Eight

Morgan

Who thought dating was a good idea?

It was awkward and stressful and nerve-racking. I mean, I could just be at home, not interacting with any more people again ever. Crawling into my introverted bubble for a few minutes longer.

I used up all my extrovertedness every day in meetings and on an outrageous number of freaking conference calls. Not to even mention, that weird interaction with Patrick yesterday.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that he’d been avoiding me like the plague since church on Sunday, now, he was showing up on the top floor and acting like a crazy person. What the hell was that even about?

I didn’t even want to think about it. Because the more I thought about it, the more confused I got.

Was it always going to be like this? It was one night. We could get past it. Maybe. At least, I hoped it wouldn’t always be this awkward.

I really needed to stop thinking about it. Especially while I waited for my date to show up.

“I’ll take another beer,” I said to Peter, the bartender.

“Sure thing, Wright,” he said with a head nod as he slid a bottle toward me.

I’d decided to go really casual with the date and meet at Flips, the local bar. I didn’t want an awkward dinner or movies or something like that. I didn’t really want any kind of expectations. I wanted a few drinks and maybe some heavy making out. That might make me feel better about the madness of my life.

Truly, I couldn’t even believe I’d left the office for this. I’d almost canceled a couple of times, but that awkward conversation with Patrick had kept me from doing it. I needed to move on. I couldn’t keep running into him at family events and have everything feel uncomfortable. I needed a hot new boyfriend who would make me forget all about Patrick.

I tipped my beer back and waited in my sky-high heels. I’d gone all out in a dress that Julia had insisted I get the last time I went shopping. It was skintight and left little to the imagination. At the time, I’d had no idea where I’d wear it.

The door opened then, and Travis Jones walked into the bar. He was as cute as I remembered. He’d been a senior when I was a freshman, and he’d gone to a rival high school. Landon had punched him in the face when Travis asked me to prom. He had taken it back after that and gone with someone else. But, for a few awesome days, I’d been the only freshman in the school going to senior prom.

“Morgan,” he said with that confidence he’d always had. He pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. “This is a surprise.”

“I’m full of surprises,” I said, stepping out of his embrace.

“How many times have I asked you out, and you’ve never said yes?”

I shrugged. “You were always joking. Trying to make up for that time you ditched me and went to prom with someone else.”

“To be fair, your brother did break my nose.”

“I suppose Landon was a bit intimidating as the starting quarterback.”

“No intimidating brothers tonight. I’m glad you texted,” he said. His eyes swept me up and down with acute interest.

“Me, too.” It was still up to debate whether or not that was true.

Travis ordered himself a beer, and then we took our beers over to a booth and cozied up in the corner. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and we played catch-up. He congratulated me on becoming CEO, but the way he said it made it seem like maybe he wasn’t really congratulating me. Travis was a pharmacist at the medical center. He worked long hours and made good money, but it was still as if he were wary of my success.

Two drinks later, and I decided I didn’t care. I wanted to have a fun time. The way to do that was to not talk about work.

“Do you ever just…miss high school?” he asked with a laugh.

I balked. “No.”

“What? Why not? You were a hot cheerleader. Everyone threw themselves at you.”

I didn’t like to talk about high school that much. Most people closest to me remembered that my father had died my sophomore year, right after my birthday. I might have been both popular and a cheerleader. But I’d also been a wreck, and boys both hadn’t mattered and filled the time. If Landon had punched every guy I’d fooled around with in high school after dad died, then he wouldn’t have been able to throw a football.

“High school wasn’t for me,” I said instead. “Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes, but sometimes, I’m surprised I’m still stuck in Lubbock.”

“Don’t you love Lubbock?”

“It’s home,” he said with a shrug. “I just always thought I’d get out. Hard to meet new people here.”

“Now, that is true.”

Though I’d never wanted to leave. Lubbock wasn’t for everybody. It was big enough to have everything you needed but not big enough to have everything you really wanted. It’d grown exponentially in the last decade. I loved the small-town vibe in the bigger city. The college town always kept it fresh. The high schools were amazing. It was a great place to raise a family. There was too much to love to want to leave. I couldn’t imagine being offered something better than this place.

“And shit like this happens here,” Travis muttered.

“Like what?” I asked. I turned around and tried to figure out what he was talking about.

“Sorry. I know you’re friends with the guy, but he starts shit every time we’re in the same building.”

Then, my eyes caught him, striding into the bar and up to the pool tables where a group of his friends from the gym were playing.

Patrick.

Fuck. I hadn’t expected that to happen. What are the chances?

“Why do y’all not get along?” I asked.

“High school bullshit. His girlfriend dumped him, and then I took her to homecoming. He acted like it was the end of the world. It’s been long over.”

Yeah. That wasn’t the way Patrick had told that story. Or, to be more specific, the way Austin had made fun of him about it. Patrick always said that Travis had stolen his girlfriend and taken her to homecoming while they were still dating. Then, when Patrick had decided to ask someone else out, she’d come back running. He’d taken her to homecoming anyway, and then after homecoming, she’d dumped him again for Travis. I still thought that she’d only done it for the mums.

“Fuck, and now, he’s coming over here,” Travis grumbled.

I froze. I’d known when I picked Flips as our date location that it was because it was so visible. But I’d thought the date would get back to someone and then to Patrick. I hadn’t anticipated him actually being here.

Fuck. Shit. Damn.

What the hell am I supposed to do? Act cool. This is normal.

Patrick didn’t want me. Who cared that I’d just spent twelve years obsessing over him? I was determined to move forward, and if that meant Travis Jones and some very fine making out, then I’d go for it.

Patrick approached the table, and I plastered a fake smile on my face.

“Hey,” Patrick said. His eyes glanced to me and then Travis.

“Young,” Travis said in greeting.

“Jones,” he said coolly. Then, he just glared at the pair of us.

“What are you up to tonight?” I said when I realized he wasn’t going to say anything else.

“Just hanging with the guys.”

“No Austin, right?” I asked quickly. The last thing I wanted was for my brother to be at a bar right after rehab.

“Of course not.”

“What’s up with Austin?” Travis asked.

“Nothing,” Patrick and I said at the exact same time.

I bit my lip and glanced down at my empty beer. Smooth.

“Morgan, can I talk to you for a minute?” Patrick asked. “Alone.”

“We’re kind of on a date right now,” Travis told him.

“I noticed that. Thank you for stating the obvious.”

I sighed heavily through my nose. Jesus, these boys. They were going to come to blows in the middle of the bar over something that had happened in high school. And I’d be stuck in the middle as some damn catalyst that really made zero sense. This was not what I’d signed up for.

“Sure. Just for a minute,” I said to Patrick. Then, I turned to Travis. “I’ll be right back. Could you get me another beer?”

Travis looked pissed about the interruption, but the fact that I’d asked for another beer showed I was coming back. He couldn’t be that upset.

I hopped out of the booth and onto wobbly legs. Whoa. I hadn’t stood up for a while. I stumbled a few steps, and Patrick caught me around the waist. I hastily retreated and leaned against the side of the booth until I got my bearings.

“How much have you had to drink?” he asked.

“I don’t know. A couple of beers. Why?” I said as I followed him down a few more booths until we found an empty one for me to lean on.

“You look drunk.”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you want, Patrick? Can’t you see that I’m on a date?”

“Yeah, I see that. But what the fuck are you doing with Travis Jones?”

“I asked him out.”

“Why?” he asked, baffled.

Because you blew me off!

That was what I wanted to shout in his face. But I didn’t.

“He’s cute,” I said instead.

“You know he’s a douche bag.”

So are you!

I ground my teeth together to keep from saying what I wanted. I couldn’t be that drunk!

“That was in high school. People change. I’ve changed.”

“I think this is a bad idea.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” I said with a pointed eye roll. “Next time, I’ll definitely care about your opinion.”

“Morgan,” he muttered.

“What? You’re not one of my brothers. I have three of them, and they’re annoying and nosy enough. I don’t need you to come in here and act like one of them, too. As if you have any right to know or care who I’m dating. So, back off.”

He took a step back at my forcefulness and then shook his head. “I’m just looking out for you.”

“Well, look out for someone else. I’m a big girl. I can do what I want.”

I turned and took a step away from him, but he grabbed my elbow and stopped me.

“I don’t want you to do something that you’ll regret.”

I stared up into his big baby-blue eyes full of concern for me and didn’t hold back the angry voice in my head. “Too late,” I spat.