“Hey, how did the dinner with your dad go on Friday night? You never said?” I asked when I realized that we’d been so caught up talking about Cal and the shop that night that I’d never asked her.
Sasha sighed deeply and said, “The way it usually goes. He talked about work, how annoying my mother is, and told me to move with him to Florence …”
“Why does he even still talk to your mother? They’ve been divorced for years.” I’d met her father a few times over the years. I wasn’t a big fan. He wasn’t a douche or anything, just a self-obsessed man who didn’t realize how wonderful his daughter is. He got on my damn nerves.
“I don’t know, he’s a glutton for punishment I guess. Anyway, he talked about his job and I listened. I did have a nice gorgonzola and pear salad with a nice glass of Merlot, so it wasn’t all bad.”
“Argh, that sounds terrible.” Sasha laughed, so my attempt to lighten the mood a bit worked.
“Can you believe Shelly and Cal are having a baby?” Sasha asked, apparently ready to move on to a new topic.
“Yeah, it’s cool. They’ve wanted kids for a while, so it’s no surprise, I guess the timing’s the only thing that worries me. I hope they’ve truly put everything in the past.”
“I think they have. I don’t think Shelly would have agreed to take him back if she hadn’t totally forgiven Cal, and I know they’ll be great parents. I can’t wait to be an auntie,” Shelly gushed happily. She had brought her finger up and was swirling it around my stomach absently. I loved when she did that; it was like she always wanted to have her hands on me.
“I’m sure you’re going to spoil that kid rotten,” I said with a laugh as I imagined Sasha using this baby as an excuse to go shopping.
“You bet I am,” Sasha replied gleefully. “He or she is going to be the best dressed baby in town. I wonder if I can find one of those huge stuffed giraffes, I’ve always wanted to buy one of those.”
I shifted a bit, since my arm was starting to go numb, but the feel of Sasha’s body tucked into mine felt great.
“So do you still think that you don’t want to have kids?” I asked softly. We’d had this discussion before, a few times over the years, usually when alcohol was involved, and Sasha and I were the only two in the group who’d always said we never wanted to have kids. It was one of the only things we’d ever been on the same page about.
It seemed funny that for the past eight years we’d spent most of our time arguing, at odds over something or other, but now … now that we’d spent a great amount of time with just the two of us, and without the bullshit, it seemed like we were on the same level on most things.
“I don’t think … I know that I don’t want to have kids. That’s not going to change for me. Has it changed for you?” she challenged.
“No, Red, it’s not going to change for me either.”
We both laid there quietly after that, rock music playing softly in the background as Sasha’s fingers ran gently over my skin, both of us lost in thought about the things that had made us who we were in that moment.
Chapter 20 – Sasha
“So, you enjoyed your date with Brock. Do you guys have another one planned?” I asked Gaby. We were sitting outside having coffee after our lunch break before returning to work. It was one of those beautiful days where you just had to take a minute to sit outside and enjoy the feel of the sunshine on your skin.
“I really did enjoy it,” Gaby admitted, her face somewhat surprised. “He’s more than I thought he was.”
“What do you mean, more?”
“Well, like I mentioned at dinner, he was really cool about having to pick up Gwen, and then including her on our date. He’s the oldest of three boys, and I guess he’s really close to his brothers. He was really sweet with her. I already knew that he owned his own painting business, but did you know that he also plays guitar? He talked about it with Gwen. It totally took me by surprise, I don’t know why. He’s just this big overwhelming guy, with the muscles and the beard, and I guess I wasn’t expecting him to have this softer side,” Gaby explained.
“You really like him,” I guessed from the happy little smile.
Gaby looked at me and her smile bloomed. “Yeah, I guess I do. We’re supposed to go out again some time next week.”
“Did you tell him about Scott?” I asked. “Scott was acting really weird at dinner, I’m sure Brock noticed.”
Gaby nodded. “Yeah, Scott was acting like a jerk. I’m not sure what his problem is with Brock, but I plan to talk to him about it., It was totally uncalled for. Brock asked if Scott and I used to be an item, and I explained that we had a brief hook-up back in high school, but had never dated, and had only ever been friends. I told him that Scott’s just stressed out over his wedding, so that’s probably why he was acting crazy.” Gaby turned to me, concerned. “I don’t know though, Sasha, Scott seems to be changing. He’s more sullen and always seems to be in a bad mood. I really think that this pending marriage to Victoria is tearing him apart. I think he knows, on some level, that he doesn’t want to marry her, but he’s afraid to not only hurt her, but to make a decision that will change his plans so completely. Plus … his parents would be really pissed at him. I know I mentioned before that I wanted to break them up, but that was for purely selfish reasons. Now, I think we need to talk some sense into him before he ruins his life. Like, hold an intervention or something. What do you think?”
I thought about everything she said, and I had to agree, Scott was not himself. I’d heard that weddings should be stressful, but I was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to turn you into an ogre and make you completely miserable. I figured Gaby was probably right, and Scott was in so deep with Victoria that he didn’t know how to get out
“I think it’s a great idea. We should talk to the others and get their take, then we can plan it out. I hate seeing Scott like this, and although he may hate us for it initially, I think he’d thank us in the long run,” I agree, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “It’ll probably be really hard though.”
Gaby nodded slowly. “I know, but I really think it’s in his best interest. Anyway.” Gaby shook her shoulders as if shaking off the sadness. “Let’s talk about something happier, like the baby shower.”
I laughed at Gaby’s words. “Baby shower? Shelly just found out she’s pregnant, we have at least seven months or something before it’ll be time to have a baby shower.”
“That gives us plenty of time to plan something wonderful,” Gaby gushed.
We talked about our vision for Shelly’s baby shower for a few more minutes, then went our separate ways and headed back to work.
I went to one of my new listings to take pictures for my website and thought about my day at the beach with TJ. The more time we spent together, the less I wanted our pseudo relationship to end at the end of the week. We were great together, and I’d never felt so connected to a man in my life. I wondered if we’d be able to have a real, lasting relationship and make it work.
I loved everything about him. His strength, his loyalty, his perseverance, and his tenacity. It didn’t hurt that he was also sweet, gorgeous, talented, and sexy as hell. He was the whole package. At least, everything that would make a perfect package for me … And it terrified me. What if I put myself out there, asked him to take a chance on me, and he said no. After all, we’d both agreed to a short-term fling. Sex with no strings attached. What if he didn’t feel the same way that I did?
I had to think long and hard about what I wanted to do. There were only a few days left before he was supposed to move out, and things were supposed to go back to the way they were. I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle going back to being just TJ’s friend. The person that he liked to tease and verbally spar with, and not the person he went home to at night.
I was finishing up at the house when my phone signaled that I’d received a text.
Hey, Red. I’m going to head over to Scott’s tonight to play some cards and talk it out wi
th Cal. I’ll be home late, TJ.
I tried to ignore the disappointment and tell myself that a night alone would do me some good. After all, I needed to get used to spending my nights alone again.
I argued with myself all the way to the grocery store, where I picked up a bottle of wine, a premade salad, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
Should I tell him, should I not tell him?
Should I let him go, or beg him to stay?
Should I take a chance on happiness, when it could also mean the loss of one of my best friends?
By the time I arrived home I was mentally exhausted. This was the exact reason why we’d agreed to call it quits if one of us got too involved, and if I was being totally honest with TJ, I should probably tell him what I was feeling. But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to take the chance that he would walk away now, and I wouldn’t get to spend the next few days with him.
So, I decided to keep my mouth shut and see what happened.
After I changed in to my comfy clothes, I brought my salad and wine to the living room and decided a little John Hughes was in order. I scrolled through my titles, pulled out Some Kind of Wonderful, and made myself comfortable.
Chapter 21 – TJ
“How are you doing, man? You’ve seemed a little off the last few times I’ve seen you,” I asked Scott as I watched him pour a glass of whiskey.
Scott paused in his pouring, looking out over his kitchen as if lost in thought, then he put the bottle down and ran his hand over his face, bracing himself on the counter.
“I don’t know, TJ,” he answered, his voice low and gruff. “I’ve been feeling off. I don’t know if it’s the wedding, or Victoria, or this shit with Gaby suddenly resurfacing and everyone hearing about it, but it seems like every little thing sets me off. Maybe I need to get away for a little while.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It might do you some good to take a step back from everything and give yourself some time to think. Some time to relax.”
He was really starting to worry me, and I couldn’t help but wonder, if he was getting this stressed over the thought of marrying Victoria, what was the reality of that going to look like? I was afraid that he was going to be miserable, but Cal and I had already told him our feelings about his marrying Victoria once, and he’d ended up staying with her. I didn’t want to alienate him by pushing too hard.
“What’s the deal with you and Sasha?” he asked, turning to look at me and trying to take the heat off of himself.
“Well … when I started living with her, we both decided to come clean about our attraction to each other. It was easy to ignore it over the last few years, but near impossible to do so when we were living under the same roof. We agreed to have an exclusive, sexual relationship while I live there, no strings attached, and then go back to being just friends when I move out.” When I said it out loud, it sounded pretty stupid, and when I saw the look on Scott’s face, I could see he agreed.
“An exclusive, sexual relationship. No strings attached,” Scott repeated dryly.
“Yup,” I replied lamely.
“That’s kind of hard to do when you guys already have strings attached.” Yup, he definitely thought it was stupid.
“Look, it’s been great. The sex is out-of-this-world fantastic, and Sasha and I get along great when we aren’t teasing and fucking with each other all of the time.”
“I can see that,” Scott allowed. “I could also see that you guys looked pretty great together at dinner the other night. You make each other laugh and can’t keep your hands off of each other. So much so, that you snuck off to have sex at the restaurant knowing that we all knew what you were doing.”
I shrugged guiltily, picking up the whiskey he’d had yet to touch and taking a good swallow.
“It sounds pretty fucking great, TJ,” Scott said a bit angrily. “Why blow it off at the end of the week? Why not see where it goes?”
“Because we both agreed that we were going to end it, and that if either of us got too serious, we’d let the other one know about it,” I argued lamely.
“Who cares what you agreed on? How do you feel about her?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but was saved from doing so when Cal and his brother Craig shouted out that they’d arrived.
“Think about it,” Scott shot at me before turning to go out and meet them.
I was still standing there, whiskey in hand and thinking about it, when Cal walked up behind me and clapped his hand on my shoulder.
“Brother,” Cal began, holding up his hand to stop me when I opened my mouth to speak. “Hear me out.” I nodded and kept my mouth shut. “It was never my intention to make you feel like I was cutting you out of anything. I know you, man, and I know that you need stability. I know how hard these past few weeks have been for you, what with the shop shutting down and you losing your place, so my plan was to come to you with a finalized plan. To make you feel more secure, and see that it wasn’t just a dream, but a plan that I am actually putting in to action. I didn’t keep you out of the decision-making process because I didn’t want you to be a part of it, or to make you feel like I didn’t think you were good enough. I wanted to present you with the finished product. I wanted you to see that we could do this … together. We can open a shop, run a business, do what we love … And not have to depend on someone else to be the boss. I wanted to give you something that you can be proud of, and that will give you control over your life. But in the end, I was so excited to tell you that I fucked up the delivery, and ended up making you feel left out, and like I didn’t need you to make this happen. But I do need you, TJ, you’re the talent. Without you, this shop doesn’t work, and I hope I didn’t fuck it up too much, because I need you, brother. And together, with Scott and Sasha, the bank, and our existing clients, I know that we can build this shop into something that we can both be proud of.”
I felt all the last shreds of doubt and hurt leave me with each word that came out of Cal’s mouth. I pulled him into a hug, and prayed to God that I wouldn’t embarrass myself and start blubbering.
“Thanks, man.” I pulled away and pretended not to notice that his eyes were looking a little misty. “I should’ve given you a chance to lay it all out before I overreacted. I was taken by surprise, but I shouldn’t have walked out. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and I can’t wait to hear more about the shop. You know I’m in.”
“If you two are done crying like a couple of women, we’re ready to start playing cards in here,” this was yelled out by Cal’s little brother Craig, who was the spitting image Cal in high school, with his dark hair and eyes, and handsome, friendly face. He was becoming a regular at our poker games.
“I think he’s been hanging out with you too much,” Cal said to me with a chuckle. I laughed in agreement.
“Nah, it’s good for him,” I responded, clapping Cal on the shoulder as we walked out of the kitchen. “I’ll teach him not to take shit from anyone, and how to treat the ladies.” The last I said with a wink for Craig, who laughed happily.
“Yeah,” Cal said sarcastically. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
It was a good night. Hanging with the guys, playing cards, and bullshitting. A few of my favorite things. I was happy that Cal and I had cleared the air and everything was back on track, and I was excited at the prospect of opening a shop with my friends and being able to focus on restoration. If we could make it work, it would be a dream come true.
Later, I let myself into Sasha’s place, and was surprised to find her crying on the couch.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, chuckling when she jumped at the sound of my voice. She was so engrossed in the movie, she must not have heard me come in.
“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled, trying to covertly wipe at her eyes and nose. “Just caught up in the movie.”
I looked at the screen. “Ah, classic! I love this flick. I crushed on Watts so hard when I was younger, and, of course, being a guy who tinkered with cars and came from
the wrong side of the tracks, Keith was a character that I was totally in tune with.”
Sasha looked at me, tears still escaping and running down her cheeks.
“I was always more the Amanda Jones type,” she said, her voice sad.
I sat down next to her and grinned, “Yeah, I can see that.”
Then she surprised me when she started crying harder and sobbed, “I don’t understand why he doesn’t pick her. H-he’s going after her through the whole movie, being so s-sweet and stuff, and then when she finally see’s how wonderful he is, he leaves.”
I pulled her to me and held her while she cried. I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that she’d relate to Amanda’s character, going so far as to seeing herself in that role. I’d never thought of it that way.
“I’ve always looked at it as Keith realizing that Watts had always loved him for who he was, and didn’t need convincing. Plus, she was his best friend. I mean, how great is that, for a girl not only to get you, but to love you just the way you are.”
I tilted Sasha’s chin up and lowered my head to kiss her softly on the lips. “I think you’ve got a little Watts in you, as well as Amanda, and that’s a pretty amazing combination.”
When Sasha gave me a watery smile, I began to wonder if we were heading in a dangerous direction, and how either of us was going to come out of this experiment without getting hurt.
Chapter 22 – Sasha
TJ’d asked me to meet him at the rental that Brock had told him about, said he wanted my expert opinion. So, it was with a surprisingly heavy heart that I was walking around a sweet little one-bedroom unit over the owners’ garage. The walls were freshly painted, and the furniture was well used, but clean. The kitchen was small, but perfect for one person. With the counter overlooking the living room, which led to a small bedroom with an adjacent bathroom, it would be easy to maintain. A perfect bachelor pad.
21 Days Page 10
