by J. P. Comeau
“Wait. What?” Karina asked.
“Clint was here?” Kelly asked.
I nodded. “If you guys were spending any time with me at all, you’d know I just ran into him. Literally. Spilled my drink all over him before he spouted off some lie about working security for the night.”
Zane blinked. “He did? You mean, he came?”
“I take it you’re the one that invited him?”
He shrugged. “I mean, I sent him a text telling him that he was missing out on a good time.”
“Well, it looks like you were the first liar of the night.”
Brenden sighed. “Roxy, we were just setting up your birthday dinner. That’s all.”
Kelly reached out for me. “Oh, don’t be mad at us. Not when you see the spread of food and the beautiful cake. The cupcake was just a tease.”
Karina nodded. “You’re going to love it, I promise. And for the rest of the night, we’re going to be right here.”
Yeah, well, I won’t. “Thanks.”
I fluffed my napkin and laid it out in my lap, but I was still royally pissed off at them. They abandoned me on my birthday, and then Zane invites my damn boss to my birthday party? Who the hell thinks it’s fun to have their boss anywhere? Much less out on the town for a night that’s supposed to be about me? I was too upset to have fun. All I wanted to do was eat and get home. I mean, I’d already blown through my money, including the five hundred bucks I won.
The poker tables told me I needed to go home.
So, that’s what I intended to do after I stuffed my face.
“Did you say you ran into him?” Brenden asked.
I picked up my glass of water. “Yep. He stepped out in front of me as I was headed to the bar after my big win.”
Karina gasped. “You won!? How much?”
I spared her a look. “You’d know if you were out there.”
Kelly shook her head. “Oh, come on, Roxy. Cut us some slack. We planned this all for you.”
“Well, I would’ve much preferred a night in with pizza and you guys to laugh with than this extravagant nonsense I’ve had to enjoy by myself. But, thanks, I guess.”
Zane stood. “I need to go call Clint. Figure out where he went.”
“Of course, you do.”
Karina glared at me. “That’s his brother, Roxy. He’s worried.”
“And I’m the birthday girl, but you don’t see me complaining about shit that’s gone wrong tonight.”
“Until now,” Kelly murmured.
I rose to my feet. “Say that again to my face.”
She stood with me. “Until now, Roxy. You’re acting like a spoiled brat.”
“Just for one night, all I wanted was to feel like I was still part of this group. You know, still part of this family. But, no. You couldn’t even give me that. Now, my best friends are nothing but housewives who work sometimes and mothers who have completely cut me out because I’m single and have no one.”
Kelly raised her voice. “Or, maybe you’re just jealous because you want what we have, and you’re too much of a jerk to admit it!”
I gasped. “You take that back.”
Brenden stood. “Okay, okay. Why don’t we all settle down and have a drink.”
Karina snickered. “I think Roxy’s had enough to drink.”
I threw my napkin onto the table. “That’s it. I’m going home.”
“Roxy!” Karina exclaimed.
I glared at her. “Never in a million years did I think my sister and my own best friend would do this to me. Never did I think we wouldn’t be a family. But, you guys enjoy cutting me out of stuff now, don’t you?”
Karina shook her head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“The spa trip you and Kelly took without inviting me?”
Brenden paused. “Wait, you didn’t go on that spa trip?”
I shook my head. “Nope. And what about the shopping trip you two took a couple of weeks ago? Hmmm?”
Kelly sighed. “Roxy, those are just one-off times.”
I giggled bitterly. “Yeah? Well, how about the day trip to the beach you guys took last Saturday? Huh? Or, the lunch dates you guys apparently do every Wednesday with one another now, yeah? What, do you think I don’t look at social media posts? Do you think I don’t see what you guys are doing without so much as asking me if your other best friend wants to come along?”
Kelly sighed. “It’s just--sometimes, I don’t want to hang out with someone who’s single, Roxy. Sometimes, I want to hang out with someone who understands where my life is headed. And Karina gets that.”
I nodded slowly. “Well, at least you’re being honest with me now. Thanks for completely blocking me out of your life.”
Karina scoffed. “Oh, come on. Now you’re just being dramatic.”
I pointed at her. “No, Clint’s dramatic. Waltzing up into my birthday party trying to act like he gives a damn about me before slinging around lies about working. Why the fuck was he invited anyway?”
Brenden butted in. “Because we thought he could use a nice time to unwind, too.”
“Oh, so it’s certainly not to celebrate my birthday, right?”
Zane walked back into the room. “Good news, he got home all right. He had to get out of his booze-smelling suit. Though, I don’t know if he’s coming back.”
I threw my hands into the air. “Praise God. He’s okay! Now, if you’ll excuse me, this pointless birthday girl is going home.”
Brenden called after me. “Roxy!”
I whipped around. “If I hear one more person yell my name like I’m some toddler to be called out, I’ll smack the person that dares to talk to me like that. I’m a grown woman being shoved out onto the curb by her own friends, and it hurts. It hurts to hear you guys admit that and then justify it as if my feelings don’t matter. Well, you know what? They do matter. At least on this one day, they do.”
He sighed. “Do you know why Clint is always so standoffish? Why we always try to get him out of that stupid little apartment he’s renting?”
Zane murmured. “Brenden, don’t.”
I paused. “Why?”
Brenden licked his lips. “Because he lost his best friend on patrol in Iraq. And that’s when he decided he wasn’t going to re-enlist.”
The entire table fell silent as my heart fell to my toes.
“That’s horrible,” Karina said.
Zane nodded. “Bryce died right there next to him trying to save a couple of guys who had been ejected from the vehicle because of the I.E.D. blast. Clint hasn’t been the same since.”
Brenden held out his hands. “We’ve been trying to get him out, and maybe your birthday night wasn’t the best time to try and do that. We’re really sorry.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for inviting him, Roxy. It was insensitive, and I completely forgot about the fact that he’s your boss now,” Zane said.
I looked between the girls. “You guys got anything to say? Maybe an apology, too?”
But, when they didn’t say anything, I picked up my purse.
“Come on, Roxy. Don’t do this,” Kelly said.
I shrugged. “I’m not doing it. You guys have already been doing it for weeks. And I’m done chasing after people who don’t care about me anymore.”
Karina scoffed. “Look around you, Roxy. Of course, we care about you!”
“If you can’t honestly see where I’m coming from, then you never will. While you guys have been off canoodling and setting this shit up that I could’ve set up myself in an hour or two, your so-called best friend and sister was out there alone. I am playing alone, gambling, alone, and winning alone. I’m even drinking alone! I’m sitting in my apartment alone while you two shop! I’m sitting home alone while you two go on spa retreats! I’m sitting at home alone, hoping and praying you guys will call to ask me to do something while you fuckers are off taking a damn day trip to the beach!”
I felt tears rushing down my cheeks as I turned to Zane.
“Don’
t you ever invite Zane out whenever I’m around. We can’t be partying together. Not anymore. He’s my boss, you idiot.”
“Hey! Don’t you talk to him like that,” Karina said.
I held up my hands. “Trust me. It won’t happen ever again.”
There were so many emotions flooding my system all at once. Anger and depression. Frustration and confusion. Plus, I felt shitty for being such an asshole to Clint. If I ever had Karina or Kelly die right next to me, I’d never be able to function again. Even with the argument, we were having, I loved those two more than I could stand. I couldn't imagine what Clint had seen during his stint in the Navy, especially as a SEAL. And part of me hoped he returned to the party.
“Cake time!” someone exclaimed.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you!”
I slowly turned around and saw some of the casino staff, bringing out a three-tiered cake. Everyone else around the table was silent, but the cake looked phenomenal. The royal blue fondant base made the glittering silver decorations pop. The bottom layer was polka-dotted with glistening silver circles of all sizes, and the middle layer was decorated with a sparkling edible silver purse, a pair of matching edible silver high heels, and a tube of silver lipstick with a crimson color spilling out over the royal blue of the cake. But, the last layer was what really took my breath away. Because in between the candles and the lit sparklers and the twinkling silver liquid that seemed to drip down the sides of the royal blue topper were two numbers. They were two small numbers that stopped me in my tracks.
A two, and a seven.
“Happy birthday to you!”
I’m twenty-seven years old.
“Well, go on, Roxy. Make a wish and blow out your candles,” Zane said.
As the girls stared me down with hatred in their eyes, I couldn't move. I felt paralyzed from head to toe, and suddenly I wished Clint was here to get me out of this situation. He always did that at work. He always had a way of cropping up at the best times to get me out of sticky situations with people who walked into his office at any given moment. And I yearned for him to walk up behind me with an excuse to pull me away from this insane evening.
Please, Clint. Come back. Help me.
Those two numbers taunted me as the servers set the cake down in front of me. I felt everyone looking at me as my eyes danced between the two and the seven. I was the oldest girl here. Hell, I was the second to oldest person there. And what did I have to show for my life? Karina was the head of Zane’s H.R. department. Brenden and Zane had their own multi-million dollar company. Kelly had her own damn fashion line that was making the big bucks now, and Clint was a war hero with a budding security company of his own.
And me?
I was a secretary, making an average wage, trying to dig myself out of credit card debt, with nothing to my name. No investments. No property. No savings account. Nothing.
“Roxy?” Kelly asked.
I blinked rapidly. “Here it goes.”
Then, I blew out the candles on my 27th birthday.
Everyone clapped, and Brenden even whistled. Food started coming out of the kitchen as I slowly sat back down into my seat. I felt the alcohol trying to drown out my own thoughts, and when the waiter placed a massive steak in front of me, my stomach growled out. I needed to eat something. I’d never get home safely if I left like this. And while I didn’t want it to seem like Kelly and Karina had won tonight, I didn’t have a choice.
I had to eat before I could leave.
“Are you feeling better?” Karina asked.
Zane whispered harshly to her. “Not now. Just eat.”
At least I didn’t have a man telling me what to do all the damn time. Though, I did toss Zane a glare.
“She can do whatever she wants, all right?” I asked.
Then, I sliced into my juicy steak and shoved a massive bite into my mouth.
And I found myself wondering what Clint was up to.
6
Clint
“You’re better than this,” I said.
I stared at myself in the mirror, donning nothing but sweatpants and a white t-shirt. My head tilted off to the side as I studied the furrow of my brow and the crow’s feet at the sides of my eyes. I ran my hand over the scruff on my face. I’d have to trim up and shape up tomorrow morning. It would be too wild once I woke up, and I’d have to put in some effort to make it look right. But, the few gray hairs in my beard caught my attention, causing me to think about the past few years of my life.
“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, man,” I murmured.
It was true, though. I was incredibly jealous of what my brothers had. They’d met the love of their lives, and it showed on their faces. I’d never felt like that with my ex-wife, which was probably why she had cheated on me in the first place. Other than giving her great sex whenever I was home, she needed more than I could provide while being a Navy SEAL. She always accused me of never being present. Of always being different every time I came home, so it was like relearning how to live with me. She complained of never getting to a point in our marriage where we were comfortable with one another because, with every deployment, it changed the game.
Then, I was diagnosed with PTSD.
“Son of a bitch,” I murmured.
I looked down into the sink as I pressed my hands against the bathroom countertop. I closed my eyes and tried to push the memories off to the side, but I couldn't. Every time I saw my brothers with Kelly and Karina, it made me relive the horrible chance I took at love. At a new life. At a family and happiness, and serenity.
“You don’t deserve it,” I whispered.
Somedays, I questioned why my ex left. But, times like this? I knew why. I couldn't give her what she wanted. Maggie had this glorified view of what it meant to be a military wife, and when it didn’t live up to her expectations, she blamed me for it. And that wasn’t my fault. But, it was my fault for not preparing her ahead of time. It was my fault for not taming her expectations. I should’ve been able to step up and take the reins. I should’ve been able to guide her and get her to understand rather than giving her a crash course in that shit once we got hitched.
“You’re so stupid!” I roared.
I pushed away from the counter and stormed out of the bathroom. I charged over to my small kitchenette and pulled a fresh bottle of tequila from the cabinet. The only thing to do with tonight was to drown it out. That was the only choice I had. But as I stood there, with that bottle clutched in my hand, my mind decided it wanted to torture me a little more.
Roxy looked good tonight.
I opened the bottle and held it up to my lips, refusing to charge down that road tonight. It was the last thing I needed, especially since it was true. I didn’t need to use Roxy as a distraction, and I sure as hell didn’t need to be focusing on an employee like that.
Hell, me being drawn to her was one of the reasons why she was my first hire.
I flopped down into my recliner and took another swig of tequila. I set the bottle between my legs and reached for my remote, turning on my television. And the first fucking thing to pop up on the screen was a commercial for baby powder.
And I was entranced by the scenes the father had with his son.
“I wouldn’t mind a son,” I murmured.
Someone to take hiking and fishing. Someone to do outdoor stuff with and teach how to hunt. A young boy to raise into the kind of man society needed instead of the men society kept getting.
The thought made me grin.
At one point in time, I wanted a family with my ex-wife. I wanted to have her pregnant and swollen with my children. I wanted a big family, too. At least four children. All healthy, happy, and loud as can be. My grin grew into a smile as I thought about it. With the commercials flipping in the background, I forgot all about the tequila between my legs as my thoughts pulled me back.
It was closing me off from the rest of the world.
The life I’d led after my divorce wasn’t
one to write home about. For a few years after my wife and I split, I drank myself stupid every night. I went out with Bryce on the weekends before he got married to pick up ‘bunk bunnies’ and fuck them senseless before sending them home walking funny. Then, four years after losing my wife, I lost my best friend.
“Bryce,” I whispered.
I lost the only person that really mattered to me—my brother. He was my confidant. The best friend I’d ever had. I became a drunkard, which was why I was sidelined from missions. I became unkempt, which is why I was dropped to pushing papers instead of getting out there with my SEAL buddies. Then, it came time to re-up my contract, and I figured leaving was better than staying and being reminded of everything the Navy took from me.
Only to find myself in Vegas doing the same damn thing.
Every weekend, I went out and threw back some drinks. Every weekend, I brought a new girl back to this dumbass studio apartment for a rousing night of debaucherous pleasure. And once the first glint of sun came around the next morning, she was in a taxi headed home—courtesy of my wallet.
It was getting old, though.
“I’m getting old,” I whispered.
I thought back to Roxy and her party. I thought back to the cute little number she’d been wearing and felt my sweatpants getting tight around my pelvis. That woman never ceased to be the sexiest thing I’d ever laid my eyes on. Especially when I first met her last year. Roxy working to get her sister laid tickled my funny bone, but watching her work that hard over something she cared about is what drew me to her. Yeah, the idea was stupid. Yeah, the idea was frivolous. But, she threw her all into it while making sure her sister would be safe.
I liked that about her.
I liked a lot about her.
Now that she was working for me, though, any idea of asking her out on a date was forbidden. Dating an employee would be like an officer dating an enlisted individual in the Navy. That shit got people dishonorably discharged left and right. That’s one of the reasons why all of the men I hired were ex-military. It wasn’t just because they had training and experience already underneath their belts. But, it was also because I knew they’d be able to follow the rules I set forth for them. Plus, the last thing I needed was to compromise the face of my business. Not myself, of course. But, her.