by Hazel Kelly
“Why did you quit?” she asked. “I didn’t even know you were thinking about it, and the Fujama project was going so well.”
“I know. And I should’ve discussed it with you, but I didn’t want you to freak out…or tell me not to.”
“Well, of course I would’ve told you not to! I liked working with you.”
“I liked working with you, too.”
“So what gives?”
I stalled for a second.
“Tell me the truth.”
I exhaled. “Promise you won’t freak out?”
“No.”
“Fair enough.”
She craned her neck forward. “Well?”
“The truth is, it doesn’t matter how much we enjoy working together because Dick doesn’t enjoy us working together.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning he was going to get rid of one of us no matter what.”
She furrowed her brow. “Please don’t tell me you quit so he wouldn’t fire me.”
I kept my mouth shut.
“Landon! Why the heck would you do that? You were two months from a promotion!”
“Nothing was guaranteed.”
“Still! I’m disgusted that he would put you in that position. Way too disgusted to keep working for him.”
“I was hoping you’d feel that way.”
Her eyes searched mine. “You think I should quit, too?”
“Not yet. Not until you’ve completed the deliverables for the Fujama campaign.”
“Then what?”
“Then I want you to come work with me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Come work with you where?”
“At the company I’m in the process of setting up.”
“What?”
“We’ll have our own agency,” I said. “It’ll be tough in the beginning, but I really believe that together we can make it a success.”
“You think we should go out on our own? Just like that? I only graduated in May.”
“Doesn’t matter. You learn fast, you hate your current boss, and by the time you finish the Fujama campaign, you’ll have more than enough experience and confidence to land clients on your own. Especially with my help.”
“You’re serious?”
“I’m so serious I’ve already spoken with a lawyer and found an office space.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not much, and it’s in one of those shared spaces where the other people using the coffee machine are in different businesses, but it’ll do for now.”
She blinked at me.
“What do you say?”
“I say you’re out of your mind.”
I smiled.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Because you didn’t say no.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say yes either.”
“Why the hesitation?”
“I’m flattered you want me to work for you.”
“With me,” I corrected. “As my business partner.”
She swallowed. “You’re only saying that because you’re assuming I’ll be able to pull off the Fujama project.”
“Of course I’m assuming that. Surely your productivity is way up without me around trying to finger you against the copy machine every day?”
She blushed.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that I don’t know whether I should wring your neck or kiss you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do I get a vote?”
She sighed.
“Look, Margot. I know I can do this on my own. It’s something I always knew I’d do eventually, but I don’t want to do it alone. I want to do it with you.”
She pursed her lips.
“I want to do everything with you from now on, if you must know.”
“I want that, too.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but that’s only going to be possible if you don’t wring my neck.”
She considered the comment. “Good point.”
“Though you still might.”
“Why? What else are you hiding?”
“You.”
“What?”
“I’ve been hiding you,” I said. “From Matt.”
“You think we should tell him soon?”
I nodded. “Yeah. The sooner the better.”
“When did you have in mind?”
“The weekend after next. I already promised him.”
“Promised him what?”
I fixed my eyes on hers. “That he could finally meet the love of my life.”
F O R T Y S E V E N
- Margot -
My palms were wet with sweat. It was silly really. Logically, I knew that.
I mean, what was the worst that could happen? Matt was hardly going to disown me.
Still, there was no way to predict how he would react to the news. After all, his blindsiding wasn’t going to be limited to the fact that Landon and I were together now.
He was also about to be struck by the reality that I was all grown up and ready for someone else to be my most trusted ally, my partner in crime, my future.
And I didn’t know if he was ready for that. Based on how he’d treated boyfriends of mine in the past, it was safe to say even my dad was further along in that regard than he was.
I pushed the counterproductive thoughts from my mind and tried to entertain the possibility that he might understand. It could happen. Maybe as a newly married man, he would be happy for us. Maybe breaking the news would be a cinch and the awkwardness would be over in minutes.
Dear God, let the awkwardness be fleeting.
I took a deep breath and pushed open the door to Margarita’s, hoping I’d waited long enough to ensure Matt was already enjoying a healthy buzz. The place was packed, so it took me longer than normal to weave through the bar area at the front, but when I reached the back section, I spotted them right away. There was a half-empty plate of nachos between them beside a pitcher of margaritas that was almost empty.
Matt was the first to see me coming, and his eyes lit up when he saw me, putting me instantly at ease.
“Margot!” he said, standing to give me a hug. “What a nice surprise!”
“Is it?” I asked, hoping the jovial noise around us would hide the desperation in my voice.
“Of course,” he said. “It’s always great to see you, and you’re just in time to meet Maggie.”
“Maggie?” I furrowed my brow. “Who’s Maggie?” I glanced at Landon.
He cleared his throat and stood up, his eyes reassuring me. “You’re Maggie,” he said, setting a hand on my lower back.
“Oh.”
“What?” Matt asked, his pupils dilating.
“Margot is Maggie,” Landon explained again.
I cocked my head. “I’m confused.”
“Me, too,” Matt said, focusing on Landon. “You better start making some sense.”
“There is no Maggie,” Landon said to him, his voice steady. “There’s only Margot. She’s the one.”
A wave of happiness crashed through me.
Matt leaned his neck forward like he expected Landon to keep going. “She’s what?”
“She’s the woman I’ve been seeing. She’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Matt raised his palms between them. “Are you trying to tell me—” His eyes bounced off me and back to Landon as he struggled to sync up his thoughts and words. “Have you guys been— Did you—”
Landon raised his eyebrows.
Matt’s face fell right before his fist flew through the air. By the time I realized what was happening, I’d already heard the crack of his hand against Landon’s cheek.
“What the fuck, Matt?!!” I rushed to help Landon, who’d stumbled backwards over his chair and fallen to the ground. “Are you okay?”
He blinked slowly and rubbed his cheek.
I looked over my shoulder at Matt. “What the hel
l is wrong with you?!”
“Me?! What the hell is wrong with you? You’re the one playing house with my best friend.”
“We aren’t playing,” I said. “Playing is what we’ve been doing for the last fifteen years.” I grabbed the fallen chair and set it back up.
Matt rubbed his fist.
Landon rose to his feet as a large security guard approached our table. “Is everything okay over here?”
Landon nodded. “I had it coming. It won’t happen again.”
“Fucking right it won’t,” Matt said, looking more pissed since he threw the punch.
I couldn’t help but feel they were talking about entirely different things.
“I’ll go get you a glass,” Landon said to me, leaving to give Matt a chance to cool down.
“I didn’t think you’d take it quite that bad,” I said, pulling up a chair and trying to hide the fact that all I wanted to do was fawn over Landon and make sure he was okay.
“He was supposed to be looking out for you,” Matt said. “Not trying to get in your pants.”
“It’s not like that.”
He raised his brows. “No?”
I shook my head.
“Enlighten me, then. What’s it like?”
I knew I needed to choose my words carefully, but that was going to be difficult since my preferred way of describing our relationship involved colorful metaphors best suited to a background of rainbows and cheerful pop music.
“Start talking.” He drained the last of his margarita.
“I’ve been throwing myself at him since I was sixteen.”
Matt choked just enough to make his eyes water.
“And I had a massive crush on him before that. For years. He’s been my favorite person for as long as I can remember.”
Matt clenched his jaw.
“And despite the fact that he never did anything but discourage my advances, I refused to give up hope that he might want me back someday.” I could see the hurt in Matt’s eyes, but I had no intention of stopping when I had his attention. “So if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. Because I’m the one who wouldn’t let it go. I’m the one who would never take no for an answer.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to believe whatever you want. I just hope whatever that is, it’s something that helps you make sense of the fact that Landon and I are solid and our relationship deserves your respect.”
“Respect is a two-way street, Margot.”
“Don’t spew clichés at me like a bitter old man. Don’t you think we deserve the happiness you’ve found with Kelsey?”
“Leave her out of this.”
“I bet she’d be happy for us,” I said. “I bet she’d realize right away how lucky it is that two people she cares so much for have found something wonderful in each other.”
“Yeah, well, Landon never looked her in the eye and promised to always look out for you.”
“That’s what he’s been doing! That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’ve never been happier. If anything, he’s over delivering on the promises he’s made you in the past.”
“You’ve never been happier?”
“Never.”
He sighed.
“The only thing that could possibly make me any happier than I am now would be if you could be happy for me. For us.”
Matt hung his head and rubbed his eyes with one hand.
The silence between us was heavy compared to the gaiety around us.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m just trying to figure out if anything he’s told me the past six months is even true.”
“I understand.”
“Did he really quit his job?”
I nodded. “He did, yeah.”
“And was it actually because you wanted him to?”
“No, of course not. I had no idea he was going to quit.”
He narrowed his gaze. “So why—?”
“Our boss found out we were seeing each other.”
“So everyone in New York knew but me?”
I rolled my eyes. “He quit his job to save mine.”
“Why would he jeopardize his—?”
“Because he loves me, Matt. Because he’s in love with me.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“More times than I can count,” I said. “And he’s shown me, too, in so many wa—”
He raised a hand between us like he wanted me to stop there.
“I’m sure he was about to tell you that before you clocked him like an animal.”
“He deserved it.”
“Then so do I.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
Landon returned with a glass for me, sat down, and moved his chair back so he was out of Matt’s reach.
Right when I began to think the awkwardness of them staring at each other would kill me, the waitress arrived with another pitcher of iced margaritas.
We all nodded at her as if nothing was wrong, as if our whole dynamic wasn’t being juggled in the air while we sat around waiting for the pieces to fall.
“So,” Landon said.
“So,” Matt said.
It took all my self-control not to pile on with another so, but there was a western showdown vibe going on between them, and I was afraid to drop a pin, much less make a joke.
I leaned forward and poured three glasses while they kept stewing, but, eventually, I couldn’t handle it anymore. “I’d like to propose a toast.”
They each raised an eyebrow in my direction.
“To forgiveness,” I said, raising my glass. “Whether you need it because you just punched your best friend in the face or because you fell in love with his little sister. Here’s to forgiveness and its power to help us all move on.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Landon said, clinking my glass.
“My fear is that you want more than my forgiveness,” Matt said to Landon.
“I don’t want anything besides your friendship,” he said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”
“Bullshit,” Matt said, sliding his glass nearer. “You want my blessing.”
“You’re right,” Landon said. “I do. I want that. Not just for me but for Margot, too, because there’s no one whose opinion we both value more in this world.”
Matt squeezed his jaw in one hand.
“But I don’t need it,” Landon continued. “I can keep loving her without your permission.”
Matt lifted his eyes.
“I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.”
I pressed my lips together, reached for Landon’s hand where it was resting on the table, and gave it a hard squeeze.
“Don’t do that,” Matt said. “Don’t make me feel like the third wheel. That’s not fair.”
I pulled my hand back.
Matt folded his arms. “Go home, Margot.”
I leaned back. “What?”
“I said go home.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, right. How do I know you’re not going to haul off and hit him again if I leave?”
“You don’t,” Matt said. “Neither does he. But until I sort the truth from the lies I’ve been told…”
I waited for him to finish, but he didn’t.
“Go on,” Landon said, nodding at me. “I’ll call you later.”
Matt looked torn between being grateful that Landon had backed him up and hating that he said he’d call.
I pointed my finger at Matt’s grumpy face. “Promise me you won’t harm a single hair on his head.”
“Why?” he asked, glaring at me. “’Cause you love them all?”
“Yeah.” My eyes watered. “I do.”
Something in Matt’s face softened, and I clung to the hope it gave me as I took one last sip and scooted my chair back. “Thank you in advance,” I said as I stood up. “For sorting this out and making me the happiest woman on Earth.”
“Would you go already?” Matt asked.
Landon’s eyes smiled at me.
I prayed they’d still be smiling later.
F O R T Y E I G H T
- Landon -
Matt didn’t say anything for a good ten minutes after Margot left, choosing instead to spend his time glowering into his bright green drink. Presumably, he was deep in thought, but we probably looked like one of those old married couples who’ve run out of things to say to each other.
But we did have to talk, and I sensed that he knew that based on the fact that he sent Margot home. So even though it was uncomfortable to sit there while he stewed in a bar surrounded by jolly revelers, it still felt like progress.
In his own way, he was trying to come around. I just wished I knew what he was thinking so I could attempt to ease his concerns. After all, not only did I not want to let Margot down, but I knew Matt’s state of mind when we parted would undoubtedly influence his parents’ reaction to the news.
“I’m sorry I punched you,” he said finally, lifting his eyes to mine and leaning back in his chair.
“It’s no big deal. I’ve dated girls who hit harder than that.”
He scowled at me like he was offended, concealing whether he appreciated my effort to lighten the mood.
“Seriously, though,” I said, not wanting our standoff to last all night. “If you have to punch me in the face every time you see me from now on—if that’s what it takes for you accept this—I still want to be with her.”
“Don’t be stupid. It didn’t even feel good to hit you the first time.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I thought it would,” he said with a disappointed shrug. “But no cigar.”
“Speaking of cigars, Ben’s willing to throw in some Cubans if Chuck wants to have his bachelor party at Club Abbott.”
His eyebrows lifted for a split second before he remembered he was mad. “Don’t change the subject.”
I raised my palms in surrender. “I just didn’t want to forget to mention I talked to him.”
“How real is this for you?” he asked, tilting his head and studying my face. “Because I can tell it’s real for Margot. I could see in her eyes that she’s past reasoning with.”
Jeez. Is that what he wanted? To reason this away? “It couldn’t be more real.”
“She told me she’s never been happier. Is it the same for you?”
“I don’t know if it’s the same.”
