July 1st #2
“I think you should stick with the girl you bought the engagement ring for, the one that looked like the ring I always dreamed of.”
“So, if I were in the lobby of the resort right now, you wouldn’t come talk to me?”
“You’re here?” I’m shocked.
“Yeah, I am. My mom called your mom to find out where you were.”
“I feel really bad for your fiancée. If you don’t plan on being faithful to her, I hope you let her go. Goodbye, Brad. And please, don’t call me again.”
“Oh, so you’re all hot for the Diamond kid because he’s rich—is that it?”
“Money has nothing to do with why I love him. He’s honest, transparent, and a really good man.”
“Man? Please. He just graduated high school.”
“He’s more mature than you have ever been, Brad.”
“Yeah, right,” he says. “I remember what that was like. Sex is a lot different when you have experience.”
“You know though,” I say with a grin on my face, “you might be right about one thing.”
“And what’s that?”
“I am all hot for the Diamond kid. Bye, Brad.” I hang up and immediately call my mother.
“Mom! What were you thinking?!” I say the second she answers. “Why in the world did you tell Brad’s mom where I was?”
“Uh, I—did I?” she asks, sounding confused. “I guess when we went to lunch the other day, I did mention you were working at the resort again this summer.”
“So, she didn’t call you specifically to ask?”
“No. Just small talk at lunch. But I don’t think we’ll be having lunch again.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“She made excuses for why Brad cheated on you.”
“He showed up here. Thank goodness no one told him where I was staying. He wanted me to meet him in the lobby.”
“What for?”
“To talk about getting back together.”
“No!” she says, sounding a little like Sammy when I tell him the gossip.
Speaking of Sammy, I should call and tell him.
“Yes. He called me. I said no.”
“Good. I’m proud of you. Um, there’s something I should probably tell you.”
“Have you heard from Dad?”
“Oh, no, not yet, but I kinda maybe met someone,” she says.
“Someone—oh, wait. Like, a guy someone?”
“A man, but yes. He’s a colleague of Van’s. He lost his wife to cancer about ten years ago and has two grown children. I mean, we’ve only been on a couple of dates, but he’s nice. I’m seeing him this weekend, and we’re going together to Van and Lori’s housewarming next weekend.”
“The kid in me wonders if it’s too soon, but the adult in me wants you to be happy.”
“Thank you,” she says sincerely.
“I’m still really worried about Dad. Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“There really isn’t,” Mom says. “Your uncles have had a private investigator looking for him, but he hasn’t used any of his credit cards or his phone. They think maybe he’s using an assumed name. Basically said we’ll have to wait till he contacts us.”
“That sucks,” I say.
“I know it does, honey.”
When we end our call, I say a quick prayer for my dad. That he’s okay. That he’s not living on the streets. That he’s safe. And that he will call me.
I also think about the fact that Mom is going on dates. I know she filed for a divorce, but still …
Then I call Sammy.
“You’re never going to believe what just happened,” I say when he picks up.
“You heard that Roman is going to ask me to marry him?” he asks.
“Wait. Is he?”
“I think so! I’m so in love with him.”
“Does that seem—I don’t know—like, too soon? Like, have you worked through your issues?”
“What issues?” he asks in a singsong voice. “He’s perfect. We’re perfect.”
“Since when?”
“Since he came back into my life. I’m deliriously happy. Be happy for me.”
“I am happy for you,” I say, trying not to sound tentative even though that’s how I’m feeling.
“I can hear it in your voice. You don’t approve.”
And he’s right. I don’t know if I do.
“Well, I just had something similar happen, and I did not want to go back to the ex who cheated on me.”
“What do you mean, you had something similar happen? Spill.”
“I’m done with my internship. It went amazingly. I want you to come with me to the grand opening next year so you can see my design. I did the lobby. And they even changed the exterior and hotel rooms to go with it.”
“That’s really cool, and I’d love to. But are you saying you talked to Brad?”
“He just called me. Was in the hotel lobby. Said he wants me back.”
“Ohmigawd, girl! What did you say?”
“I said no. He asked how I felt. He was really asking if I still had feelings for him, but I went off and told him exactly how I’d felt when he cheated on me.”
“What did you say?!”
“Actually, you would have been proud of me. I told him I felt betrayed, hurt, lied to, embarrassed, and sad.”
“That’s how I felt with Roman,” he says softly.
“I know you did. And I’ll be honest, you suggesting you want to marry him worries me a little.”
He sighs. “He said he wouldn’t ever again. And he was very sincere. People change sometimes, right? Although what your mom said that night when we chatted has stuck with me. And it does scare me a bit. So, tell me the rest.”
“Oh, get this. He said he had kinda, sorta broken up with his fiancée.”
“Which means he’s stringing her along,” Sammy says.
“Exactly. And when I said no, he acted like the dick he is and said, Oh, so you’re all hot for the Diamond kid because he’s rich—is that it? And I told him money had nothing to do with it.”
“Then what did he say?” Sammy asks, seemingly enthralled.
“He suggested Damon wasn’t good in bed because he’s younger.”
“He didn’t?! What an ass.”
“Right,” I agree. “But guess what I said back. Well, first, I said he’s more mature at eighteen than Brad will ever be. That I love him because he’s honest and transparent. Then I told him he might be correct about one thing.”
“Ohhhh, what was Brad right about?”
“That I am hot for the Diamond kid.”
“Ahhh! Amazing comeback! I love it! And how are things with Damon? Like, how did you leave it? Are you in a relationship? A situationship? Friends with benefits?”
“Things are good. He’s sweet. We’re exclusive. He wants me to move to Lincoln after graduation. And he’s going to try to come see me this summer.”
“That’s great, but what if you can’t find the kind of job you want there?”
“Well, we actually said we would talk about it at Christmastime.”
“Not to be a pain, but our lease is up here a few days after graduation.”
“I forgot about that. Gosh, I feel like so much is up in the air,” I say with a sigh, feeling overwhelmed.
“Don’t freak out,” Sammy says. “My backup plan is that I move all my stuff to my parents’ house until I figure it out. You can do the same.”
“You’re right,” I agree.
“Now, back to Roman. Please be happy for me,” he says.
“If Roman truly makes you happy, Sammy, I promise I will be.”
“I love you. Maybe Roman and I should come down one weekend to visit you. Wouldn’t that be fun? I do have a break between my summer classes. Maybe I will suggest it.”
“That would be great. I’d love it.”
“Hang on. Let me look up the dates. Um, okay, it’s the week of July twentieth.”
“Perfect. My cottage has three bedrooms, so you can just stay with me.”
“Sounds like a plan. Love you lots!” Sammy says, ending the call.