“Wow,” I say softly.
It actually sounds like Jake is putting in some serious effort to make his bachelor pad a kid-friendly zone. It’s touching.
Ryan nods. “It’s all really cool! Uncle Jake got a bunch of catalogs and we circled things we want. And we’re going to paint my room together, all black and white like a soccer ball.”
“That’s great!” I set down my things, trying to soak in what the six-year-old is saying.
Was Jake really taking initiative without me there to push him into it?
“Will you come to see it soon?” he asks with a hopeful smile, blinking those sweet little eyes.
“Did Jake tell you to ask me that, too?” I tease.
Ryan laughs and shakes his head. “No. But we got new stuff in the kitchen and I think you’d really like that too since you like cooking.”
“I bet I would.”
“Oh!” Ryan gives a little gasp and clutches his new superhero lunchbox to his chest. “Uncle Jake’s probably here. I’ve got to go!”
I wave and watch him leave, snagging my own bag. I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. Is Jake really picking up his nephew by himself?
I poke my head out of the doorway just in time to catch a red BMW leaving the parking lot. The license plate reads; HARTBKR
Had I left a few minutes earlier, I may have come across him myself. My heart thumps in my chest, but I shake my head to clear my pangs of longing.
The faster I get to girls’ night, the faster I can spill this whole situation to my friends and get some honest feedback. I want to believe Jake is doing all the right things and making all the right changes, but it seems too good to be true.
The entire time I make my way to the bar where my former roomies are waiting, I feel as though my head is in the clouds. I can’t get my conversation with Ryan out of my head. My heart is so conflicted. I don’t know whether I can trust it or if The Hartbreak Kid is playing me.
When I arrive at the girls’ night destination, Chloe and Morgan are already seated at our usual table. I push through the crowd to join them, pleased to find a pink cosmo already waiting for me. I take a small sip of it and grin at my friends.
They stare back at me, completely silent, and when I just look back at them in confusion Morgan lightly jabs my ribs. “Spill! We’re dying to know about you and the football star!”
Chloe nods, leaning forward across the table. “Tell. Us. Everything! I feel like I’ve been so out of the loop since Donovan and I have been gone so much!”
I gnaw at my lip. I’ve been waiting to be able to hash all this out with my best friends, but now that they’re here I don’t know what to say. “I don’t even know where to begin . . . Actually, I guess there isn’t really much to tell now, because I told him that he and I need to keep things strictly professional.”
“Seriously?” Morgan gasps. When I nod she throws in a quick, “Good for you.”
Chloe murmurs her agreement and lifts her drink toward me proudly. “So he’s out of your life then?”
I frown, pushing away my glass. “You two are total romantics. Are you honestly saying you’re happy I didn't pursue him harder?”
“He’s a player, Stacy,” Chloe says softly. “I mean, isn’t that his reputation? You’re right to be cautious.”
“He’s The Hartbreak Kid,” Morgan adds with a knowing nod.
“You two aren’t helping me figure this out at all! I thought you’d be able to give me some better perspective. I really like this guy but we’ve got so much going against us. His fame, Ryan being my student, my job being on the line if we’re found out.”
“Exactly!” Chloe replies.
“If there are this many hurdles, then maybe it’s just not right,” Morgan says, laying her hand on mine.
“Oh, like you two didn't have hurdles in your own relationships. Donovan was a total jerk to you, Chloe, and Eric had some serious problems of his own when you met him, Morgan. But you guys didn't give up because you must’ve felt something special. There was a part of you that knew they were the one for you, right?”
Chloe blushes while Morgan bites her lip begrudgingly but agrees.
“Well, that’s my question. How did you guys know you’d found the one? Your one?” I whisper, allowing my voice to be swallowed by the din of the noisy bar.
Looking at my two best friends and the happiness they’ve found, it makes me want to believe that there really is a perfect man out there for me. But how will I know when I find him?
The emotions that I have for Jake are so wildly confusing, I don’t know how to make sense of them at all.
“It was just a feeling right here,” Chloe explains, pressing her hand over her heart. “When Donovan and I were getting to know each other, I just felt like I was a whole person when he was around, like he brought out the best in me.”
She sighs wistfully and looks to Morgan for help in explaining the feeling she had when meeting the love of her life.
“Eric makes everything fun but he knows when to be serious too,” Morgan says, her own eyes dreamy and distant. “He makes me want to be brave and he reminds me that I'm beautiful on the inside and that it’s important to love myself.”
“Does Jake make you feel any of that?” Chloe asks with a quick look back at me.
I bite my lip. “He does. When I look into his eyes, there’s sincerity there, or at least I truly believe there is. He has this mask that he wears for his football games and his fans and stuff, but there’s a real man under there who’s dealing with some real problems. And when he almost kissed me the other day . . .” I trail off, flushing crimson.
Chloe and Morgan exchange a look.
“I’ve never seen you like this, Stacy,” Morgan says, squeezing my hand. “I'm still skeptical because of how he’s portrayed through the media. I don’t want you to get hurt. But you’re a good person with a good heart and a good judge of character. You need to trust your instincts.”
“There’s a way we may be able to figure this out,” Chloe suggests, her hands steepled so she can rest her chin on her fingertips. She has a cunning smile on her face. “Invite him out to a charity event Donovan and I are holding. It’s this cute new business that we’ve added to our PR biz called Central Bark Pet Shop and Boarding. The girl, Summer, who runs it is a total sweetheart and there will be tons of adorable animals to play with. You can get Jake out of his uniform and away from the cameras and see what he’s really like.”
“And Chloe and I can both judge him for ourselves!” Morgan squeals excitedly.
I lean back in my chair. “I don’t know. His schedule is insane . . . could he bring his nephew?”
“I don’t see why not,” Chloe answers.
I chew my thumb. “I literally just told Jake we need to keep things professional. If I ask him to something like this, it’ll definitely seem like a date.”
“So, are you willing to let him go or not?” Morgan quips with a frown, “Because a second ago you were trying to convince us that he’s amazing.”
“Come on, Stacy. If he says no then at least you tried,” Chloe adds.