Chapter 30
thirty
. . .
BLAIR
JESS
You’re not even going to give me an update on the date? I didn’t text last night so I wouldn’t interrupt anything.
ME
Nothing to report. Oh, except I met his situationship.
JESS
???
ME
As we were leaving the restaurant, Bethany (also known as Firefly girl) said hello with a kiss and hug
ME
While I stood right next to him.
JESS
I’m calling you right now.
“What happened? Start at the beginning.”
I fill Jess in on dinner, how we kissed outside by the ocean, and how the evening was easy, fun, and romantic. When I get to the part where I agreed to go home with him, I have to pull the phone back from my ear as she squeals with excitement. Then I have to talk her off the excitement ledge by telling her I didn’t end up at his house.
“He said he hasn’t been with her since the first time he saw me. But it didn’t feel like he’s officially shut it down with her.”
“Did you ask him?”
“Not exactly. When she walked up, I froze.” It was a mix of rage and despair. It totally fucked with my head, and all my insecurities showed up. About how Wyatt chose Holly, Billy chose Kandi, every guy in college didn’t choose me… “It just shut down any hope I was feeling.”
“How did he react?”
“He pulled back like he’d been burned.” I think about what he said, how we both have a past. I just don’t know if she is part of his present. “He did introduce me as his date. She was snarky, asking if I was why he couldn’t meet her this weekend.”
“Bitch!” Jess shouts.
“He got us out of there quickly and took me home.”
“You need to talk to him about this. If you like him, tell him.”
I sit back in my chair. I came into work so I wouldn’t sit around the house and obsess about Wyatt. As I look around my corner office, I feel lucky. It’s glamorous, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished here—and the 180-degree views of Hollywood and Beverly Hills aren’t terrible, either. Yet, there are days when I would gladly give it all up to run my own agency. Talking about it with Wyatt rekindled something in me.
“Honestly, Jess, it’s for the best. I need to focus on work. Lance has all but threatened to throw me under the bus if I don’t sign Sophia.”
“Asshole.”
Tell me about it. Normally, I’m relentless in pursuing new talent. But I know spending more time with Wyatt and Sophia has changed how I’m approaching everything. I don’t feel a sense of urgency because I want her to find her perfect match. I think that is me, but I need to know she believes that, too, regardless of how well we get along or if I have history with her brother.
“You heard TWA is laying off like three percent of staff in prep for this merger,” Jess says, interrupting my wandering mind.
“I mean, I heard that there were some financial things that needed to be cleaned up. I was part of the early meetings, but it sounded like it was more around systems and processes. I didn’t think we would impact actual people. At least not yet.”
“Word is there’s a list. Apparently, everyone working on the merger is now under an NDA, so I couldn’t get a lot of details, but it doesn’t sound great.”
“Another reason I should stay away from Wyatt. He’s deeply embedded in all that work, and I’m sure that would piss Lance off. I just need to focus on signing talent, selling projects, and staying alert around here.”
I knew something didn’t feel right when Lance asked me to attend the meetings early on and then abruptly shut me out. I can’t believe I didn’t question it more.
“Ok, but I’m just going to say one thing. You are the total package: gorgeous, smart, talented, funny, kind, and generous. Don’t get into your head about if the relationship will work. Protect your heart, but don’t close it off.”
I hear what she’s saying, and logically, I know it’s all true, but it’s hard to trust my judgment when it comes to relationships. My heart was open with Wyatt and even Billy, but it still fell apart.
“Thanks, Jess, but I don’t have the best track record.”
“Blair, I love you, but you drive me crazy with this perfection thing. There is no perfect fairy tale.”
“Annie and Sam.”
“That doesn’t count. They’re the only couple in the world we know who met as teenagers, married, and still like each other.”
“Nathan and Haley.”
“Who? I don’t know them.”
“Daphne and Simon.”
“I… Who?”
“Luke and Lorelai.”
“Wait, are you just listing TV couples now?”
“Cory and Topanga. Joey and Pacey. Seth and Summer?—”
“Stop. I think I’ve figured out your problem. I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out earlier. All this Hollywood storytelling has your brain warped.”
“These stories come from somewhere!” I shout.
I know I sound like a crazy, delusional woman. I also know that a Hollywood rom-com isn’t real life, but sometimes, I wish it could be.
Jess sighs, and I can tell she’s hit her limit with me. She’s the best friend anyone could have, but she also shuts shit down when it goes off the rails and she’s made her point. Now I’m just annoying her and wasting her time.
“I love you, sweetie. You don’t have to decide anything today, but maybe don’t shut the door on anything just yet, either. I gotta run, but drinks later?”
“Yeah, I’ll text you later. Love you.”
“Love you, babe.”
I hang up and replay the night in my head. When I think back to our conversation and that kiss, I can’t help the smile that creeps onto my face. It’s the blonde woman putting her lips on him that sends me into a rage.
I shake the memory from my head and wake up my computer to work. Then I see an email from Wyatt.
TO: Blair Bennett
FROM: Wyatt Bradford
Subj: Second chance?
Hi,
Was hoping I could get a do-over of the ending of our date last night. Can I take you to the Dodgers game tonight?
Please say yes,
Wyatt
I lean back and put my hands over my face because I’m terrified of what this could do to my heart, but I want to see him again. The idea of holding hands with him as we walk through the stadium sets off butterflies in my stomach. I hate how my mind is fighting my heart for the rights to my feelings.
TO: Wyatt Bradford
FROM: Blair Bennett
Subj: RE: Second chance?
I’m only saying yes to the baseball game. All the rest is TBD.
Pick me up at my house.
Cautiously,
Blair
His reply is immediate.
TO: Blair Bennett
FROM: Wyatt Bradford
Subj: RE: RE: Second chance?
I’ll take what I can get. All I need is time for the rest.
Hopefully yours,
Wyatt
I lean back in my chair and zone out, thinking about what I might wear tonight. I can see the wall of TVs from the other windows in my office. It has a clear view of Lance’s office. Movement catches my eye as he walks through his door, and I jump up with every intention of confronting him about layoffs.
As I race across the open space between our offices, I force myself to take a deep breath and calm down a bit. I need to stay professional. Lance isn’t a guy who likes to be challenged, and I’ve seen him ruin people for less while shining his smile of perfectly white veneers.
“Hey, Blair,” he says when I enter his office. “What has you in on the weekend?”
“Hey, Lance. Just catching up on a few things for next week.”
“I hope this means you’ve signed Sophia.”
“Close.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
“How are the merger meetings going?” I grab a mint off his coffee table in an effort to seem uninvested in his answer.
“Everything is going as planned,” he says. “You should get on out of here and try to enjoy what’s left of your weekend.” His dismissal is obvious and direct. He couldn’t even look me in the eye as he sidestepped my question, which tells me nothing is going as originally planned.