Chapter 16
Mr. Too Nice
Caroline
I had never broken up with someone in my life, and I had no idea where to begin.
I wasn’t sure if break up was the correct term, since Ed and I had only been on a few dates.
But I certainly didn’t want to pull a Greg and cheat on someone.
Though truth be told, if Wyatt had tried to kiss me on the Ferris wheel, I would have let him.
“Operation Suit” was an absolute triumph, in that Wyatt had so much fun, he totally forgot about his uncomfortable suit.
But it was an unmitigated disaster, in that, as that Ferris Wheel rotated downward and Wyatt’s long legs brushed my skirt, I realized I couldn’t live without him.
I, Caroline Bingham, who wore her grandma’s pearls, Chanel suits, and Roger Vivier shoes, had fallen for the mechanic.
Wyatt was nothing like the guy I pinned on my Pinterest wedding board as a teenager.
He was so much better. So. . .I needed to end things with Ed, who was such a great guy and dressed even better.
My heart went pitter-patter at the sight of Ed’s custom Italian suits.
He went to Italy each fall to have a few new suits made.
I couldn’t even imagine. I wondered briefly if I could convince Wyatt that we needed to go to Italy to get him a proper suit.
Phase Three of “Operation Suit” could be epic.
Phase Two was just a couple hours away when I would meet him at R.
Douglas to be measured for his first custom suit.
If all went as planned on my new mood board, he could be wearing the suit we bought today as my plus one at Lettie’s October wedding.
But first, how to break up with Ed? Should I do it before we ordered or after lunch?
I knew it was bad form to break up in public.
But I didn’t think this conversation with Ed actually counted as breaking up.
He spent so much time in Big Sur lately that we had only been on a handful of dates and kissed once.
I hadn’t heard from him for a week. I thought maybe we were just going to drift apart.
That was fine by me. Then Ed texted me on Monday and said he’d be in Sacramento on Thursday and could I meet him for lunch.
I replied yes without even checking my schedule.
That was a mistake since I had made an appointment for Wyatt to be measured for new suits at 1 p.m. I moved it to 2:30, figuring two hours was plenty of time to end a relationship that lasted barely a month.
Ed was waiting when I showed up, looking dashing as always in a pale blue linen suit. Did I really want to dump this guy? I thought of Wyatt wearing the pig nose and hollering, “I believe in you, Bacon Bits!” Yeah, I did. Absolutely.
“Caroline,” Ed said with a sleepy smile. He greeted me with a swift kiss on the cheek, then led me to our table on the patio. He ordered wine while I ordered a Diet Coke. After the server left, I said, “No wine for me. I have a work meeting this afternoon.”
“Thanks for fitting me in,” he said.
“Of course.” I forced a smile, and I felt so fake. I just blundered ahead. “I don’t know how to say this...”
Ed broke out into a grin. “But this isn’t working,” he finished my sentence.
“Yeah, but why do you look so relieved?”
“Because I’m the worst at breaking up,” he said. “I just can’t do it. And I told myself I would.” I was a little insulted. He had to give himself a pep talk to break up with me?
“I’m flattered.”
“Sorry, no. I’m rot at this.” He put a hand to his forehead.
“You really are,” I said, barely stifling a laugh.
“I know. I worry so much about not hurting people’s feelings, and I just make it worse.”
“No feelings hurt here,” I said, and I meant it. It was obvious he was a good guy. Maybe too nice for me. “Just curious. Why do you want to break up with me?”
“It’s not you, and it’s not me. I just met someone,” he said with a starry look in his eyes. “And I don’t think she likes me at all. But... ”
“You want to be available,” I finished.
“Mhmm.”
“Same here,” I said.
“Wyatt?” he asked, raising his brows subtly. Everything Ed did was understated elegance.
“Yeah.” My face automatically broke into a smile at the mention of his name. I raised the menu to hide my creeping blush and to decide what to eat. Since Ed had dumped me, he might as well buy me lunch.
“Shall I order the artisan cheese plate?” he asked, always so civilized.
“Please!” I set my menu down. “I’m going to get the lobster salad, and you’re going to tell me all about this girl.”
“I’d love to. Her name is Elinor Greenwood.” Ed’s lips turned up, hinting at a smile. “She’s lovely and brilliant. And—she hates my guts.”
“No! How could she? You’re every woman’s dream.” He tilted his head skeptically. “I’m serious,” I continued. “You’re perfect. You’re handsome and rich and have the best suits.”
“Ah, well! I think my expensive suits aren’t enough for Elinor to overlook that I’m tearing down her home and putting her out of her job.”
“Oh! That’s bad.”
Ed nodded grimly. “You can see why she might not be fond of me.”
“You’re screwed!”
“I know!” He ran his hands through his hair, successfully rumpling it. I felt bad for the guy.
“Take heart,” I said. “I used to hate Wyatt. And now, well, I... like him. Enough to break up with you... which is saying a lot. You should probably ask him for tips.”
“I will next time I see him,” he chuckled. “He said something about going out of town.”
“Yeah, he’s going to Tahoe.” The next week was the Scott family reunion. I hated the idea of Wyatt being gone for two weeks.
“Not dating you is definitely going to improve my relationship with Wyatt,” Ed said after his steak and pomme frites were served.
“Was it a problem?” I stole one of his fries. “I can’t imagine Wyatt being anything but charming to everyone.”
“He was friendly enough when we first met. But once I asked you out, he became a bit frosty.” I loved hearing this.
I was unsure of how Wyatt felt about me.
He was flirty around me, but maybe that was how he treated all women.
But to hear that he was jealous—that gave me hope.
“I swear he keeps putting new customers ahead of me on his waiting list. Which is frustrating since I love his work. I have another car I want him to fix up for me.”
“I’ll tell him you dumped me, and he’ll move you to the top of the list.”
“No, don’t. He looks like he might beat up anyone who hurts you.”
“Fine, I’ll tell him it was a mutual agreement. But tell me the truth, were you thinking of breaking up with me on our last date?”
The last time we went to dinner, Ed was nice, really nice, but also kind of spacy like he was thinking about something else. And at the end of the date, he just gave me a hug and no kiss, which was weird because we had already kissed.
His cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
“Yeah... well, I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“Oh, my goodness, Ed, how long would you have let this drag on?”
“I once dated a girl for an extra six months because I didn’t have the heart to break up with her,” he said sheepishly.
“You’ll have to be braver than that if you’re going to win over Elinor.”
“Ella, she goes by Ella.”
“Ah! And we just happen to be eating at Ella’s. What a romantic. I approve.”
Ed looked away for a moment, bashful. He was so endearing. I really hoped Elinor gave him a chance. Though from what he told me, it sounded like an uphill battle. Poor guy.
We finished ten minutes before my appointment. When I told Ed I was meeting Wyatt just around the corner, he offered to walk me. But I declined. I didn’t think Wyatt was jealous of Ed, but I saw no reason to make him sweat. I was done playing games. I hoped he was, too.