“You did everything you set out to do,” she said, looking around at the resort.
“Does that piss you off?” I asked, without bothering to be subtle.
Jennifer smiled. “A little,” she nodded.
I laughed, appreciative of her honesty. “I’m sorry about how things ended with us, Jennifer.”
“Please,” she replied. “You were not sorry then, and you’re not sorry now. You’re just saying that because it’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”
“At least I have that going for me.”
She pursed up her lips. “You have a lot going for you,” she said. “That’s never been your problem.”
“I have a feeling that if I ask what my problems are, I’ll get a list that’ll be a little too detailed.”
She smiled. “Are you seeing anyone at the moment?”
I wondered why she was asking me the question. Was it simple curiosity or did she have some hidden agenda? I was on the precipice of mentioning Molly when I changed my mind at the last moment. After all, Jennifer was an old girlfriend who wasn’t exactly my greatest fan. I didn’t want her causing problems while she was here, and I certainly didn’t want her knowing too much about my personal life.
“No one important enough to mention,” I said, employing a callous tone.
“I see that you haven’t changed.”
“You were lucky to get away.”
Jennifer didn’t look particularly amused. She looked around the resort with a critical eye. “You helped design this building, didn’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“Because I took the time to get to know you while we were dating, Tristan,” she replied scathingly. “Not that you ever returned the favor.”
“Well,” I said, changing my tone and the topic, as well. “I really hope you enjoy your stay here.”
“Oh, I have no doubt you’ll be able to show me a good time,” Jennifer replied. “You were always good at that. It was the committing part of things that always tripped you up.”
I suppressed a sigh and steered her back towards her little group of friends. “Why don’t you help yourself to a drink from the refreshment cart?” I suggested, motioning for Steven to come forward with the cart.
I was trying to back away from her slowly when Trent approached me. “We’re all checked in,” he said.
“Excellent,” I nodded.
“So…” he said, glancing over towards Jennifer. “You and Jennifer, huh?”
“It was a long time ago.”
“Didn’t end well?”
“Did any of my relationships?”
He laughed. “Good point,” he nodded. “I would have thought you’d have settled down by now, though.”
“What made you think that?”
He shrugged. “Age, wisdom…the need for something real.”
“You’ve got philosophical since we last met,” I joked.
He laughed. “It passes the time,” he said. “And pisses people off. Which is just an added bonus. Anyway, thanks, man. Will we be seeing you around?”