The Man Most Likely

by Cindi Myers

  He snatched up the phone and punched in the number for Zephyr’s cell phone. “Yo,” Zephyr answered.

  “Are you and Max still planning on a ride Sunday?” Bryan asked.

  “Yeah. We thought we’d try the trails up on Snodgrass Mountain. The snow should be melted enough up there by now.”

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “What about your golf game?”

  “I’ll get out of it. You were right. That really isn’t my scene.”

  “Sweet! We’re meeting around one at the trailhead.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  Bryan felt a little better after he hung up. That was one fence mended. Angela would be tougher to approach.

  His phone rang, startling him. He snatched up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Bryan. This is Stephanie Reynolds. How are you this morning?” Her voice was cheerful and strong. He pictured her seated behind a mahogany desk similar to his own, her shapely legs crossed at the knee, her hair done up in a loose bun. Her suit and shoes would have designer labels and people would turn to watch her everywhere she went.

  “I’m fine, Stephanie. How are you?”

  “Wonderful. I enjoyed talking with you so much last night. I was hoping I could convince you to have dinner with me this weekend. Maybe tomorrow night.”

  She certainly hadn’t wasted any time. He couldn’t deny he was flattered by her interest. “Thank you, but I’ll have to pass.”

  “Is it because you’re involved with someone else?”

  He opened his mouth to say yes, but stopped himself. Angela had made it pretty clear she thought they should end things.

  He rubbed his temple. Going out with someone else so soon after the breakup would be a slap in the face to Angela. Never mind that she’d been the one to instigate it. He wouldn’t hurt her that way. “I was involved with someone, and I’m not ready to start anything new right now.”

  “We don’t have to get serious. We could just go out and have some fun.”

  For too many years, he’d made going out and having fun his main focus in life. “Thanks, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said. “Call me if you change your mind.”

  They hung up and Bryan slumped in his chair. Was he being a fool for turning down a woman like Stephanie? Dating her would probably get him the right kind of attention within the company. And technically, since Angela had made it clear they shouldn’t see each other again, he was free to date anyone he wanted.

  He slid down farther in the chair. Too bad the only one he wanted was Angela.

  THOUGH IT WAS well into May, the trails above Crested Butte were muddy and still rimmed with snow in places, but Max, Zephyr and Bryan were able to find plenty of passable routes to test their mettle and muscles. They powered up steeps and raced down the grades, trading insults and encouragement, pausing only to gulp down water or admire the view of sun-washed mountains and the town nestled below.

  “You’ve been sitting behind that desk too long,” Max said, as Bryan joined him and Zephyr at the top of one trail. Panting and red-faced, Bryan had brought up the rear most of the morning.

  “I can still kick your butt on the downhill sections,” Bryan wheezed, leaning over the handlebars of his bike. He was surprised at how out of shape he’d gotten in only a few months of sedentary work. All the more reason to be out here today. Straining his muscles and stressing his lungs felt good.

  “This is ten times better than riding around a golf course in a little cart,” Zephyr said.

  “Yeah.” Bryan leaned back against the sun-warmed rock face that bordered the trail and inhaled deeply. The scents of wet earth and new greenery filled his head, driving out all the stale air and stale ideas that had preoccupied him at the hotel.

  “Golf isn’t that bad,” Max said. “But I’d think you’d see enough of your boss all week, without wanting to spend more time with him.”

  “Carl isn’t so bad,” Bryan said. “He’s just a typical corporate drone.”

  “Yeah, and he’s trying to turn you into one.” Zephyr brushed at dried mud on his shin.

  “I’m only pretending to be a drone until I can save enough money for my own place,” Bryan said. “It’s not such a bad deal.”

  “Speaking of bad deals, what’s up with you and Angela?” Max asked.

  Bryan eyed him warily. “What do you mean, what’s up with us?”

  “Are you two serious or what?” Zephyr asked. “Is it time for me to write a new wedding song, or does Max need to tune up his truck so he can move your stuff to her place?”

  “Things didn’t work out so good with her,” Bryan said.

  “Bummer,” Max said.

  “Whoa,” Zephyr said. “Back up a minute. Last time I talked to you, everything was all hearts and flowers. What happened?”

  Bryan was tempted to dismiss the question with a flippant remark, or simply say he didn’t want to talk about it. It was what guys did. But both Max and Zephyr were in committed relationships with women—maybe they knew something he didn’t about making things work. “I’m not sure what happened, exactly,” he said. “We went to a hotel management dinner at the club on Thursday. Everything was fine when we got there, but by the time we left, she was saying she didn’t think we ought to see each other anymore.”

  “What did you do?” Zephyr asked. “Spill soup on her favorite dress? Hit on some other woman?”

  Bryan scowled at him.

  “What did Angela say was wrong?” Max asked.

  “She said I was too ambitious.” He shook his head. “No, what she said was that dating her would get in the way of my ambition. That she wasn’t the kind of woman other people expected me to be with, and one day their opinions would get to me and I wouldn’t want to be with her, so she was stepping aside now.”

  “Chick logic,” Max said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “She’s afraid of being hurt,” Zephyr said.

  The others stared at him. He held up his hands. “I’m only guessing, but you have to figure she’s taken some flack because of her size,” he said. “Maybe some guy she dated before gave her a hard time about her weight, or she was passed over for a job because of it. People can be pretty cruel to anybody who’s different.”

  Bryan thought of the man who had left Angela at the altar, of the hurt in her voice and the tears she’d shed when she’d told him the story. Something like that was bound to leave a scar, but hadn’t he promised her he wasn’t like that guy? “I never said anything about her weight,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t know you well enough to be sure of that,” Max said.

  “Or maybe she thinks you’re another corporate drone who’ll do anything to get to where you want to be.” Zephyr spat on the ground.

  “Shut up about my job,” Bryan snapped. “Just because I didn’t want to spend my whole life as a slacker doesn’t mean I’ve turned into some kind of monster.”

  Zephyr remained as calm as ever. “Hey, I get that not everyone can handle an independent lifestyle,” he said. “But I think you’re going overboard in this quest for maturity and respectability.”

  “Oh, you do, do you?” Bryan faced his friend, hands clenched at his sides.

  “You used to be your own man,” Zephyr said. “Now I don’t even know who you are.”

  “Putting on a suit and tie didn’t make me any different,” Bryan said.

  “It didn’t make you better than everybody else, either.”

  “Just like not having a job doesn’t make you better.”

  “You’re both losers if you’re going fight over something like this,” Max said. “But if you are going to throw punches, you probably ought to pick a wider part of the trail.” He nodded to the steep drop-off to his right.

  Zephyr shoved his hands in the pockets of his baggy cargo shorts. “I don’t want to fight with you, man. I just miss the way things used t
o be between us.”

  “I know.” Bryan felt the tension drain out of him. “Sometimes I miss it, too. But that kind of life didn’t fit me anymore. I needed to do something—something that would give me a future to look forward to. You do it, too. You’ve got your band and your TV show. You’re always trying new things. This job is my new thing.”

  Zephyr scratched his head. “I guess I never thought about it that way.” He grinned. “I guess everybody doesn’t have what it takes to be a rock star and television personality.”

  “Yeah, well, some of us commoners are getting hungry,” Max said. “Let’s hit the trail. Nothing like two miles of switchbacks to take your mind off your problems.”

  “Last one to the bottom buys the beer,” Zephyr shouted, and jumped on his bike.

  Bryan was next in line, speeding downhill, teeth gritted, gripping the handlebars with white knuckles. He realized how much he’d missed being reckless like this, reveling in the freedom of the moment.

  Zephyr was right about some things. Maybe Bryan had been a little too uptight lately. Maybe he was in danger of becoming a by-the-book corporate drone. There had to be a line between following the rules to climb the ladder, and subjugating his whole personality.

  The thing was, he had been willing to break the rules when no one was looking over his shoulder. He’d allowed Angela to bring her chocolates to the fund-raising dinner, and he’d given his permission for the poker tournament and even participated in it. The laid-back, fun-loving side of him still existed, but he kept it hidden away when anyone who might disapprove was around.

  He skidded around a turn in a spray of gravel, muscles straining, teeth rattling. He wanted the higher-ups at his company to notice him, didn’t he? In order to get noticed, people had to stand out. So maybe he should use his differences—the things that made him unlike any other manager they’d hired—to his benefit. He’d start being more daring in his everyday life, relying more on his own instincts than the company rule book. If he took more chances, maybe he’d reap more rewards.

  Maybe Carl—and Angela—would see that he was a man who could think and act for himself. A man who wasn’t afraid to take chances on the job—or to love a woman other people had underestimated, but whom he never would.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What happened to you, woman? You look awful.”

  So much for Angela thinking she could keep her split with Bryan a secret from Tanya. The director had foolproof relationship radar, and she’d fixed on Angela the moment she’d walked through the side door of the theater Sunday afternoon. But Angela wasn’t above trying to bluff her way past the truth. “I didn’t feel like dressing up,” she said, easing past Tanya and heading toward the stage, where the other actors and actresses were gathering.

  Tanya grabbed Angela’s arm. She had a surprisingly strong grip for such a little woman. “There are bags under your eyes I could pack my whole wardrobe in. And what is going on with your hair?”

  Angela touched the messy knot she’d put up on top of her head. “I was working on a new recipe today and put it up out of the way.” She’d been cooking nonstop since Saturday morning. Her counters were covered with cookies and pastries and her freezer was stuffed with casseroles, though this form of therapy had done little to ease her hurt. No need to mention the under-eye circles were from several sleepless nights in a row. Her bed felt too empty now that Bryan was no longer in it.

  Tanya continued to frown at her. “Is that a caftan you’re wearing?” she asked.

  Angela looked down at the billowing chiffon tunic she wore over jeans and boots. “A caftan is longer than this,” she said. “But I thought we might want to dress the character of Marcia in something like this instead of a hideous muu-muu. It’s the same idea, but a little more flattering.”

  “You’re reading for the part of Roxanne, so why do you care what Marcia wears?” Tanya asked.

  Angela avoided meeting her friend’s gaze. “I was going over the parts last night and I think I’m better suited to play Marcia,” she said. “She’s the sort of out-there type that I do so well. And she really does have some great lines.”

  “So does Roxanne. And that role would be a better showcase for your abilities.”

  Angela fidgeted with the strap of her tote bag and hugged it more tightly to her body. “I really don’t think the audience is going to accept me as a leading lady.”

  “And I think you’re a talented enough actress to show them you can definitely carry the lead. When you step onto the stage in that first scene in a figure-hugging red dress and make that speech about the heart and soul of Crested Butte, the audience won’t know what hit them.”

  Angela shook her head. “I know you’re always talking about the importance of not getting stale and of surprising the audience, but I don’t think people are ready for this.” She turned away and started down the hall again.

  “Coward,” Tanya said.

  Angela stopped. “Being practical and sensible is not the same as being afraid,” she said.

  “Isn’t it?” Tanya caught up with her. “I haven’t seen Bryan’s car at your house lately,” she said.

  Angela stiffened. “Since when are you keeping tabs?”

  Tanya’s hand on her arm this time was gentle. “I want to help you,” she said. “I hate seeing you miserable like this. What happened? Did the two of you have a fight?”

  Angela shook her head. “Not a fight. We decided things weren’t working out between us.”

  “I thought everything was going really well. I’d never seen you so happy.”

  “Yes, but…I realized we were too different.”

  “Isn’t that what makes a relationship interesting? The different perspectives and talents each partner brings to the match?”

  “But Bryan and I want different things. I’m happy and settled in my life, while he’s really ambitious and wants so much more.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with ambition. It’s what led you to open your chocolate shop, isn’t it?”

  “What is this? Your day to contradict everything I say?”

  Tanya’s expression didn’t change and she said nothing, forcing Angela to fill the silence.

  “Of course there’s nothing wrong with ambition,” Angela said. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit that she feared Bryan’s ambition would lead him to places he wouldn’t want to take her.

  “The last time I saw you, you were over the moon about him,” Tanya said. “I can’t believe your feelings changed so fast. What happened?”

  Angela sighed and leaned against the wall. “If you decide to give up acting, you could probably get a job with the CIA,” she said without a trace of anger. “No one could refuse you information for long.”

  “I only ask because I care,” Tanya said.

  “I know. What happened is, we went to dinner at the Crested Butte Country Club Thursday night. It was a meeting of all the hotel owners and management in the area or something like that. Bryan’s boss was introducing him to a lot of movers and shakers in the company, but I could tell by the way he looked at me that he couldn’t figure out what a stud like Bryan was doing with me.”

  “Oh, please. What does he care?”

  “You don’t understand because you’ve never stood where I stood,” Angela said, anger flaring. “You haven’t felt the stares, or seen the questions in other people’s eyes. Even if they’re too polite to ask—and believe me, not all of them are that polite—I know what they’re thinking. How did she get so fat? She’d be so pretty if she’d only lose some weight. What does a good-looking guy like that see in her?”

  “You’re being paranoid,” Tanya said. “And you make it sound like you’re the size of a whale.”

  “I’m not skinny and I never will be.”

  “So what? You’re not the disgusting blob you make yourself out to be, either.”

  “Not to you, because you’re my friend. But not everyone feels that way.”

  “You’re rig
ht. Most people don’t care. They’re so caught up in their own lives and their own problems that you’d have to be the size of an eighteen-wheeler before they’d even notice.”

  Angela flinched. “All I know is that people like Bryan’s boss do notice the woman a man like Bryan is with. And they expect to see a woman who is at least as attractive and thin as he is. If she’s also smart and respected within the business, so much the better.”

  Tanya shifted her weight to one hip and studied Angela intently. “I get the feeling you have a particular woman in mind when you use that description,” she said.

  Angela glanced down the hall, but she and Tanya were still alone. She could hear the others onstage, laughing about something. “Bryan’s boss introduced him to a woman from their marketing department. A former Miss California and a Harvard MBA.”

  “Isn’t that precious,” Tanya said snidely. “What does it have to do with you?”

  Nothing. Everything. She twisted the strap of the tote bag around her thumb. “You should have seen them together,” she said. “They were perfect. Bryan’s boss thought so. Everyone did. And I realized they would never think that about the two of us.” She held up her hand. “And before you say I shouldn’t care what other people think, how can I not care? It’s the way this world works. We’re constantly being measured and judged by others.”

  Tanya shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m getting this. You saw Bryan with this other woman and realized that other people thought she was more perfect for him than you are and you told him that?”

  “Bryan may not see it now, but one day he will. I don’t want to be around when he does.”

  “Angela. Darling. You know I love you, but since when are you able to predict the future?”

  “It’s happened before. Not just to me, but to other people, too.”

  Tanya was silent for a moment, then nodded. “I will admit that sometimes, after people have been together for a while, they realize that they aren’t really as compatible as they thought. But to break up with a great guy just because that might one day happen is nuts.”