You okay, man? You got quiet. You miss your fiancée?”
“You’re a jackass,” Will said even though he kind of did.
Ethan’s chuckle cut off abruptly when he turned into the mostly empty lot of Side Tap South. Lexi and her mother were standing outside of Lexi’s vehicle talking to Ethan’s dad.
“I’m not sure if it’s romantic or creepy that you mooning over your girl conjured her up.”
“I’ll repeat—you’re a jackass,” Will said, getting out of the SUV. He ignored the way his heartbeats quickened as he locked eyes with Lexi. Her smile spread slowly, a shadow of uncertainty crossing her features.
“Hey,” she said with a wave.
“Be cool, Ponyboy,” Ethan said, smacking him on the back then walking ahead of Will.
That was becoming more and more difficult every day.