Chapter 11
“Is this the Key West man?”
“Hey, Dad.” I smile as I shift the phone closer to my ear. I’m in my hotel bathroom. I’ve got the bedroom door shut, the bathroom door shut, and the bathroom fan going. I’m taking no chances that Remi can hear my phone call. “What are you up to?”
“Oh, I’m sitting here at Mom’s grave, reading the newspaper.” I hear him flip the page over. “There’s a sale on chuck roasts. Six dollars a pound. Buy one, get one free. So that’s chuck roasts at three dollars a pound. That’s a great price. If you lived in Tampa, you could buy some.”
I smile, loving the way my dad has consistently told me the deals on meat for the past ten years of my life, even though I moved away and have no reason to buy meat in bulk. “Yeah, that seems like a great price.”
“I think I’ll buy some and serve French dip sandwiches at our next game night.”
“That’s a good idea.” I don’t mind that my phone calls with my dad consist of menu planning. Now that my mom has passed away, who else is he going to meal plan with?
“Is Key West hotter than snot?” he asks.
“On average, Houston is hotter than Key West.”
“Oh, right. So, are you having fun?”
“It’s…” I scratch the back of my head. “Well, Remi’s here.”
He pauses for a minute. “And so it’s not fun?”
My family knows that Remi left right after the funeral. They were there, and even if they weren’t, I tell them everything.
I pace back and forth in the small bathroom. “I mean, it’s good to see her, but then seeing her drives me nuts.” Especially when she tells me she isn’t attracted to me. “She’s stubborn and infuriating. I feel like we’re fighting but flirting, and it’s completely her fault.”
She broke up with me.
She said she wasn’t attracted to me.
I’m just reacting to her.
“So, you’re Jimmy Buffet?”
My brows furrow until I realize my dad is comparing my love life to the song “Margaritaville.” I picture myself so tanned my skin is akin to leather, sitting alone on the beach, drinking a margarita, and pining after Remi for the rest of my life. The vision also includes me trying to convince myself that Remi’s the one to blame for my loneliness.
I shake the disturbing image away.
“I’m not Jimmy Buffet.”
“There are worse things than being Jimmy Buffet. You could be Johnny Cash. He was in and out of jail.”
“Dad, move on from Jimmy Buffet.” I swipe a hand through my hair. “I’m just saying, I don’t know if this wedding weekend is fun when you’re at odds with…” I pause, not knowing how to finish my sentence.
“When you’re at odds with the woman you love?”
I don’t need to finish my sentence. My dad already knows the truth.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t spend the weekend at odds. Tell her you’re sorry for whatever happened and that you love her. That should do the trick.”
Noooooo.
I’m not apologizing.
Remi broke up with me.
She should be oozing with breakup humility.
And I’m definitely not telling her I love her. If I do that, I’ll lose the war. She’d have all the power, and it’s not like it would make any difference. Remi knew I loved her, and she still decided to leave. It’s my job now to make sure I don’t go down looking like a fool.
“It’s a nice idea, Dad.” I switch the phone to the other ear. “But it’s not going to work in this particular situation.”
“I guess you know best.”
I do.
“Well, tell Reece congratulations on the wedding.”
“I will.”
I hang up with my dad and sink down, using the toilet seat as a chair.
This weekend is all about perception.
Remi needs to think I’m over her and regret the fact that she ever let me go.
I open the bathroom door and head to my suitcase, looking for my swimsuit. My phone buzzes. It’s the text thread with my sisters.
Brooke: Dad says Remi’s at the wedding too. How’s it going?
My family spreads gossip faster than pink eye at a preschool.
Meg: Did you guys get everything figured out?
I debate how much I want to tell my sisters. Meg and Brooke aren’t going to like the idea of a war between Remi and me, but then again, they’re women, and maybe they can help.
Matt: Not exactly. Things are complicated.
Brooke: Complicated how?
Meg:What did you do?
Matt: Why is it always the man who does something? Maybe this is Remi’s fault.
Matt: She just told me she’s not attracted to me.
Tessa: Whoa! This means war.
See, Tessa gets it.
Meg: It does not mean war. She’s hurting inside.
Tessa: Women aren’t complicated, Matt. There are dating tactics that men have been using for centuries. If you want a woman’s attention, ignore her. When a guy does that to me, it drives me crazy. But it works. We’ll see if she’s not attracted to you.
Meg: That’s terrible advice! You and Remi were together for two years. You definitely should NOT ignore her.
Brooke: I’m with Meg. If you guys have a mature relationship, then I don’t think you should listen to anything Tessa says. Sorry, Tess. You know I love you.
Tessa: Fine. Everyone can act like it’s terrible advice, but deep down, you all know it’s the oldest and most effective trick in the book. We all want what we can’t have. A couple hours of ignoring Remi, and she’ll be putty in your hands.
I’ve never played the typical relationship games other men do. I like to think of myself as a pretty good guy. I was raised by a natural gentleman and witnessed the most incredible love story of all time from my parents. Romeo and Juliet have nothing on Paul and Marilyn Johnson. I know how to treat a woman, how to respect her and cherish her. But I’m debating not doing any of that with Remi. I should tuck my tail between my legs and admit defeat, but putty in my hands?
That’s exactly what I want.
If there ever were a time to follow Tessa’s advice, it is now.
All is fair in love and war.
A man’s pride can only take so much.