String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2)

by T. K. Rapp

  “So what went wrong? How did you go from being anti-serious relationships to engaged?”

  “We went out that first night and I realized that Connor was more than just a suit and tie. He’s sweet, and funny, and a complete romantic.”

  “You said the R-word. You hate romance.”

  “I know. So I tried to keep it light, but I fell for him fast.”

  “I still can’t believe you never told me any of this.”

  “Well, to be fair, I didn’t tell anyone. Not a soul.”

  “But I’m not just anyone, Jo.”

  “With your marriage falling apart, and how much you hated men, the last thing I wanted to do was rub your face in my happiness.”

  “I don’t think that’s entirely true.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Tell me why you and Connor ended things.”

  Jolie stood up and walked to the couch and turned on the TV. There was more to the story, and she was about to enact her go-to…distraction. She was starting to channel surf when I took the remote from her and turned it off.

  “You know I’m going to get it out of you,” I said. She was staring at the blank screen and I sat down next to her and waited for her to look at me.

  “He was too perfect, Vi. I mean, way too good to be true.”

  “So you went looking for the flaw?”

  “But there wasn’t anything. I mean, he slurps when he eats his food, but it didn’t bother me. He recited movie lines at the most random moments, but it only makes me laugh. And don’t get me started on the way he says certain things.”

  “So basically, the things that usually irritate you when it comes to guys, Connor does all of them and you still like him.”

  “See, you get it,” she huffed. “So I dumped him. I ended it while I still liked him because I didn’t want to grow to resent him.”

  “You realize how stupid that is, right? What made you change your mind about him?”

  “When we broke up, he was really sweet about it. He said that he knew we’d end up together and didn’t mind waiting.”

  “That’s really nice.”

  “Yeah, except we didn’t stay friends. We’d do something friends did, and then it ended up being more couple-y than anything. So when you asked me to visit, it seemed like the best way to get over him.”

  “Hold up.” I leaned forward and tried not to strangle my friend. “You moved out here to get away from a guy that is seemingly perfect for you? Did he know you were trying to get away from him?”

  “No. I…I told him that they wanted to transfer me out here and that we needed a clean break.”

  “And all the dates you’ve been on?”

  “Just trying to get over him.”

  “And he ended up out here how?”

  The tension and regret disappeared from her face and she looked over at me with a smile. Jolie…my friend who was always the partier, the wild one who never showed emotion…had tears in her eyes.

  “For me. He said that he needed me in his life and he’d wait for me to come around and see it for myself. But in order for that to happen, he wanted to be near me. The texts and phone calls weren’t enough anymore.”

  “So he’s moving out here?”

  She nodded and smiled. “He got his company to transfer him. He’s got a place he’s looking at today.”

  “Does this mean you’re moving out?” I asked selfishly. I liked having my friend with me, and the thought of her gone caused a small ache in my chest.

  “No. We’re taking it slow.”

  I grabbed her hand that donned the ring and laughed. “Obviously.”

  “This…” She looked at the ring and stared at it adoringly. “When we were talking last night, he said that before I broke up with him, he’d gotten this for me.”

  “Are you or are you not engaged?”

  “Not yet. Let’s just say that we may be engaged to be engaged.”

  “That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard.”

  “You mean as crazy as running off to the courthouse to get married when you were twenty?”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  We sat in silence for a while as I replayed all of her words in my head. On the one hand, I was mad that my best friend had failed to share vital life information, but I was more than happy that she was happy.

  “Do you think Connor is the one?” I asked.

  She shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t even know what that is anymore. But I sure as hell hope he is.”

  Chapter 27

  It was almost one when Kirk finally stopped by. He walked in wearing his cargo shorts and a white T-shirt, and his hair looked like he hadn’t run a brush through it in weeks. All part of the show.

  “Hey Jo,” he said flirtatiously as he hugged her.

  The two had had a fling back in college, but it was nothing serious. Like I said, Jolie was never one for settling down…which was why she and Connor seemed like an odd pairing to me.

  “Sorry we couldn’t stay and talk last night,” she said when they parted.

  Kirk was exactly the sort of guy I’d always pictured Jolie dating—especially since he was in a band and never in one place for a long time. I had wanted more for her and I was happy when she and Kirk decided to leave things alone.

  “How’ve you been?” he asked her.

  “Not bad. Though I have a bone to pick with you.”

  “And that would be?”

  She turned a finger on both of us and narrowed her eyes. “I can’t believe you two didn’t tell me that you helped write that song.”

  “I guess you’re not the only one with secrets.” I winked.

  “And on that note…” She walked over and picked up her purse.

  “Secrets?” he asked. “What secrets? Someone wanna fill me in on the joke here?”

  Jolie kissed his cheek and waved. “I’m sure Vi will fill you in. I gotta go see a man about…me.”

  She closed the door and left me alone with a curious Kirk.

  “She was dating some guy, didn’t tell me about it because I was all mopey and shit. They broke up and now he’s moved out here to be near her.”

  “I like the way you tell a story, Vi. Quick and to the point…leave out the fluff.”

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’m good.”

  We walked to the couch and sat down. When Josh and Kirk left the band, it was disappointing to not see them as much, but I was proud of their success. Having Kirk in my apartment felt familiar, but also like a lifetime had passed.

  “Have you talked to him?” Kirk asked. I knew the him he was referring to and I didn’t pretend different.

  “I called when I first moved out here.”

  “He misses you, ya know.”

  “Misses me so much that the times I have called, there have been other women there.”

  “What did you expect, Vi? You left him.”

  “Whoa,” I scoffed and stood up, trying to calm myself. “First off, I don’t care that there are other women. That’s his business. And second, I left him because he cheated.”

  Kirk’s eyes were like saucers when he looked at me, and I found myself waiting for him to cave. But the longer he sat still and staring, I knew he’d been fed a different version of the story.

  “What did he tell you?”

  “I don’t want to get involved,” he said, holding his hands up defensively.

  “Too bad, you are involved. The moment you decided to chastise me for leaving, you got involved, Kirk.”

  “It’s none of my business. I’m sorry.”

  “We’re friends, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “And you’re friends with Will.”

  “Yeah.”

  “All this time, have you assumed I screwed the marriage up?”

  He was quiet for longer than necessary and I began to pace the small room. Every time I felt like I was getting somewhere, that I was moving on, s
omething seemed to remind me how bad things were. I was ready to sprint to the court to get the papers finalized. Will managed to constantly surprise me, and not in a good way.

  “He said that you left him because you were jealous.”

  I stood momentarily stunned…and then I laughed. I laughed hard and angry. When I left Will, I left with only what I had brought into the marriage. At twenty-four it wasn’t much, but between that and my word, it was all I had.

  “Kirk, you’ve known me for a long time. You’ve seen me at shows, at the bar, at the club…you know me. When have I ever been that girl?”

  “You’re right,” he said with a sigh. “You’ve always been the coolest. But c’mon, even the most confident chick has her limits.”

  “You’re right,” I laughed. “And mine was walking into our apartment and finding him in our bed fucking someone else.”

  Kirk was watching me as if I were about to snap, and considering the way my voice sounded in my own head, I could see why he thought that. But I sat down on the couch again next to him and leaned my back against his side. He’d always been someone I felt comfortable with…it was probably the reason I co-wrote a song with him.

  He wrapped his arm around my neck affectionately and kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry Vi. I had no idea.”

  I exhaled and closed my eyes. “That’s probably how he’s getting so many women,” I scoffed.

  “What do you mean?”

  I cleared my throat and made my voice deeper in an effort to do my best Will Banks impression. “Yeah, I can’t believe my wife left me. She was my muse, how am I supposed to make music without her? I just want to find someone to inspire me…someone I can settle down with.”

  “Can you write that down?” Kirk said, sitting up quickly. He handed me a piece of paper and pencil from the table. “That shit might work for me. I’d have to reword a little, but I think I can use this.”

  I rolled my eyes and slapped at his arm. “Some friend you are.”

  “Me? What about you? Don’t you think that as my friend, you should help me come up with some kick-ass lines to use out there?”

  “Oh jeez, Kirk. Lines? Sorry, you’re on your own.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” He tossed the paper and pencil back on the coffee table and sat back. “I won’t need lines with your friend Callie.”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  “I’m kidding,” he conceded. “But really, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize all the shit he did.”

  “It sucked at first, but I’m better.”

  “You seem good. Really good,” he answered. “Something you wanna share?”

  “I guess I’m sort of seeing someone.”

  Truthfully, I didn’t know what Wyatt and I were. We weren’t exclusive because we’d only spent the night before talking. But I didn’t feel like I was on the market either. And until the divorce was final, I didn’t want to put a label on whatever it was we were or weren’t.

  “It looks good on you. You’re happy?”

  “I’m getting there.” I smiled. “What about you?”

  “I’ll be a lot happier when I see this music you’ve been working on.”

  “You were serious about that?”

  “We both know I don’t screw around when it comes to music. I’d really like to hear what you have…if you’re cool with that.”

  I set about grabbing my guitar and my journal. I hadn’t shown anyone the words I’d written lately, but I had spent hours alone reading them, scratching them out, rewriting them, and crying over them. Sometimes I was tempted to tear every page out and set fire to them. Other times, they helped remind me what I’d been through and where I was finally going. They were a piece of my heart that was hard to share.

  All of my feelings aside, the words would need massive help before they saw the light of day. However, Kirk and I had magic once, and I hoped that maybe we’d have that again.

  “Don’t be too harsh,” I said when I sat down next to him.

  He took the guitar from my hands and started strumming. It was an action to keep him busy, because his eyes were glued to the words on the page. He’d read a little, make a noise, and then turn the page. Kirk repeated the action over and over again, and I began to feel exposed…or maybe I felt like an imposter.

  Finally, he stopped on a single page longer than he’d been on any other, and tapped it with his finger.

  “What?” I asked.

  “This one. This is it.”

  “Are you…” I looked down at the words I’d scribbled and flinched. “Not this one,” I said as I reached for the journal, but he pulled it away before I could get my hands on it.

  “This. One.”

  Before I could protest any more, there was a knock at the door and I looked from Kirk and back to the door.

  “Ah, the dilemma,” he teased. “Answer the door or fight for your words.”

  “This isn’t over.” I pointed at him as I walked to answer it.

  There on the other side was Wyatt, with his warm smile that made me want to melt. He stepped forward and went to hug me, but paused when he looked over my shoulder.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back.”

  “Come in, I want you to meet Kirk.”

  I ushered Wyatt toward the couch, where Kirk was making notes on my journal. He barely looked up to acknowledge Wyatt, and I cleared my throat, trying to get his attention.

  “This is my old friend, Kirk,” I said when he finally looked up.

  “You the guy?” Kirk asked.

  “He’s being a shit,” I laughed nervously. “Kirk is in the band we went to see last night.”

  “I heard it was great, sorry I missed it,” Wyatt said.

  “She was amazing,” Kirk beamed proudly.

  “She was? You were? What happened?” Wyatt asked, clearly confused by what Kirk said.

  “It was nothing,” I said flippantly, cringing about the detail I hadn’t meant to leave out.

  “Nothing? She got up on stage with us and sang a song that we co-wrote.”

  Wyatt’s mouth curved into a half smile and he raised his brows. “I didn’t realize that you were ready to get back out there and perform. That’s great, Vi.”

  “I wasn’t exactly ready,” I told him. “I was tricked into it.”

  Kirk held up my journal and looked at me. “I’m gonna give you two a minute. It was nice meeting you, man.” He peeked down the hall and looked at the three doors. “Which room is yours? I want to look at these lyrics.”

  “The one on the end.”

  When Kirk disappeared, the door shut behind him and I was alone with Wyatt standing behind the couch. We didn’t know each other inside and out, but I knew him enough to know that he was uncomfortable. I reached for his hand and he followed me to sit on the couch.

  “What brings you by?”

  He leaned over and kissed me once, and when he sat back, his familiar smile was back in place.

  “Are you busy tonight?” He looked toward my room briefly before returning his attention to me.

  “No plans,” I said.

  “If you’re free, then I’d like to take you out tonight. A real date.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I think that sounds great. What should I wear?”

  He stood up and walked to the door, leaving me to watch him go. He looked over his shoulder and winked as he started to leave. “I’ll text you when I figure out where we’re going.”

  “Okay,” I called after him as he shut the door.

  As I sat on the couch, my cheeks felt sore from smiling so big. Wyatt helped that smile return and he had a way of making me feel like the most important person in the room. My smile began to fade because once upon a time, in the early stages of dating Will, I had felt that same thing. But I soon realized I was only being sucked into his world, where he was the center and I was just happy to get some of the fallout.

  I looked up to see Kirk leaning agai
nst the hallway watching me.

  “What?”

  “Seems like a nice guy,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s no Will.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  Chapter 28

  Wyatt walked over to my apartment so he could take me on a proper date. He insisted that we go somewhere away from the neighborhood, and I didn’t offer any objection. I liked the idea of getting away from the familiar and spending some alone time with him. When I answered the door, I was wearing my white jeans with a checkered navy-and-white button-down shirt. Jolie had insisted that I needed to dress up the outfit so it didn’t look so casual, but when Wyatt looked at me, his smile told me that I was fine.

  “You look beautiful,” he said.

  After spending all night in his bed kissing and talking, you would have thought I’d be more relaxed. Instead, I felt like a teenager going on a first date.

  Technically, it was my first date. Well, it was the first one I’d been on since I met Will all those years ago. I found myself nervous and fidgeting when Jolie walked out.

  “You need to wear a necklace or some…” She snapped her mouth shut and smiled at Wyatt. “I didn’t hear you come in, Earp.”

  He looked up at the ceiling and huffed. “Is this what everyone calls me now?”

  “Mostly when you’re not around,” I laughed.

  “Are we not supposed to?” Jolie asked. “She said she called you Cowboy, too.”

  “Funny, considering I don’t like country music, I’ve never owned a pair of boots, and I’m pretty sure I don’t have a hat.”

  “That’s okay,” she quipped. “I’m sure Vi won’t hold that against you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her and willed her into silence, but I knew she wouldn’t comply. So I opted to change the subject to something she enjoyed: herself. “Is Connor coming over tonight?”

  “Who’s Connor?” Wyatt asked.

  “He’s the guy that was with her the other night… Apparently they’re engaged.”

  “What?” His jaw dropped open and he looked between the two of us. “I guess I missed a lot last night. Vi sang. You got engaged. Anything else I should know about?”