by Cindi Madsen
“She’ll be okay,” I mouthed. “In time.” I made a rolling motion with my finger, silently telling her to keep Amy Lynn talking.
Annabeth nodded and took her sister’s hand in hers. “Remember that douche I dated right before I took Savannah’s workshop? The one who always forgot his wallet and then asked me to float him rent money?”
Amy Lynn half-laughed, half-cried. “He was the worst! Didn’t you go over to his apartment to find an eviction notice?”
“Six months together, one false promise after another, and he didn’t even bother telling me it was over.” Annabeth swept Amy Lynn’s hair off her face and tucked it behind one ear. “You’re not the first woman who’s fallen for a jerk—heaven knows I’ve fallen for my fair share. But once you see your bad patterns and figure out the type of guy you really want, dating becomes so much easier. One day you’ll find someone so great that you’ll see why this one didn’t work out.”
A smug sense of satisfaction flooded me at hearing words I’d used dozens of times coming from Annabeth’s lips. At least someone appreciates my sparkly inspirational quotes.
Linc did say he liked the one about oh wells being better than what ifs. The smugness morphed into something softer and warmer. I felt bad about leaving him in such a rush, especially after everything he divulged, but when I explained the situation, he told me to go do my thing.
He’s not intimated by my career. He doesn’t downplay it or call it adorable.
He’s not dating you, either, the devil on my shoulder said—or I guess that made it the angel, because of the nudging toward the safer line of thought. How many times did I need to remind myself of all of his red flags before it finally sunk in?
If I could even consider ignoring them with Amy Lynn’s raw grief filling the air around me, something had definitely short-circuited in my brain. I didn’t want to be crying my eyes out in a few months, wondering why Linc didn’t change for me. Ivy would never give me the I told you so speech, even if she thought it, so then I’d have to give it to myself, and talk about depressing.
I can’t revert to my college self and go thinking that dating Linc is a viable option.
The words “never say never” bounced through my head, and I wanted to believe that maybe Linc had been testing the waters more than simply teasing me.
He opened up earlier, too. While I wanted to convince myself that he had changed through the years, I’d read his signals wrong before. That night during spring break, he said all the right things in the moment, words that clearly didn’t mean the same to him as they did to me.
So he might have changed some, but that didn’t mean he’d changed when it came to commitment and his aversion to it. At the baseball game, he admitted to not being the boyfriend type, and he constantly mocked my rules. In fact, at every turn, he defended guys who only wanted temporary fun, and that was a red flag in and of itself.
Wasn’t it?
Gah. Now my thoughts are getting jumbled all over again. I knew myself well enough to admit that when it came to Linc, my judgment was clouded. I needed to focus on cold, hard facts. My dating program had helped many women, including one of the women in this room, find love. So I should stick to what I knew worked and stop thinking about straying from my steps.
Trying out a new way to meet potential Mr. Rights seemed like a good way to get the shake-up I obviously needed. For all the online dating profiles I set up through the years, I hadn’t gone that route before. Not because it wasn’t effective, but because every time I almost set up a profile, I met someone.
“…some wine.” Annabeth motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen. As soon as we were out of earshot of her sister, she let out a string of profanities, mixed with all the things Jacob could shove into orifices better left alone.
The second her tirade ended, pink crept across her cheeks, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said. “I’m impressed. I didn’t even know some of those suggestions were possible.”
We shared a laugh and then Annabeth kicked off her heels and leaned against the counter. “Lately William and I have one event after another, and as the mayor’s fiancé, I always have to be so proper. I’ve held back for so long that it felt good to just let it all out.”
“Well, feel free. No judgments here.”
Annabeth reached for the wineglasses and when she held one out to me, I told her I’d pass. As she poured, she said, “I’m so glad Jacob’s finally out of the picture, but I wish I could’ve gotten through to Amy Lynn before this mess happened.”
“The truth is, she was already in love with him, so she’d be hurting even if she ended it a couple of weeks ago.” I gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You did everything you could, and now all we can do is be there for her.”
Annabeth looked as beautiful as ever, her outfit and makeup flawless, but she was a bit paler than usual and her shoulders seemed weighted.
“How’s the wedding prep going?” Normal wedding planning could be stressful. Add one illustrious political family and an entire city watching, and her wedding would hardly be called normal.
“On top of all of William’s other events, it’s crazy and busy, and I’ll be glad when the big day’s finally done and gone.” She leaned back and peeked through the archway, to where her sister sat. “Do you think the wedding will be too hard for her? She was supposed to go with Jacob. Maybe I can find her another date and—”
“Let’s take it a step at a time,” I said. “I’m not sure she’ll be ready for a setup by then.”
Suddenly I was thinking of my own dateless dilemma. I could go to the wedding alone, no big deal. But the petty side of me wanted to show Mason I was as fine without him as he was without me. I should be above it, but there the desire was anyway, and the more I thought about the idea of taking a plus one, the more I liked it.
Of course, even if I clicked with someone tomorrow, it’d break my rules to take him to an event like a wedding so soon. I could probably get away with taking a friend, though…
Linc would be good backup, and the wedding would definitely be more fun with him. Plus I’d feel stronger.
And by then I’d have my online dating profile up and be well on my way to discovering a more permanent replacement.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked Linc when he climbed into my car.
“I’m sure.”
At least one of us was.
Yesterday morning, I ran into Linc at the Daily Grind. While having coffee together, I mentioned my parents’ anniversary party and analyzed his expression, so I’d know if I should bother saying the rest. Yes, it was against my rules to take a guy to a family gathering. Adding more people always stressed new relationships, so the rule was after three months of dating unless it couldn’t be helped, and no huge events where they had to meet everyone at once.
Good thing Linc and I weren’t dating. In a way, knowing he wasn’t a Mr. Right candidate made it nice, because then I could break those types of rules.
Since his reaction had been a neutral nod and not a sudden fascination with anything but me, I took that as a good sign. Asking him to attend a wedding as my backup—especially Annabeth and Mayor William Caldwell’s—was a big deal, after all, so my parents’ anniversary party would be a good test. It’d tell me if we could survive big functions where everyone would assume we were dating, and still keep up the fun, friendly feelings.
That was the theory before he climbed in my car and the idea became reality. A rock formed in my gut, and I stomped harder on the brake pedal. What if this messes up everything?
Sure, dragging my nice friend Lincoln Wells along would keep Mama and Aunt Velma from telling me all about their friends’ available sons. Admittedly, I’d also liked the idea of basically having a safety net while I hung out with him—nothing was less sexy than a family event. But I was no longer sure I wanted to repress the zing of awareness I
felt whenever I looked at him.
Like now, with the sun playing along his jaw—he’d shaved, something he rarely did. I liked the scruff, but with a face like that, he could hardly go wrong, and I suspected he did it to make a better impression on my family.
“Savannah? You realize you have to make the car move?”
I broke out of my trance. “Did I warn you that my family won’t buy that you’re just a friend, so you’ll get a lot of comments that imply you and I are dating? As someone opposed to labels, I’m sure that’ll make you uncomfortable.”
“I’ll manage.” He placed his hand on my knee and flashed me a smile. “I used to play ball in front of an entire stadium of people. I’m good under pressure, I promise.”
I let out an exhale and nodded. After a quick glance over my shoulder, I managed to lift my foot off the brake and merge into the flow of traffic.
“I did think about wearing my ‘Free Licks’ shirt just to make things more interesting, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find it,” Linc said.
I shook my head but couldn’t help but smile. I also couldn’t help but notice how he kept his hand on my knee, or the way all my blood had rushed to that spot.
With his other hand, he lowered the visor, flipped it up, and then messed with the air vents, which led me to believe he wasn’t quite as casual sexy cool as he put on.
The fingers on my knee went to tapping, each tap sending a ping of electricity up my thigh.
“Oh, hey,” he said. “I keep forgetting to ask about your client from the other night. Is she okay?”
I’d checked in with Amy Lynn twice since Tuesday, and while she’d had a few blue moments, overall her mood was positive. “Yeah, she’ll pull through. Breakups are always hard, but Someday Guys always do such a number on women.”
“Someday Guys?”
“A guy who talks about a deeper commitment and even marriage, but in some days—it’s how they put off girls who want more. He strings her along until she finally cracks and demands more, and then he cuts and runs, but not before blaming her pushiness for the failure of the relationship.”
“Maybe some guys really do just need time.”
“Figures you’d take his side,” I muttered as I gripped the steering wheel tighter. I was right to stay strong.
Linc spun in his seat, his hand now gone from my knee—which was good, since I was about to push it off anyway. “I’m not taking his side. But do you honestly think that every guy who isn’t ready to talk about moving in together or marriage right away is never going to commit?”
Now I was second-guessing my decision to bring Linc with me all over again. It was supposed to make the trip less stressful, not make me irritated. “I’m not saying they have to commit before they know a girl, but after a certain amount of time, yes, that’s what I think. Especially when said guy also cheats on the girl.”
“Well, you left that part out. Not that I was defending him. I just don’t fully understand these snap judgments you make about guys.”
I gritted my teeth. “It’s not snap judgments. It’s called years of study and research. My program works—I have a ton of success stories proving that.”
“Okay, so tell me more about your program.”
“It’s got twelve steps, and it’s not something I can sum up real quick. You’d probably just mock it anyway.”
“I wouldn’t—”
I shot him a glare.
He fired one right back. “I’m not trying to start a fight or say that your program doesn’t work. I’m just wondering how any guy has a chance with your students. Or you, for that matter.”
“They have to be the right type of guy,” I said, my defenses amping up to DEFCON 2. High readiness to fight, forces ready to deploy.
“Well, now that I know they have to be the right type of guy, it’s crystal clear.”
“See? Mocking.”
“See? Defensive. It was a simple question.”
I switched lanes and maneuvered around a slow-moving car, working to keep my anger in check. “But it’s not. It’s a complicated question and the answers are even more complicated.”
“Sometimes the answer is simple and the questions are complicated,” Linc said, and I eased off the gas pedal and looked across the car at him. “What? It’s Dr. Seuss. You think you’re the only one with quotes?”
“You learned that just to use it against me, didn’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He flashed me an over-the-top grin that admitted guilt.
If I weren’t driving, I’d seriously smack him. “All you need to know is that my program works. Now, let’s change the subject, or we’ll still be arguing when we get to the house.”
“Fine,” he said.
“Fine,” I echoed.
I was pretty sure he added a mumbled, “Stubborn,” under his breath, but I let it slide. We hadn’t even made it to the party and already the outing was a disaster. Forget the wedding, forget everything. The guy made me so angry that I couldn’t figure out how we managed to be friends.
Aunt Velma and Uncle Dick lived ITP—or in the perimeter of the 285—but just barely, right on the north edge of Brookhaven. By the time I pulled up in front of the blue, two-story house, cars lined the street. Since it was one of those tiny streets barely qualified to be called two-lanes, I could only imagine how happy the neighbors would be about maneuvering around the makeshift parking lot. Then again, most people knew Velma, and she’d either won them over with her charm or had enough dirt on them they wouldn’t dare cross her.
I reached into the backseat for the veggie tray and climbed out of the car. The leafy trees surrounding the place hid most of the backyard, but as Linc and I neared the house, balloons and streamers came into view. People milled about, most of them with drinks in their hands, and the scent of food and cut grass filled the air—it was like inhaling summer.
Aunt Velma strolled over. “Oh, good! You came, and you brought Linc, just like I suggested.”
Should’ve known she’d take credit for my date—er, friend person coming along for the ride. I glanced at him, trying to gauge if he was still mad, and he placed his hand on my back. He looked at me for a beat as if he were checking the mood as well. No point in holding on to the argument when I knew we’d never agree when it came to my program, and the genuine concern in his eyes made it impossible to anyway. I hooked my finger in one of his belt loops and gave a tiny tug.
He grinned—first at me, and then he turned it on Aunt Velma. “Thanks so much for having me.”
“Anytime.” She pointed out the empty spot reserved for my veggie tray. She waved over everyone in the near vicinity and made introductions. Most of the people I recognized, but there were a handful I hadn’t met before. As I predicted, there were a lot of older people, and I noticed one couple had a son about my age. It might’ve been my imagination, but his parents looked surprised and a bit disappointed when Aunt Velma introduced Linc as my date.
Ah, backup set-up guy. Sorry, but not today. Honestly, I’d rather take my chances with the guys who pinged me on the online profile I set up. I chatted with a few, but I hadn’t felt a connection yet, and lately I’d been so busy. Of course that wasn’t an acceptable excuse, and I was going to do better.
Just as soon as I stopped clinging to Linc for the sole reason of making it clear I didn’t need any set-ups. Yep. That was the only reason. Nothing to do with the firm chest I’d placed my hand on to show just how much I didn’t need a date, or the way he went with the possessive act, hooking his hand on my hip and curling me tighter to him.
Aunt Velma’s phone chimed and she lifted it. “Jackson just pulled up with Ray and Lucinda.”
Everyone moved as if they’d practiced, lining up like they were posing for a big group portrait. “We’re not hiding and jumping out at them as we shout ‘surprise’?” I asked Aunt Velma, blinking innocently.
“Of course not.” She shooed me toward the rest of the crowd, and I dragged Linc over with
me.
“I think we should still leap out at them,” Linc whispered in my ear, and I giggled. Apparently we were supposed to be quiet, because we got a few incredulous looks and one shushing.
Once my parents and Jackson rounded the corner, a mix of “Surprise!” “Congratulations!” and “Happy Anniversary!” filled the air. Despite the fact that the cars lining the street must’ve given the surprise away, Mama still acted shocked, her face lighting up as she scanned the crowd. Daddy smiled at everyone, but I could tell it took a little extra work to not show how overwhelmed he was.
Mama thanked Aunt Velma, and then things transitioned into typical conservative party mode while people moved to grab food. Jackson wandered over and I introduced him to Linc, putting an emphasis on the part about his being my friend.
“I thought you were going to bring a date,” I said. “That’s why I’ve got backup.”
Jackson waved it off. “Didn’t seem worth the trouble, especially since I somehow got volunteered as Ma and Dad’s designated driver. So, Linc, you’re Ivy’s cousin?”
“That’s right.”
Jackson nodded a couple of times and then walked on. Not sure what that’s about, but okay. “They have a…thing,” I said by way of explanation. “I’m not sure what it is, and I don’t think they know, either.”
“Guess that’s going around,” Linc said, but before I could ask what he meant, Aunt Velma insisted we grab a plate and get some food.
As Linc and I approached my veggie tray, I sighed and gestured at it. “I told her no one was going to eat veggies when there was fried chicken, biscuits, and her famous five cheese macaroni. I bet she’ll even say it’s because I bought it instead of made it from scratch—cutting carrots just so is probably in the handbook for southern debutantes, and of course that’s what I’m aspiring to be.”
Linc reached over me and used the plastic tongs to scoop up a giant-sized portion of veggies.
I placed my hand on his forearm. “You don’t have t—”
“I’ll eat the whole damn tray,” he said, dumping the load onto his plate, “and you can’t stop me. There’s nothing I love more than store-bought vegetables.” He tossed one of the baby carrots in his mouth, and his cheek popped out on one side when he gave me a big, close-lipped smile.