The Boyfriend Bylaws (Totally Fit)

by Susan Hatler

  I flinched as Kaitlin bent toward me, then felt guilty when she appeared to want to hug me, then rolled my eyes when she reached past me and retrieved her veil, dusting it off. “I’ll be right back,” she said.

  I should’ve known better. The only person Kaitlin thought about was herself. It’s not like I’d wanted a hug anyway, so why did it bother me when she hurried off toward the restroom to put her veil back on—leaving me sprawled out on a barroom floor. This was Matt’s fault. I frowned at him. “What are you doing here?”

  Matt reached out a hand to help me up. “I’m here with Steve and Erica. They wanted to take me out for drinks since today was my last day.”

  I brushed his hand away, pushed myself to my feet, then rubbed my hip, which was sure to have a large bruise in the morning. “So you just happened to come to The Oasis after I just happened to say Nick and I would be here?”

  He shrugged, not looking the least bit apologetic. “You invited me, remember? Plus, it’s a public place. You don’t own it.”

  I took a step closer to Matt, who looked amazingly hot in slacks and a collared shirt. Major improvement from the sweats he wore to work at Totally Fit—well, when he used to work there. My heart sank, and I lifted my eyes from his chest to his face and squinted at him. “You didn’t tell me today was your last day. It was supposed to be next Friday.”

  “Change of plans.” Matt drained his beer bottle, then reach for my hand. “Let’s dance.”

  After a year of flirting, he’d spent the last week avoiding my touch as if I had an easily transmitted skin condition. Feeling his hand around mine brought tears to my eyes. “I c-can’t. I’m here on a date.”

  He squeezed my hand, let go, then made a big point of looking around the club in a three-hundred and sixty degree turn. “Funny. I don’t see Nick anywhere. One dance.”

  It was a fast song, so what harm could there be? Feeling nervous in every cell of my body, I followed him to the dance floor, where we pushed our way through gyrating bodies, right to the center. He turned around and faced me.

  I lost my breath.

  Then he smiled and started dancing.

  With a range of emotions shooting through me, I decided to concentrate on what I knew best—dancing. Moving to the beat, I felt my body take over even though my mind kept slipping back to the fact that this guy moving in front of me, dancing in the sexiest way, was Matt. I swung my shoulders in time with the music while simultaneously unable to stop staring at him.

  Somehow the first song slipped into the next, then the next, and soon I was lost in the world of dancing—a place where I’d always been able to escape the reality of my life. The music flowed through me, creating a safe place from pain. Somehow, right now, Matt had slipped into that world.

  The music died down, then switched into a slow beat. Matt took a step toward me.

  I bit my lip, but didn’t pull away when his arms went around me slowly, one and then the other. His chin rested on the side of my head and I closed my eyes as we swayed with the song.

  Feeling a hum by my ear, I tilted my head up slightly and realized he was singing. Chills ran through me with each word about loss, regret, and love slipping away.

  The song ended way too soon. I stood there, feeling his hands on my lower back, my hands sliding down his biceps. Fear swept over me, and my stomach knotted. “I should get back to Kaitlin.”

  I hurried away toward the group of tipsy girls surrounding my stepsister with a long, white veil draping perfectly over her red hair.

  Kaitlin’s eyes flipped to mine. “Who was that?”

  She looked up at me with wide eyes, curious and…trusting. Something inside me flipped and I couldn’t stand not knowing a second longer. I pulled her aside from the girls to a few empty chairs by the windows. “Paul DeWitt is my ex.”

  “Huh?” Kaitlin lowered her chin, blinking, as if waiting for the punch line.

  I’d been right. She hadn’t known. “We went out for several months, and six weeks ago, he broke it off with me.” I hated to do this to her, but she had to know before she married him.

  “Did you say I’m engaged to your ex?” Kaitlin leaned closer, put a hand to her belly, then pointed at me. “You’re my maid of honor. Don’t you think you should’ve mentioned this sooner?”

  “I thought you knew…” My heart pounded like a drum against my ribcage. She was turning this around on me? Kaitlin had taken everything from me for ten years, including Paul. And she had the nerve to be mad at me?

  “Who said I wanted to be your maid of honor anyway?” I blurted, years of frustration coursing through me. “I don’t even know why you asked me when you have a gazillion real friends.”

  She jerked backward as if she’d been slapped, then put a hand over her chest. “I asked you because you’re my sister.”

  “Stepsister,” I corrected. I didn’t care that she’d be angry. Everything was always about Kaitlin, Kaitlin, Kaitlin!

  Instead of anger, I watched as her eyes filled with tears, then her face crumpled as she sobbed. Her shoulders shook and she put a hand over her mouth.

  I stared, shocked at her reaction. Where was the anger? The demand for attention?

  Instead, Kaitlin stood gasping for breath, tears pouring down her face.

  Feeling horrible, my own eyes burned. “I’m so sorry, Kaitlin. I didn’t mean it.…”

  “What’s going on here?”

  Great. Now, Nick chose to show up.

  ****

  I’d offered to give Kaitlin a ride home, but instead she went with her mob of sorority sisters. I wondered if she was going to confront Paul. I wondered why I cared.

  I’d thrown the worst Bachelorette party ever. Worse than that, I’d hurt Kaitlin. Even if she was just my stepsister, she was the only sister I had.

  “Elliott Wittle and I scheduled a lunch for next week.” Nick chatted, apparently unaware that I’d destroyed what was supposed to be one of the happiest nights in my stepsister’s life. “He’s interested in expanding The Oasis to southern California. I have an ideal location in mind.”

  “Great,” I said, flatly. I’d gone from the worst bachelorette party to the worst date. Could the guy ever talk about anything else besides work?

  “Isn’t that…Steve?” He pointed to the dance floor where Steve, Erica, and Matt were dancing and laughing.

  My entire body tensed when Erica, who’d been leaning toward Matt, glanced up at me. I hadn’t spoken to her all week and certainly didn’t want to start now. I looked away.

  Nick squeezed my shoulder and nudged me forward. “Let’s go dance.”

  “No, thanks.” I leaned back, breaking his grasp as he stood up. “You go ahead.”

  And he did. I didn’t even care. It made me ache to watch my friends having fun without me. I realized how much things had changed recently. After two years of what I thought was a fun friendship, Erica and I were no longer speaking. She had lied to me, but believing her had been my fault.

  I just wanted to go home. As I stood up, Nick glanced my way and I made a gesture that I was heading out.

  Hurrying out the door, the cool evening air washed over me, but it was only two blocks to my car so it didn’t matter that I hadn’t brought a jacket. I unlocked Betty and was about to slip inside when I saw Matt coming up the sidewalk toward me.

  “What happened to your date?” he said.

  I shrugged, wondering why he’d followed me out here. “It wasn’t much of a date, but it’s over.”

  “Does this mean you’re single again?”

  My heart started pounding and I leaned back against Betty, still holding myself from the cold. “I wasn’t not single.”

  He came up beside me and leaned against Betty next to me. “Erica told me what she’d said to you.”

  My head whipped toward him. “What?”

  His eyes were serious. “Last year, after she and I had gone out a couple times, she said she told you I was a player.”

  “She told you that?�
��

  “She apologized, too.” He brushed my hair back out of my face. “She said she thinks what she said kept you from admitting how you felt about me.”

  “She’s wrong,” I said, strongly.

  He pulled away, confusion on his face.

  I stepped toward him and reached for his hand. “I kept myself from admitting how I felt about you. I think…I was scared.”

  “Of?”

  “You. Me.” I shook my head. “What if it doesn’t work?”

  He cupped my face in his hands. “What if it does?”

  I bit my lip, tears filling my eyes. “What if I fall in love with you and ten years down the road, you decide you don’t want me?”

  He brushed his hand against my cheek. “That would never happen.”

  Staring up into his eyes, a feeling came over me and I believed him. A sob escaped, my shoulders shook, and ten years of emotion came pouring out of me. “It happened with my mom. Why not you, too?”

  “I’m sorry, baby.” He pulled me to him, wrapped his arms around me and held me. “Your mom’s crazy for leaving you. I’m not crazy.”

  I buried my head in his shoulder, trying to catch my breath, and his spicy scent flooded through me. His hands skimmed through my hair, and he kissed the top of my head. His gentleness filled me with warmth. I tilted my face up toward him and our lips were a breath away from touching when he leaned back slightly.

  “What about The Boyfriend Bylaws?”

  I sniffed. “How do you know about that?”

  “Erica filled me in.” His hands moved up my back until his fingertips skimmed my neck, sending chills throughout my body. Then, he slid his thumbs over both of my cheeks, wiping them dry. “She warned me that if I kissed you without permission from your roommate, you’d lose your car.”

  Betty. On my tiptoes, I rested my chin on his shoulder, and stared down at what had been my shiny blue security blanket. I loved Betty, but I loved Matt more. I could call Patti, but I didn’t want to give her the chance to say no because it wouldn’t matter if she did. I wasn’t going to listen. I was ready to start making my own rules.

  I tore my eyes away from Betty, gazed back into his eyes, and tilted my mouth toward his. “It’s okay. You’re worth it.”

  He pressed his finger against my mouth. “I don’t want you to lose your car.”

  It hurt to lose Betty, but it would hurt me more not to kiss him right now. “I don’t care.”

  “I do,” he said, and fumbled with something in his back pocket. He pulled out his cell phone, ran a finger across the screen, and held it up for me to see. “That’s why I texted Patti and got permission.”

  The bright screen lit up between us and there was a text from Patti’s cell phone number:

  If Mel’s willing to lose Betty in order to kiss you, then you have my permission. She loves that car. If she’s okay with losing it…then, she’s finally made the right choice.

  Touched beyond belief, I smiled, then threw my arms around him. “You clever guy.”

  The corners of his mouth turned upward. “I’d do just about anything to make you smile.”

  “Then don’t make me wait anymore.” We moved toward each other at the same time, our noses bumping, until our lips finally met. His mouth was strong and warm against mine. I ran my teeth along his bottom lip, pulling it into my mouth, wanting to taste every bit of him.

  With my hand on the back of his neck, I brought him closer to me, and he parted my lips with his tongue. I gasped as our kiss deepened and he tasted me slowly, as if to savor every moment. As if this was what he’d been waiting for—and he had, we both had.

  When I melted against him, the bubble around me faded, and I was no longer alone.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I got home at midnight to find Patti on the living room sofa, watching a movie.

  Patti reached for the remote and hit pause. “So?”

  Leaning back against the door to close it, I was still floating from Matt’s kisses. “How did you know?”

  Her mouth twitched. “Know what?”

  Forcing my legs to move, I came into the living room and sat on the couch next to her. “How did you know he wouldn’t just tell me how I could have him and keep Betty, too?”

  Patti gave me a satisfied look. “I’ve known you since you were eleven, Mel. You think I didn’t suspect how you felt about him? How you avoided him like crazy by dating any other available man? The caveat was actually for Matt, so he’d know how much he meant to you as well. You’re welcome.”

  I gave Patti a hug. “Thanks, Patti. For being my friend and for The Boyfriend Bylaws.”

  She hugged me back. “What can I say? Sometimes a friend’s just got to step in. After all, friends don’t let friends date badly.”

  I pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh, good. That means I get to work on you now.”

  ****

  Even though it was midnight and two hours later for my mom in Colorado, I dialed her number.

  She picked up the phone on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mom. It’s Melanie.” I hesitated, wanting to tell her so much, but one thing most of all. “I’ve met someone, Mom. I’ve met The One.”

  “Oh, Melanie.” Her voice filled with emotion.

  I knew in that instant that it would be okay. That I was ready to listen to her now and accept that maybe she’d divorced my dad for a good reason rather than just not wanting to work things out.

  “I’m going to put on a pot of coffee so you can tell me all about him,” she said.

  And I did.

  THE END

  BONUS SHORT STORY:

  My Last Blind Date

  by

  Susan Hatler

  ****

  The only thing worse than having a blind date on Valentine’s Day is having no date at all. Well, that’s exactly where I stood. I, Rachel Price, was dateless. Unless I chose what was behind Door Number Two.

  The blind date option had just come from my friend and co-worker, Ellen Holbrook. She’d stopped by my cubicle at work and dropped the bomb. An exciting opportunity to meet the love of my life? Doubtful. With three failed set-ups courtesy of Ellen already, I dreaded dealing with another dating disaster.

  Dateless or blind date? Decisions, decisions….

  “So?” Ellen strode to my desk and fiddled with the stapler, making it click click click. She wiggled her brows and smiled at me hopefully. “Should I make the call?”

  An actual date on Valentine’s Day had tempted me, but with Ellen’s track record, it’d be safer ordering take-out.

  “No dice.” I reached up from my chair and gave her a hug. “But, thanks for the offer.”

  My phone rang and I wondered who would be calling about software sales at four forty-five in the afternoon on the big Hallmark holiday. I snatched up the receiver. “Rachel Price. Hello?”

  Heavy breathing.

  Lovely. I slammed the receiver down.

  Ellen gestured toward the phone. “Who was it?”

  “The universe telling me all the non-psychotic ones are taken.” I swiveled in my chair and logged off my computer, knowing I wouldn’t get any more work done today. “Don’t worry about me, Ellen. Just promise when I keel over, old and alone, you’ll bury me in the backyard next to Chester. He’s the only one who’s ever really loved me.”

  Ellen rolled her eyes like I was hopeless. “I love you, Morbid Girl. When are you going to admit you’re using your dog as a substitute boyfriend?”

  She made it sound like a bad thing. Seemed like a smart move to me. Chester always greeted me at the door, liked to cuddle, and let me pick the side of the bed. What more could I ask for?

  Oh, yeah. Romance, marriage, children….

  “I’m telling you to listen to your best friend and let me set you up tonight. This guy could be your Henry.” She’d pulled out her ultimate enticement. Ellen and Henry had met, fallen in love, and married all in the last six months. They were sickeningly swe
et, but I’d bet Henry leaving his balled up socks by the living room recliner day after day wouldn’t be so endearing by their first anniversary.

  “Look, El. I appreciate the thought. Really. If the last three set-ups you planned hadn’t made me want to stab myself repeatedly with that letter opener, I’d totally be all over it.”

  She glanced at the silver letter opener in my pencil holder, and then pointed a finger at me. “I knew you were holding a grudge against me for Wayne. How was I supposed to know he wasn’t over Sharon?”

  “It’s not just Wayne, and you know it.” My bad blind dates blipped through my brain:

  Blind Date #1: Cute, successful, and charming. Until dessert, when he suggested we head back to his place for some “whipped cream fun.” Claimed his nickname was Rock because he could rock a woman’s world.

  Blind Date #2: Late, disheveled, and talked about his ex-wife the entire night. He cried at the end, announcing he didn’t think he was quite ready for dating. Uh, you think? Wayne now attends bi-weekly therapy sessions trying to figure out how to win Sharon back.

  Blind Date #3: Salesman who spent an hour explaining my good fortune that he’d yet to tie the knot. He gave me his top ten reasons why he was a stellar catch. To end the date, I gave him my top ten reasons for cleaning out my doggy’s litter box.

  I shook my head. Ellen’s heart was in the right place, but the nuts and bolts of her screening process needed serious tightening. “I’d rather watch Sex and the City reruns with Chester tonight than suffer through another bad date.”