“If you take it much slower at your age, old man, you’ll be walking down the aisle when you’re 52.” Memphis and Hudson burst out laughing at Sawyer’s jab, but I just continue to bait my hook.
I don’t mind being the butt of their jokes. I’m just glad they’re all laughing at me rather than asking me about August.
“So what does August think of her?” Sawyer asks.
Fuck. Spoke too soon. I look over at Memphis, but he’s staring at the river in front of him. Yeah, Jade told him.
“Haven’t told August about her yet. She did stop by the other night when Leigh was over, but she didn’t meet her. She will when the time is right.” I leave it at that and the guys sense that’s all I want to say about it, so they don’t ask any more questions.
No sooner do I cast my line again than I get a big bite this time and reel in a massive brook trout. “What was that about not catching shit, Hudson? Looks like someone owes me $20.”
After fishing with the guys for several hours, I make my way back home and take a shower. I promised Leigh I’d meet her for ice cream before she heads back to Boulder for the weekend. She has a family event, and for a panicked minute I thought she was going to ask me to accompany her, but she didn’t.
“I never would’ve pegged you for a coconut ice cream kind of guy.” Leigh flirtatiously bumps my shoulder as we walk around Main Street.
“And why’s that?” I take a bite of my ice cream, the cold hitting my teeth a little too hard.
“I feel like coconut is weirdly one of those flavors that guys just don’t seem to like. I know it’s weird, but my last two exes both hated it with a passion—the texture, taste, smell.”
This might sound normal, but to me, it’s the first time she’s mentioned having an ex, and I don’t feel the slightest bit jealous. Whenever August would mention one of her exes, I felt like my stomach always ended up in knots and my brain would automatically think about her in their arms. But with Leigh, I don’t feel that. Is that a good thing?
We’re casually walking down the street, and she’s telling me about her day and what her plans are with her family, when I look up and see August walking toward us. She’s far enough in the distance that Leigh doesn’t notice her, but as she gets closer, I feel myself getting nervous. We’ve finished our ice cream and are holding hands, and for some reason, I feel caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.
I want to distract Leigh so she doesn’t see her, but I don’t have to. The moment my eyes meet August’s and she sees us together, she crosses the street, breaking into a slight jog and ducking into her real estate office.
The panic in my chest dissipates and my thoughts are interrupted by Leigh. “Oh shoot, it’s later than I realized. I really need to be heading to Boulder.” She sticks out her bottom lip a little, which makes me smile.
“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car.”
After I say goodbye to Leigh and she drives off, I wait until her car is out of sight before turning back down Main Street. I glance at my watch and it’s almost 6, so I’m unsure if August will still be in her office, but I’m hoping I’ll catch her walking out.
The bell above the door jingles as I open it and step inside.
“Hey, Remi,” Roxy, her young assistant, says, giving me a small wave. “If you’re here for August, you just missed her.”
“She gone for the night?” I ask, and she gives an enthusiastic nod.
“Her phone was in her hand, so if you shoot her a text, I’m sure she’ll respond right away.”
“I’ll just write her a quick note on her desk if that’s okay,” I say, pointing toward her office. Roxy just smiles and nods, but I can see a bit of confusion in her expression. She probably thinks I’m a thousand years old—leaving her a note when I could just send a text.
I grab a sticky note and jot down a message before telling Roxy good night and heading home.
9
August
The moment I see Remi with her, my stomach does a little flip-flop—and not the good kind. Not the Oh my God, I see my crush kind, but the Oh lovely, he’s holding hands with her and why isn’t he in love with me and are they in love and planning a wedding and babies and forever? kind of way.
“Hey, I thought you were gone for the day,” my assistant Roxy says as I duck into my office. “Did you run here?” she asks, confused by my panting. I try to slow my breathing to play it cool, but it only makes me gasp more.
“I just jogged across the street, but shit, I need to work out more or something.” I don’t tell her the real reason I’m back is because I’m pathetic and hiding from a boy I like who’s on a date, so I just say, “Forgot something I need first thing Monday morning. Got a showing with that guy Grant over at the old Ludlow residence.”
I dip into my office for a moment, sitting at my desk until I feel like enough time has passed for the coast to be clear. “Got it,” I say, holding up a random folder that I don’t actually need and glancing out the window before I open the door.
“Don’t stay too late, Rox. It’s Friday night, so you should be out with friends and not at work at 6 p.m.” I point to my watch and she just gives me a little shrug.
“I’m meeting a few friends at the bowling alley in, like, 30 minutes, so I figure it’s easier to stay here rather than drive all the way home first. I promise I’ll go live up my youth.” She smiles and flails her hands a little as she says that. I’m always telling her to be young and carefree since she can always be a work-obsessed hermit when she’s in her 30s, but not this early in life.
I glance both ways before I tell Roxy good night and then sprint to my car. “This is fucking ridiculous,” I say to myself, wheezing as I catch my breath. Seriously, I need to join a gym. I stare at my reflection in my car window. I’ve always been on the smaller side, but since hitting 30 a few years ago, I can’t say I haven’t noticed some changes in my body. I was always active—I played volleyball and ran track in high school and even intramurally through college. I wasn’t good enough to play on the actual team, but I was too busy for that commitment anyway.
I pull my shirt up a little and notice that my once-taut stomach has grown a little soft and my arms spread a little more when they’re flush against my sides. I’m not too hard on myself, though. I’m still healthy and can pretty much eat whatever I want, but I feel like I’ve lost the glow and firmness of youth.
I look at the clock on my dashboard: 6:08 p.m. and I have no plans. I feel a pang in my stomach and try to ignore it as I put my car in drive. I think about how, normally, I’d be texting Remi to see if he wanted to come over for a movie or grab dinner somewhere . . . but I can’t, because he’s on a date. I think back to the other night when I showed up unannounced to his house, only to realize he had her over. Gone are the days of the two of us just hanging out whenever. No more late night meetups or stolen glances—no more secret kisses or hookups. I know I’m an idiot for acting like things would never change between us, because I knew they would eventually. I’d just hoped they’d change into us being a couple rather than me being sidelined for someone else.