Chapter 14
fourteen
. . .
WYATT
“Don’t bachelor parties normally start much later?” I ask Jake.
We’ve just made it to a seven a.m. tee time, and while I love a good foursome, I’d like it much more if it were ten a.m. I feel sorry for Jake. Our Manmorial weekend is now doubling as his bachelor party. “Two birds, one stone,” according to his fiancé, Lauren.
“Sorry, man.” Jake offers me an apologetic smile. “Best I could do if we want to fit everything in.”
I’m trying my best to be happy for Jake, but Lauren can be a challenge. He proposed last year, but she’s always had an excuse for why they can’t set a wedding date just yet. Now, suddenly, she’s found a date and a location, and not only is it a month away, it’s on the fucking Fourth of July. She’s excited to have fireworks as the co-star of the event. Now she’s convinced Jake that our annual guy’s trip to San Diego could double as his bachelor party so he won’t have to leave town twice before the wedding.
“So, you gonna tell me what’s going on with you?” Jake steps out of the cart and heads toward his clubs in the back. He doesn’t even give me a chance to dodge his question. I put the brake on and meet him at the back as he grabs his driver out of his bag.
“I saw Blair.”
I’m not sure why I keep my eyes focused on the tee box. Maybe so he can’t see my excitement, the torture of it all, or that I’m absolutely gone for her? He’s quiet for a minute, so I know he understands.
I can’t get Blair out of my head—mostly the way I stupidly doubled down on keeping everything professional. At first, I thought I saw a look of hurt, and I hoped it was because maybe she wanted something more. Then I quickly realized that I had insulted her and it’s quite possible she hates me. Talk about a gut punch.
Blair has haunted my thoughts for years. I dated in college, but Jake used to get so frustrated every time I ended it with a girl after a few dates. He would tell me I was romanticizing the past. He begged me to give any girl a real chance and stop comparing her to Blair. He said I was probably just a blip on her romantic resume.
Jake takes his place in the tee box and bends over to place the ball on the little peg sticking out of the ground.
“So, what’s the plan, then?” he asks as he takes a few practice swings to get a feel for his shot.
“Plan? There’s no plan. She’s trying to sign my sister. I ran into her when I had lunch with Sophia the other day.” I conveniently leave out dinner the other night.
“So, that’s it? You see the woman you’ve been obsessed with since we met in college, and now what? You’ll just go back to normal and not see her again?” He chuckles. Like a jolly old fellow.
“Not exactly,” I say.
Jake just nods and strikes the ball, sending it sailing toward the first hole.
“So, I’ll ask again, what’s the plan?”
“I asked to be assigned to work on The Manhattan Group and TWA merger,” I tell him. He may not realize our firm is helping, but he knows the deal I’m referring to. He also knows Blair works for TWA. He gives me a curious grunt.
“But I told her there was nothing to worry about and that we’d keep things totally professional.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Because there was something to worry about?”
“Well, no. But I wanted her to know I’m a professional. I wouldn’t let lingering feelings or our past impede our relationship.”
“You have a relationship?” He’s got both hands on the end of the club propped in front of him. His lawyer is showing.
“No. We don’t…” I say. “ Working relationship. I just thought it would set her mind at ease in case we have to work together. I don’t have any expectations.”
“Except complete professionalism.”
“Fuck. I’m such an asshole.” I wipe my hand down my face and then move past him to place my ball on the tee.
That’s why she left our dinner without saying goodbye. I completely insinuated there might be feelings—likely from her—and it looked like I was shutting it down. I’m such an idiot. I was so excited to see her again and doing my best to rein in my own feelings—apparently in the worst possible way.
After a day of golf and a few private poker games, we’re headed to a Cage Warriors MMA matchup. It’s the main reason we’re celebrating Jake’s bachelor party here this weekend. He’s a huge fan and, in another life, would have loved to pursue it as a career.
My phone buzzes as we take our seats, and I’m about to shut it off when I see my sister’s name flash across the screen.
SOPHIA
Sorry to interrupt man weekend, but can you send me Blair’s address?
ME
Why?
SOPHIA
I want to send her a thank you for the tickets.
I forward over the contact info and then scroll back through the few messages between me and Blair. If I sent her a text asking about her weekend, I wonder if she would leave me delivered or on read—or tell me to fuck off.
“What’s got you smiling? Or who?” Jakes asks.
“Nothing. Just Sophia.”
“Listen, man, I know there’s unfinished history with Blair, and the idea of opening up again probably scares the hell out of you. Love means being vulnerable, but I’m telling you it’s worth it. I know things are complicated, but if there’s a chance to reignite that spark, why not take it? Don’t live with a second round of regret. Love is worth it, my friend, every single time.”
He’s only heard me talk about her a few times, yet he knows how much she meant to me. He also knows how much I regret not fighting for her, for us. I shared with him what I went through with my father. My passion for golf, my interest in something other than following in his footsteps. How he blamed Blair, and I didn’t defend her.
I shut down after the blowout with my father and focused on school. I know I pulled away from her, but it was too painful to be around her and listen to her tell me how all my dreams could come true, because they wouldn’t.
When it happened, everything felt so impossible. But then, a year later—and what felt like a lifetime of emotion later—everything seemed like no big deal. Insignificant. I couldn’t believe what a coward I had been. Jake wanted me to call her and tell her what had happened. But I never did. I didn’t even know what I would say to her. There’s no way she would have understood, and by the time my head was in the right place, too much time had passed.
“I don’t think this is exactly a second chance, but I hear you. I just think right now, the best thing I can do for both of us is stay professional and keep us focused on work.”
“Right. Work.” He raises his eyebrow with a look that says bullshit.
Thankfully, he drops it, and we get our drinks just in time to see the first punch. I’d been looking forward to the fight for a few weeks, but now my attention was miles away. About 120 miles, to be exact.