Chapter 8
HAWK
"I told you someday your ego would get you into trouble," Bam said.
"You never told me that." I reclined on the chair beside him and looked out over the lake.
"Well, then, I thought it plenty of times." He shrugged and shot me a cheeky grin.
"I'm not saying you're wrong." I wanted a beer, but I sucked on a water bottle instead. It was a small price to pay for all of this, but some days the dietary restrictions chafed.
"That's 'cause I'm right, like always," Bam said. He looked so smug I couldn't keep myself from smiling. "She's cute," he added. "Are you sure you're not the one I should worry about falling?"
"Who, me?" I asked, half barking a laugh. I pointed a finger at myself. "Do I seem like the falling type?"
Bam regarded me for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Yes you do. It's been a year since Kyla. Isn't it time you moved on?"
"She moved on quick enough," I said.
Strange, I would have said that with bitterness not long ago. Now it barely registered, much less stung. A year was a long time.
Back then, I could hardly believe she even applied for a job in Los Angeles, much less took it.
She begged me to come with her. I thought about it, and for a long time too.
In the end, my life was here. I thought hers was too.
I hadn't quite pictured marriage or children.
Some day down the road though, I might have, if we'd stayed together.
Apparently waiting wasn't on her agenda. Barely six months in LA and she was living with some real estate guy, expecting their first kid.
I was happy for her, really, and happier to realise I was finally over her.
Now if those photos would disappear from the net, I'd be ecstatic.
The press made a big deal over them. Especially Kyla topless.
She'd never been shy. Just one of the reasons I stayed on the press’ good side.
Those pictures could have been much worse.
That all seemed like a lifetime ago now. Funny how Becca tutoring me seemed like last week. It had nothing at all to do with any feelings I had for her, because there were none beyond friendship and a lingering gratitude. No way. No matter how cute, sexy and smart she was.
"Kyla was never the 'being single' type," Bam said with a nod.
"There's a type like that?" I asked.
"Sure is," Bam agreed. "Take me, for example."
"You're not my type," I said.
Bam made a face and stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Bro, I don't mean 'take me' like that. I mean, I am a fine example of the kind of person who will be happily single for life." He puffed out his chest as though this might be his purpose for existing.
"Until the right woman comes along," I said. "Like Felicity. And Hannah. And Lola. And…"
Single for life, my ass. Bam fell in love often and hard. He always denied it later, but I saw it often enough.
"Temporary insanity," he declared.
"I think you can only claim that the first time," I said. "By the fifth it doesn't count."
"Can I plead the fifth?" Bam asked.
"Not in this country. Besides, I think it's too late for that.
" I propped my feet on another chair and half-closed my eyes as a breeze ruffled the strands.
The sun was almost set, but golden rays rippled on the surface of the water.
This alone made all the hard work worth it.
I didn't need a huge house, but the view over the lake and unimpeded access to the water helped me get my head clear when thoughts spun like a wild web in my overactive brain.
Here, I could breathe. Take a moment. Appreciate life and everything it had to offer.
"Hey, when did this conversation become about my love life?" Bam asked. "We were talking about yours."
"You were talking about mine," I replied. "I was saying I don't have one. Becca is a friend, that's all. I'm probably going to lose this bet anyway. She's too smart for a guy like me."
"Most women are," Bam agreed. He grinned while I made a face at him.
"Let me ask you this," he went on. "If you win, you'll see her more often. Because you'd be a dick if you let her fall for you, then walk away. I'm not saying you're not a dick, but that would be ultra dickish, even for you."
I grimaced again. I considered that. This could turn out badly. I was almost certain it wouldn't, though. She made it clear she hated me. At the end of this, the best I could hope was that she'd hate me a bit less.
"If you lose, you get to see her more often, giving her all those stories. Seems like you'll end up seeing a lot more of her either way." Bam’s eyebrows rose in a silent query, as if I was supposed to know what he was getting at.
"Did you have a question?" I asked.
"Yeah. What's in it for her?"
"Prestige," I said jokingly. "She gets to be seen with me."
"No, really," Bam said. He propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his chin on two fingers. The expression on his face was a definite, 'don't fuck around with women's feelings, 'cause I know where you live and I will tell her.'
When did he get so fucking noble?
"You're a hard man," I said. "She gets to build her career."
"Is that the only reason she took your bet?" He steepled three fingers against his cheek, his thumb under his chin, and cocked his head.
"What other reason would there be?" That question niggled at the back of my mind too. She wouldn't be the first woman who used me to further themselves, and I was the one who suggested it. Maybe I should be the one to plead temporary insanity.
I wasn't lying when I said I would do anything I could to win the bet. Sure, I thought about the consequences, but more than that, I wanted to win. This whole situation could easily get out of control. Bam was right, my ego might get me in trouble. This time, I was walking in, headfirst, eyes open.
"You really don't want to consider she's doing this because she likes you already, do you?" he asked. His expression was serious. He looked like he might actually punch me if I screwed around with her and broke her heart. Again.
"I'm sure," I said firmly. "She knows what she's doing. Think about it this way: I'm making up for being a dick to her back in school. She'll thank me when she's got the National Daily's readers eating out of her hand. Her boss is gonna love it."
"You could just give her those exclusives," Bam pointed out.
I thought of that and had an answer ready. "If I gave them to her, she'd wonder why. She'd assume I'm up to something. This way, she gets them fair and square. No strings."
"‘Said the spider to the fly,’" Bam quoted.
"I'm big, but I don't have eight appendages." I shifted my feet and gave Bam a smug smile.
"Just eight brain cells," Bam teased.
"Ouch." I chuckled. "Better than eight hands. Those really would get me into trouble." Though with Becca’s curves, she might appreciate them…
My brain really didn’t know when to shut up.
"Amen to that, brother." His eyes widened. "Be handy for catching the ball though."
"Yeah." I sniffed the air as the smell of food wafted past. Once, I would have sighed that the neighbour's dinner smelled so good, then go in and burn some toast.
Kyla had actually been the one to suggest her aunt's friend come and work for me as housekeeper and cook. Best decision I made since buying this place. My mom tried to teach me to cook, back before… When I was a kid.
"No son of mine is going out in the world without basic life skills," she said.
Then I almost burnt down the kitchen and she didn't let me back in, except to grab a snack. Even then, she would keep her eye on me. Maybe her nickname should have been Hawk. She had the vision for it.
"Something smells good." Bam's drawl was more pronounced when he was hungry. "I might have to coax Aunt Dolores away from you."
"Get your own Aunt Dolores," I told him. "I already know she's the only reason you stop by for dinner so often."
"Well, it ain't for your shining company," he said with a smirk. "It's for the good of my belly." He patted a stomach as flat and firm as my own.
"I think I should be offended." I rubbed a hand over the back of my head.
"If you don't know an insult when you hear one, maybe eight brain cells was being generous." Bam grinned.
I picked up my water bottle and flicked it in his direction. Droplets sprayed through the air, sprinkling over him.
"I'm thinking about un-inviting you for dinner." I put the bottle down while he wiped his arm dry with his hand.
"Don't do that," he said. "Everyone knows you're the smart one here."
"They do? Who is everyone?"
He waved a hand around my otherwise empty terrace. "Oh, you know, everyone."
"That's vague," I said.
"Isn't it though?" he agreed. "I guess I'll leave you to figure out that one. Maybe your girl will give you a hand."
"She's not my girl," I replied. If it was anyone but Bam, or maybe Chase, I'd get annoyed with him. Instead, I'd wait for a good opportunity to insult him in return. They usually didn't take too long to appear.
"And if I’m smart, how many brain cells do you have? Six??" I asked.
He grinned. "Being as good looking as me, I only need six."
"Keep telling yourself that." I patted him on the shoulder. "It might even come true some day."
"Hey." He huffed. "Give me this win." After a moment, he added, "My mom thinks I'm cute." He immediately looked sorry. "Hey. Sorry, bro."
"Yeah." I shrugged it off like I always did. No big deal. It was the past, right? A long time ago. "We should see if dinner is ready."
"If Aunt Dolores made tacos, she's officially my favourite person on the planet," Bam declared.
"I'm hurt," I said. "I thought I was your favourite."
"You would be if you cooked tacos." He nodded. "I'm a simple man, with simple needs."
"Evidently," I replied. "What are you going to do if you fall into ‘temporary insanity’ for a woman who can cook? The single life might not look so good then."
"Aunt Dolores is the only woman for me," he said.
"Aunt Dolores' husband wouldn't be so happy," she said from the doorway.
"Reverse harem," Bam said. "What?" he added when I gave him a funny look. "It's a thing, look it up."
Aunt Dolores, who was in her mid-sixties, snorted loudly. "You couldn't keep up with me anyway." She turned to me and said, "Conrad, dinner is ready."
She flatly refused to call me Hawk. "Your mom gave you a perfectly good name," she would say.
"Will Abraham be joining you?" She looked him up and down as though she disapproved of him. They went through the same routine every time he had dinner here. "It's not tacos."
Bam groaned. "Even if it's not tacos, I find I can't say no to your gracious invitation. Thank you."
"I didn't invite you," she said.
"With your eyes, you did," he said.
"You're bordering on inappropriate there, buddy," I said.
"He crossed that line long ago," Aunt Dolores said. "Go wash your hands and sit. I'll serve dinner." She disappeared inside.
What did I do to attract mother figures wherever I went? I didn't mind, not a bit. Heavens knew I was pretty crap at looking after myself if left to it.
"Now, if I could find a woman like her, but forty years younger, I might reconsider the single life," Bam sighed.
I shook my head. "A woman like her would run a mile away from guys like us."
"Lucky we can run fast." Bam grinned.
I chuckled and waved him inside. Some day the right woman would catch his eye.
Which left me to wonder, would I catch anyone's eye, and their heart?
Or had I already?