Chapter Fourteen #2
That stings, but I get it. We’re still new, and she’s not ready for them to know, so I play it cool and wave to her family. “Hi, guys. Happy birthday, Grandma Braden.”
“Thank you, dear,” her grandmother says.
Seth is grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise,” her mother says. “What are you two up to today?”
“It looks like they’re at an aquarium,” Clay says. He’s sitting with his arm around Pepper, who waves to us.
“We are,” Victory says tensely. “Wells is opening another restaurant, and he’s thinking about putting in fish tanks. We’re just checking them out. Right, Seth ?” She levels Seth with a serious look. “I hear you’re partnering with Wells. I’m sure you know about the fish tank idea.”
“I do? Oh, right , yes, we are,” Seth says. “Fish tanks in the walls. We’re tossing around lots of ideas.”
“You boys are partnering up for this?” her grandfather asks.
“We are,” Seth says.
“That’s great,” her father chimes in.
“I can’t wait to see this new union come together,” her mother says.
Something about the way she says it makes me think she’s talking about me and Victory, not the restaurant. “Me too,” I say. “I’m excited about our new endeavor.”
“I love the idea of fish tanks in the restaurant,” Pepper says.
“That would be cool at Rock Bottom, too,” Sutton adds.
Noah lifts his chin. “Vic, where are you? That doesn’t look like the New York aquarium.”
“Baltimore,” Victory admits tightly. “Wells took me to scout a few bands here last night, and we decided to stay over and check it out.”
Clay laughs. “I bet you did.”
Pepper nudges him, giving him a chiding look.
“You’re scouting talent again?” her father asks. “That’s my girl. Get back on that wagon and have some fun.”
“I’m sure she’s having a lot of fun with the Wells wagon,” Noah says, and her brothers laugh.
“Really, Noah?” Victory snaps. “You couldn’t just let that go? Wells and I are friends, okay? We like some of the same things, and I think it was really nice of him to find those bands for me to check out.”
“I bet you do,” Noah says.
“ Noah ,” her father says sternly. “That’s enough.”
Noah holds his hands up in surrender. “I’m just having fun with her.”
“Friends are good, honey,” her mother says. “And, Wells, you’re such a nice young man. I’m glad you two have become friendly.”
“Thank you, Mrs. B,” I say. “I am, too.”
“Pep and I started out as friends,” Clay says with a smirk.
“Pepper ran from you every time she saw your ugly mug,” Noah reminds him.
“He was just too cute to look at,” Pepper says in Clay’s defense.
“He’s jealous, babe.” Clay kisses her.
“So, Gram, how’s your birthday so far?” Victory asks. “What have you and Grandpa been up to?”
“You know there’s never a dull moment with us,” her grandmother says, and goes on to tell everyone about the things they’ve been doing lately.
They talk for another fifteen minutes or so, and when Victory ends the call, she exhales loudly as she pockets her phone. “Well, that was awkward.”
“Nah. They’re just giving you a hard time.”
She looks at me apologetically. “I’m sorry for how I reacted. I’m just not ready to be the center of all that .”
“I get it. But it’s obvious they love me.”
She laughs softly.
I drape an arm over her shoulder, walking to the next exhibit, and say, “If you want my advice, I think you should just get on board with it. We both know you’re going to end up there anyway. I’m irresistible.”
Victory
Wells makes it easy to move past the hiccup with my family, and the rest of the day is a whirlwind of exploration—of the Inner Harbor and each other.
We hold hands as we meander through museums and gift shops, learning more about each other with every passing minute and losing ourselves in every stolen kiss, of which there are many.
Wells found a cute onesie for Stevie that has I’m not crabby above a picture of a crab and You’re crabby beneath it.
I love that he thought of his nephew.
I haven’t been this happy or free in years.
I don’t know if it’s because we’re not in New York or something else, but everything feels different.
I’m noticing things about Wells I haven’t noticed before.
Like when we walk along sidewalks, he always moves to the side closest to the street.
He opens every door for me, and one of my favorite things he does is when we’re talking and he tucks my hair behind my ear and says, There you are , like he did last night and this morning, as if just seeing my face is special.
When we get back to Teterboro Airport, I feel like I’ve been gone a month. I’m sad our trip is over but grateful for the time we had. “Thank you for everything,” I say as the plane lands. “I had an amazing night, and today was the best day I’ve had in years.”
He lifts our joined hands and kisses the back of mine. “I’m glad. I had a great time, too. I wish we had one more night, but I have to be on the island for a staff meeting early tomorrow morning.”
“I know. You mentioned it earlier.” But I love knowing you want more time, too.
His eyes brighten. “Why don’t you come with me to the island? I’ve got that meeting and a couple hours of work to take care of, but we can have the rest of the day together. You can see my family, hang out with my friends, and be back by Monday morning.”
Half my heart screams, Yes, go! but the other half holds me back. Somehow going to the island seems like a much bigger statement than when he comes to the city. I know that’s not fair. Especially after the great time we’ve had, but I’m just not ready to go there.
“I wish I could,” I say lamely.
“It’s okay,” he says with tempered disappointment. “I guess the car ride to your place will have to hold me over until next time.”
“You don’t have to come with me. You can’t make Tessa wait.”
“She won’t mind. I pay her well, and I want to be sure you get home safely.”
“That big heart of yours is really something. I appreciate the offer, but I’ve been getting myself home for a long time. I’ll text you when I get there.”
He tries to debate me, but I win, and when we get off the plane, he insists on walking me to the car. He gazes warmly at me and slides his hand along my jaw, brushing his thumb over my cheek, and says, “I’m going to miss you.”
My heart squeezes, and I lean into his touch, knowing I’m going to miss him, too. I open my mouth to tell him as much, but the words won’t come, so I hook my finger into his belt loop, pulling him closer, go up on my toes, and press my lips to his.
He opens the car door for me, and as I get in, he says, “See you Wednesday, sweets.”
“What’s Wednesday?” I try to remember whether we made plans, but nothing comes to mind.
He cocks a grin. “Our weekly walkabout. See what kind of trouble we can get into.”
A little thrill runs through me. “I guess I’m not working late on Wednesday.”
“Now you’re catching on.” He leans in for one more kiss and closes the car door.
He watches as the car drives away, and I watch him, too, until I can no longer see him.
My heart is pounding from the wonderfulness of the day. I revel in that, and then I tuck it away like a treasure, knowing I’ll revisit the memories a hundred more times tonight.
I reach into my purse for my phone to call Seth, and my fingers touch something furry.
I peer into my bag, and laughter bubbles out at the sight of a red furry crab with Baltimore stitched on its back, sitting among napkins from the places we ate, a piece of paper from a notepad at the hotel where we stayed, and cards from some of the shops we visited.
I pick up my keys to see the tiny boat dangling from the chain, and my heart skips.
Feeling like a teenager with her first crush, I take another minute to try to calm that joy so I can be appropriately annoyed at Seth.
He answers on the first ring and says, “I wondered when you’d call.”
“When were you planning on telling me that you were partnering with Wells?”
“I figured he’d tell you.”
“ You should’ve told me.” I lower my voice so the driver can’t listen to my conversation. “First you tell me he’s all wrong for me, and the next morning you’re talking to him about partnering? I thought you didn’t trust him.”
“I never said that. I said he was a good guy.”
“You said he was wrong for me.”
“Yeah, because I could tell how much you liked him, and if I told you he was right for you and I thought you should see him again, you never would have.”
“What kind of mixed-up psych bullshit is that?”
“Vic, you always do the opposite of what anyone tells you.”
“I do not . When have I ever done that?”
He laughs. “How much time do you have?”
“Seth, I’m serious. I should be able to count on you to have my back.”
“Hey, I always have your back. Didn’t I have it today when you asked me about fish?”
I huff out, “ Yes .”
“Then stop giving me shit. It sounded like you guys were having a great time.”
“That’s beside the point.”
“No, sis. That is the point, and we’re all happy for you. Like I said, Wells is a good guy.”
“I know he is, but we’re just friends, so don’t go making it into anything bigger.” The word friends leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I don’t know why I’m upset with Seth, which is also frustrating.
“ Friends who scout bands together and stay overnight in a new city to do fun things the next day,” Seth says. “You’ve needed a friend like him for a long time.”
“Okay, fine . I guess we’re more than friends, but don’t get carried away.”
He scoffs. “When do I ever get carried away? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when Wells and I were negotiating.
But honestly, your personal life has nothing to do with our partnership.
Wells is a sharp businessman, and I have no doubt he’ll be a great business partner.
He brought his restaurant back from the dead, and he did it grassroots style, which you know I respect. ”
“How do you know he did it grassroots style?”
“Because I talked with him about it at the wedding, and then I researched him. He had a vision of how he wanted to build his business, and he wasn’t going to let anyone dissuade him.
Instead of throwing money at it and buying the expertise he needed to make it work fast, he sought advice from people he trusted in order to learn along the way.
That’s a guy who cares a hell of a lot about bettering himself and the business. ”
“He told you that?” Why am I jealous that he knew that before I did?
“Yeah. He didn’t want to ask his father for advice, but Alexander Silver is a stellar businessman, so he did.
He also asked his father’s cousins, three self-made billionaires.
He wanted to see how their advice fit into his goals, not the other way around.
He made mistakes early on and corrected them, and revised his plans to form a better path.
Not many people have the wherewithal to do that and succeed at it.
So, if you want to know why I told you not to go after him when I knew you’d do the opposite, it’s because looking at who he was beneath the surface was just like looking at you. ”
Seth has only said something like that to me once before, and it was about Harvey. When my family was struggling with our age gap, Seth saw past it, and that unlocks something inside me.
“Vic? You still there?”
“Yeah, sorry. You’re right. Wells and I do have a lot in common.”
“I figured, since you stayed in Baltimore with him. Does that mean you skipped dinner at the tavern Friday night?”
It’s hard to admit, but I manage, “ Mm-hm .”
“How about that,” he says with awe, and it’s not a question. “Does this mean we have to buy fish tanks for our restaurant?”
We both laugh.
We talk almost the whole ride home, and I tell him about our weekend. It feels good to share that happiness with Seth. I’m still reeling when I get up to my apartment.
I set my purse down, and as I walk into the living room, I’m hit with a pang of guilt.
It’s strange to feel it after days of being free of it.
I try to push it away, but as I look around at the lavish room, my eyes fall to Harvey’s candy dish full of Hershey’s Kisses beside the couch, taking that pang deeper.
The silence presses in on me.
Has it always been this quiet? It’s stifling. I feel like I can’t breathe.
Is this some new form of guilt? Maybe I’m just tired.
A little music and fresh air will probably help.
As I head for the terrace doors, I open the app on my phone that controls my home electronics and turn on a playlist. Music streams from the speakers as I step outside and fill my lungs with fresh air.
I lean on the railing, looking out at the lights of the city, thinking about how much fun I had with Wells. My phone chimes, and as if his ears were burning, Wells pops up in a message bubble, instantly bringing a smile.
Wells: I know you’re worried about me getting home safely, and you probably miss my face, so here you go.
A picture of him pops up, and I laugh softly.
Wells: Send me a pic so I know you weren’t kidnapped on the way home.
I take a selfie and send it to him.
Wells sends a voice message. I tap the play icon. “There you are. How is it possible that I miss you already?”
I get goose bumps, his deep voice wrapping around me like an embrace, and a kernel of missing him blooms in my chest. I lower myself to a lounge chair and gaze up at the starry sky, debating sending him a voice message back. It only takes a moment for me to decide to do it.
My pulse quickens as I record “There must be something going around, because I miss you, too.” I take another deep breath. My heart races as I send it to him, then quickly thumb out another text.
Me: Don’t let that go to your head or anything .
Wells: Too late.
A smiling emoji surrounded by hearts pops up.
A WordLink invitation appears, and I accept it.
Half an hour later, I’m still sitting on the terrace listening to music and playing our game, when I realize I no longer feel stifled. How can something as simple and silly as an online game make me feel so good?
As Wells plays the word SWEETS , I know my happiness has little to do with the game and everything to do with the man who was currently whipping my butt in it.