“I really hate the city,” I whispered to myself. There were a lot of things I really hated. These last few weeks alone had made me open my eyes to all the things I had been using as fillers to make myself think I was living the life I wanted. It was the opposite. Nothing about my life was what I wanted. It was what my father wanted.
My cell phone started ringing, and I jumped up. I knew it was late, at least after ten. If it was work, I was going to beat someone’s ass.
The name stared up at me.
Lily.
Turning away, I walked into the kitchen. I was being childish and pouting because my best friend spoke the truth.
Mr. Pootie went in between my legs, letting out a loud cry for either attention or a snack.
“Do you think I’m being a baby?” I asked, picking him up and snuggling him against my chest.
He didn’t respond.
“I’ll take your silence as a yes. This is why my father didn’t want me falling in love, Mr. Pootie. It’s a distraction, an
d one I can’t really afford to have. I have a company to run.”
Using his front paws to push me away, my cat fought to get out of my arms.
“You too, huh? Well I don’t have a choice. My father trusted me with his company, and I’m going to do what I was raised to do. Run it and make it even better than it was before.”
Licking his paw, he rubbed it over his ears and face. He had no interest in my declaration. None at all.
Note to self: Get out of the house more. You’re losing your damn mind.
After digging through the freezer, I settled on a pint of Blue Bell chocolate ice cream and headed into the living room to find something to watch on Netflix.
Mr. Pootie jumped up onto his cat condo and peered out over the city lights. Sedotto wasn’t far from my place, and my mind kept drifting off and wondering if the whole gang was out tonight. What was Tucker doing? Working or hanging all over Noelle. I picked up my phone and saw I had a voicemail from Lily. Swallowing hard, I hit the little sideways triangle and listened to it.
“Hey, I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to talk. It’s been a rough few weeks. Mom is finally not crying every hour of the day.”
A long pause came. I heard music pulsing in the distance. She must have been in Tucker’s office.
“I’m sorry for what I said that day. I didn’t mean any of it. Well, I do think you work too much, but you already know that. I didn’t want you to leave. A part of me saw the hurt in your eyes when you saw Tucker, and the stress of the situation was too much to handle. It was easier for me if you weren’t there. That sounds like such a bitch thing to say, and I’m so sorry. Have you tried calling Tucker? He misses you, and I think he was really hoping you’d be here tonight.”
I frowned. If he missed me so much and wanted to say how sorry he was, he sure had a funny way of showing it. I hadn’t received one phone call or text from him.
Why in the hell am I hiding out here in my place? I’m young, single, and free to date anyone I chose.
“Fuck it!” I said as I jumped up and rushed to my bedroom. “Everyone is so desperate to see me, then they are going to see me.”
I had never changed and put makeup on so fast in my life. Forty minutes later I walked into Tucker’s bar. My eyes widened in shock. It was packed with people. Turning to the left, I spotted my friends. Nash sat between Lily and Terri. Jim was next to Terri and next to him sat someone I didn’t know. It was a woman with dark hair. My heart pounded in my chest. It had to be Noelle. She turned, and sure enough, it was her.
Fucking great. This was a stupid idea.
Turning to get the hell away from this place, I ran into someone.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled.
“Charleston?”
Startled, I took a step back and looked up at a gorgeous guy smiling down at me. His blond hair looked like he had been pushing his fingers through it all night. His bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle as he gazed down at me. He looked familiar, but damn if I could place him.
“Do we know each other?” I asked, forcing myself to smile politely.
He placed his hand over his heart as if I had wounded him. “I’m hurt you don’t remember me. I must not have left a very good impression. Darrell Adams. Your father and mine were good friends. We played a few rounds of golf together and talked about how we both wanted to sail around the world and leave work behind.”