"I screwed up. I thought that it would all blow over." I stared into the bottom of the glass. "Nic and I always flirted, but never acted on it. We hooked up on New Year's Eve, and it started from there. It felt like the old days. She was fun and adventurous. Well, when we were behind closed doors. It was what I needed. Over time, I became an on-call dick, so I called it off. She didn't take it well. For the last six months, she sent text messages when we were in the same room. Or she'd send nude photos in emails. She'd call me late at night to proposition me for sex. I couldn't block her. So, I ignored her."
"That's harassment."
"No. I consented . . . to everything. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. All I care about is making it for another two months. I'll get all of my shares. Then I can work on Hamilton and Reeves."
His lips twitched, struggling not to correct me on our running joke. He sobered, yet the evidence of his grin remained. "I fucking get it. You are a brave man. I wouldn't fuck Nic with your dick. I've always imagined she was a pillow princess. Take and take and take, but never give." He caught himself. "Shit, I'm sorry."
"I should've stayed away. We had our enjoyable moments, but those were few and far between."
"What did Jasmine say?"
"She doesn't know. That's why I need your advice." I ran a hand through my hair. "I suspect Nic orchestrated the firing. Jasmine deserves the truth. If I tell Jasmine about Nic, she may run away, but if I keep it to myself, then everything's built on a lie. I wouldn't tell her if she wasn't the one."
"Wow. The one?" Hunter leaned back against the barstool. A wry smile tilted his lips. I immediately regretted opening up to him. With a slight shift of his head, he let out a guffaw. "Look at you, becoming a man. What are you willing to sacrifice for love? You're ninety percent vested. Is love worth two hundred thousand dollars? For Delilah, I would walk away from it all."
Hunter's confession took me by surprise. I looked over to him, my brows raised in astonishment.
"You two . . . are serious?"
"Yes. She's going home with me for the Fall Festival. It's time for my family to meet her."
Now it was my turn to laugh. I had a hard time envisioning Lilah in rural America. Her big purses, tall shoes, and chatterbox personality were too big for a town with a handful of stoplights.
Thankfully, the second round of drinks was delivered. After several moments, Hunter continued in a take-charge tone. "If Jasmine is the one, then there should be no secrets. You fucked up by not telling her sooner, but I'm sure she'll understand. She'll be angry, but she'll forgive you. I'm sure of it."
I hoped he was right.
Jasmine
The late summer air was unusually crisp. Alexandra and I sat on the metal bleachers while Jackson filmed the soccer match from the sidelines. My sister and I huddled together, watching the hordes of second graders run up and down the field. The spiked pumpkin spice lattes made waking up at the crack of dawn worth the trouble. Christian and Kellan invited me to the game, but my sister sealed the deal with the offer to bring the coffee drinks.
Watching children play soccer was like watching puppies playing on the front lawn. The kids were all over the place and falling over each other. Inevitably, one young player would run after butterflies, or another would cry because he or she didn't get to kick the ball. But not my nephews, they were serious athletes. They were the top two scorers on the team because they competed against each other.
I'd returned from Chicago and stopped by Alexandra's house to hand over the separation agreement. She swore she wouldn't say anything to Jackson. Not that I would ever ask her to keep a secret from her husband.
"That's one hell of a package. What's the typical severance offer?" Alexandra leaned in closer.
"Two weeks for every year. I thought I would receive the twelve weeks, not seventy-five."
"As an attorney, I would insist on closer inspection of this case because it's evident that ER Wallace doesn't want to go to court." She turned her body to face me, our knees touching. "Yet, as your sister, I'm happy you signed it. I didn't want you to spend the next year of your life pursuing a payout. It's easy to become obsessed with seeking vengeance and making those who wronged you pay. Take the money and run. Enjoy your time off."
"Garrett suggested I spend my time exploring what I want to do."
"He's a smart man. When will I meet him?"
"Soon. I invited him to visit."
The onlookers erupted in a roar of screams and yells. Alex sat taller and craned her neck in time to see Christian dancing in the center of the field. He'd made his first field goal of the game. After he completed the dance, he searched the stands until his eyes found Alex and me. We whistled and smiled while waving our arms like madwomen. He then turned his attention back to the game.
"Am I a terrible mother because I missed that?" Alex whispered.
"You're an awful mother because you've got a little something extra in that Yeti." I nudged her with my shoulder and flashed a sympathetic smile. I didn't understand Alex's insecurities, she was an incredible mother.
"Trust me when I tell you this is the only way that I can make it through. At least they didn't make me bring the orange slices. Did you know that you can't buy pre-sliced oranges? The last time I sliced six dozen oranges. I smelled like an orange grove for a week. I hope he didn't see me not paying attention. He'll never forgive me."
"Well, I'm sure Jackson caught it in the video. How embarrassing for Chris and Kel." I nodded to my brother-in-law, who stood at the sidelines with the camera viewfinder pressed to his eyeball.
"Remember the time Mom cried when you won the science fair?"
"The science fair where I'd received the first-place ribbon for robotics and had to accept it in a pink ruffled dress and white patent leather Mary Janes? She said I looked sweet. I can't believe Mom made me wear an Easter dress. But I still love her."
"I love her too." She shifted the sunglasses to the top of her head and watched Kellan run the field, kicking the ball along the way. The goalie stretched out his arms and blocked the shot. "Shoot. He didn't make the goal. Those two compete so much. I hate when things aren't equal because I have to listen to someone whine for hours. I should be ashamed for complaining. My life would be incomplete without those three. Last week, something huge happened."
My ears perked up as hope filled Alexandra's smile. If we didn't have a shot of vanilla vodka in our cups, I would have expected a pregnancy announcement.
"I'm returning to law school. I'm a few credits shy of a Master of Law degree. I won't have the credentials to sit for the bar, but I can apply it to a position in auditing or corporate compliance. What do you think?" She chewed on her bottom lip, awaiting my response.
"That's awesome. I'm so happy for you."
She beamed. "Thank you. I’m excited. The boys are getting older and I need something to do. So, when do I meet Garrett?"
"Soon. We're going on a Mexican vacation. On the way back, we'll spend a few days here."