String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2) (21 page)

WYATT

“Vi? Are you okay?” I looked over at Emma and she
moved closer, her concern evident on her face.

“Yeah,” Vi giggled. “I’m great. Just great. I’m in
Vegas with the girls and we’ve been out all night.”

“Do you know what time it is?” I looked at the
clock and it was almost one in the morning.

“You weren’t in a rush, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

“You said you weren’t in a rush, that you would
have waited for me to get my shit together,” she spat somewhat angrily.

There was no doubt she was drunk, but calling me
and looking for a fight over a conversation we’d had almost two weeks ago was
over the top.

“But then I see you and Emma the other night and I
realized you’re really good with the lines.”

“If you want to talk about this, then let’s do it
when you’re sober.”

“Had you just listened to me, really listened,
then maybe you would have known that everything I said to you was a lie.”

“What are you talking about?”

“All of it. Everything. But that’s what happens
when you try to be the nice guy.”

“Vi?”

“You hide behind all the things that went wrong,
even when the right things come along, because you’re too scared. And then
you’ve gone and messed everything up so much that the right one leaves, because
he’s a good guy and you told him to.”

“Viola, can I say something?”

“I’m sorry, Wyatt. I shouldn’t have called. I’m
sorry if I woke you up,” she said. “I need to get back to the girls. I…I’ll…see
you.”

“Vi,” I called out, but she’d already hung up the
phone and left me staring at a blank screen.

“Is everything okay?” Emma asked.

I shook my head and set the phone on the counter.

Emma, Busy, and I were busy doing inventory—one
of my least favorite things of owning the coffee shop. I’d willingly accepted
when they offered to help out, but I had no idea it would take us into the
early morning hours.

“She and the girls went to Vegas for the weekend.
I guess she’s had a bit too much to drink,” I said.

“Does she know about us?”

“I haven’t had the chance to talk to her,” I
answered.

“What happened at Mood Swings?”

“I tried to get some time with her, but she was
with that Owen guy.”

Busy walked over and joined us. Never one to keep
her mouth shut, she spoke up. “She probably thought you two were together.”

“She’s right,” Emma said. “I didn’t even see her
after she walked off with that guy.”

Busy laughed and nudged her arm. “You were
probably too busy flirting with Mike to even notice anyone else.”

Emma’s cheeks were bright pink and I laughed.

Two weeks earlier, when Vi had told me about Emma and pushed me to give
her a chance, I went back to my place to think. At first I was pissed because
she didn’t give me any sort of say in the whole conversation. Her mind was made
up and I needed to move on.

But the whole time she was talking, I knew every word she said was
meant to push me away. We’d spent enough time together and I was breaking
through the walls she’d built up to protect herself. I’m sure what her husband
did put her through the wringer and she was scared. So I didn’t pursue her the
way I wanted to; I played it cool and waited.

She was so adamant that I not wait for her, and I was pissed off enough
that I decided to go for it. The next morning, I talked to Emma and asked her
out. She was surprised by my invitation, but agreed. Only, we weren’t able to
go out that night because she was closing and I told Dallas I’d help him move
the living room furniture.

After days of trying to make it happen, we finally had our first—and
only—date. We went to dinner at a sushi restaurant that Emma liked. I
hated sushi but I went along, figuring I’d find something I liked. We spent the
evening in easy conversation, but it was all platonic.

When I drove her home that night, I got out to walk her to her door and
was surprised when she kissed me. It took me all of a second to return the
kiss, but when we separated, something had changed.

She looked at me like I was covered in shit.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I thought that would be different,” she admitted, her tone bland.

“Different? How?”

“Less brother-like and more shaky-knees.”

“Is that your way of saying I’m a bad kisser?” I teased.

She shook her head and stepped closer. “Let’s try it one more time.”

There was nothing wrong with her lips, and there was certainly nothing
wrong with her body. Emma was attractive, but I’d just never looked at her like
that. She’d worked at String Beans since my parents owned the place and the few
times I’d met her back then, she’d always seemed familiar…like a friend I’d
known forever.

When we parted for the second time, that was all it took, and whatever Emma
might have felt for me dissipated.

The next day at work, she walked into my office and confessed that
she’d harbored a crush on me since the day we met.

“And now?”

“No offense, but the thought of kissing you, or dating you, makes my
skin crawl.”

“No. Nothing offensive about that at all,” I laughed.

“You know what I mean,” she said, slapping at my arm. “You’re cute as
hell, but I think you’re like…”

“A brother?” I filled in for her.

“Yes! Exactly! So this is okay? We’re not gonna be weird and I don’t
have to quit?”

“Please don’t quit,” I laughed. “Not when inventory is around the
corner.”

“Try not to be too heartbroken, okay? I’m tough to lose.” She winked.
She started to leave the office, but turned around again and looked at me. “I
have to ask, because I know that Vi talked to you about me.”

“What’s the question?”

“I know she feels more than she’s letting on. I could see it the day
she talked to me about you. She gave me some really great advice. I’m just
curious…why don’t you do the things she told me to do?”

“Like?”

“Tell her how you feel, Wyatt. Spell it out so there’s no way that she
can say she didn’t know. Put it out there and then you won’t have any regrets.”

“I thought I did that already.”

Emma looked at me and rolled her eyes as she reached the door. “You two
are stupid and impossible. I think you might be perfect for each other.”

“What do you know about the guy she was with?”
Busy asked, freeing me of my thoughts.

“Only that his name is Owen,” I answered.

“So what did Owen look like?” she asked.

“He was really cute. And he seemed to be into
her,” Emma said.

“Thanks for that,” I muttered.

“Anytime.” She grinned and walked away to get more
work done.

I hung up the phone and powered it down before shoving
the device into my pocket. I didn’t want to be tempted to drunk-dial again. I
stopped one of the waitresses and chugged two bottles of water and refused any
more alcohol. There was no way I was going to make that mistake again.

I stood outside in the somewhat-fresh air for a
while and tried to sober up. The hours of drinking had taken their toll on my
ability to think clearly, and if I’d just listened to that nagging voice in the
back of my head…the one that sounded a lot like my mom…I wouldn’t have called
Wyatt.

“Stupid alcohol,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What was that?” Dani asked causing me to jump.

“Where did you come from?”

“I lost so I let someone else have my seat. I
think Jo’s just about done. Where’s Callie?”

I pointed to the blonde who was still talking to Jake
near the exit.

“Jo,” I called out. “Hurry up and lose your money
so we can go.”

She was in the middle of a hand and flipped me off
but it turned into a fist pump as she stood up.

“She won,” I said. Dani and I walked over, with
Callie and Jake following close behind. The four of us looked to see that she’d
won almost two hundred dollars.

“Come with me to cash out,” she ordered as she
walked to the cage.

After she retrieved her winnings, the four of us
walked into the night, mesmerized by the lights flickering all around us.
Callie and Jake had made plans to meet up at the hotel, so she would be busy
the rest of the night.

“What do you think of Vegas, Cal?” I asked.

Callie and Jolie were walking arm in arm, while
Dani and I trailed behind them the same way. “Awesome!”

I leaned my head on Dani’s shoulder and laughed. “This
was fun. Exactly what I needed.”

The memory of the phone call came back to me, but
I shoved it back, refusing to panic over making a fool of myself.

“Yeah it was,” she answered. “I’m so glad we did
this.”

“Me too.”

We walked a ways, looking around at the people and
occasionally stopping for a selfie. As we were waiting for the water show at
the Bellagio, Dani looked at me, a trace of panic in her eyes.

I stepped forward and grabbed her arm. “Are you
okay?”

She shook her head sadly before making eye contact
with me. “What happens if it doesn’t work out with Tabor?”

“What do you mean? Is something wrong?”

“No,” she muttered. “But there was nothing wrong
with you and Will either.”

I started laughing and she gaped at me with wide
eyes.

“I’m sorry, but that’s insane. You and Tabor are
great together. You have nothing to worry about.”

“But I thought the same thing about you and Will.”

“Yeah, but one, I was young—too young. And
if you ever tell my parents I said that, I’ll kill you. And two, I was the only
one trying. I loved Will, I always will, but he never loved me enough. What you
and Tabor have is good. Don’t look at my marriage as the litmus test for all
marriages… I sure as hell can’t. If I did, I’d never get back out there.”

“Then why aren’t you giving this Wyatt guy a
chance? Or anyone else, for that matter?”

“Not you too,” I groaned.

“What?” she asked. “He sounds perfect. Why aren’t
you going for it?”

“Because, I can’t do the ‘we’ until I fix the ‘me.’”

“Will you stop it? You sound like a damn fortune
cookie. How do you feel about him?”

“He’s great,” I admitted. “I think that’s what
really freaks me out. The idea of going from a marriage to a relationship so
soon scares me.”

“So soon? Vi, it’s been what—nine, ten
months?”

I’d been so focused on the failure part, and how
to move on, that I never took time to appreciate that I’d spent the better part
of a year working on me. I didn’t jump into anything for fear of being alone. I
was alone, and I survived.

“Is everything okay?” Jolie asked.

“Yeah, it’s great,” I said.

Dani wrapped her arm around me and hugged me
tightly. “So what are you going to do about the guy?”

“Nothing,” I answered. She looked stunned and
disappointed and I laughed. “He’s with someone else, and that’s okay. I love
Wyatt and I just want him to be happy.”

“You love him?” she asked, her mouth agape.

“As a friend,” I answered quickly.

“As a friend,” she repeated. “Well that’s
something to build on.”

“I think Wyatt and I will always be friends. Maybe
this thing with Emma will be perfect for him. I just have to hope that I’ll
find someone and not let fear keep me from trying.”

“What about the guy from last night?” Jolie asked
over her shoulder as we continued to walk.

“Brother-kisser?” I asked. “No way. Why don’t you
go out with him?”

“I can’t,” she said.

“Can’t?” Dani and I sped up to catch Callie and
Jolie. “Why not?”

“Connor.”

“Your ex?” Dani asked. “I thought you two ended
things before you even moved to L.A.”

“Hold up,” I said, moving to the side and pulling
them along with me. We stood under a neon sign and I looked between the two of
them. “You are both terrible. You give me hell about not sharing stuff, but
apparently I’m the one in the dark here. Can someone fill me in?”

“At first, I didn’t say anything because you were all
upset over Will. And then I was over him… You even saw me going out on dates,”
Jolie said.

“Was it serious?”

“You know me, I never get too serious,” she
answered. “But there was something about him that was perfect for me.”

“I’m sure there was,” Callie said crassly.

“Not like that. He’s not like the guys I usually
date. He’s funny, and hardworking, and I guess I just fell for him.”

“So why did you break up?” I asked. “How long were
you even dating?”

“Just a few months. Like I said, I didn’t want to
talk about my new relationship when your marriage was falling apart.”

“What kind of friend do you think I am that I
wouldn’t want you to be happy?” I asked. I gave her a hug and pulled away to
look her in the eyes. “You’re my best friend. You can always come to me.”

“I know,” she said softly.

“Where is Connor now?” Dani asked. “I thought he
lived in your old building back in Wyoming.”

“Yeah, but he’s supposed to be in L.A. for work
next week and he asked if he could see me.”

“And you said?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “He’s staying an extra day just
for me.”

“I’ll do my best to make myself scarce.” I turned
to Callie and nudged her arm. “You’ll let me stay with you Friday night,
right?”

“Sure. Maybe we can go out or something.”

“No,” Jolie said. “I want you to meet him. Both of
you.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded and started sharing more details about
the man who’d captured her attention—and more surprisingly, her heart.

When we finally got back to the hotel, I felt
slightly better but my head was spinning. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the
alcohol or knowing what a mistake it had been to call Wyatt. The regret weighed
so heavily on my mind that once in our suite, I quickly changed my clothes and
tried to get to sleep before anyone thought to ask what was on my mind.

Callie and Jake met up in the lobby and she
promised to text to let me know she was okay. I felt a strange protectiveness
over her, but stopped short of the lecturing and mothering. She was a grown
woman and didn’t need me monitoring her activities. Still, I worried.

Unfortunately, my mind wouldn’t shut off, so I was
still awake when Dani decided to go to bed. I felt a slight shift in the bed as
she climbed in next to me, but I squeezed my eyes a little tighter. My back was
to her so I knew she couldn’t tell if I was actually sleeping anyway.

“Vi,” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

“
Hm
?” I mumbled.

“Sorry,” she said, her tone still hushed. “Go back
to sleep… It’s nothing.”

I didn’t say anything else and assumed she’d
fallen asleep as well, but then I heard her speak again.

“He wasn’t the right one.”

I didn’t know which
he
she was referring to and I didn’t want to ask. If she meant
Will, I was in agreement, but if she was talking about Wyatt…that was a whole
other story. I didn’t know if he was “the right one,” but I knew he was, at the
very least, one of the good ones.

It was the last thing I heard her say, and instead
of questioning it any more, I prayed for sleep to come to me quickly.

***

Dani was a restless sleeper. If she wasn’t kicking
me, she was talking in her sleep or trying to snuggle with me.

I felt like I’d been asleep for minutes, but from
the time on the nightstand, it had been more like two hours. Frustrated that I
couldn’t go back to sleep, I walked to stand in front of the hotel window,
looking at the city below. It was the early morning hours and people still
flooded the streets as cars maneuvered their way around. Even the lights
flashing all around were enough to hypnotize me, but I had too many thoughts to
allow myself to be lulled to sleep.

I had shut my phone down earlier that night, so I grabbed
my phone and powered it on to check my email. There was nothing that couldn’t
wait, so I sat in silence for a while. The evening conversations echoed in my
mind—all the things I did wrong and the things I could have done better.

Most of my friends knew that I’d filed the divorce
papers, but there was still someone I needed to share the news with. I wasn’t
sure how it would be received, but I felt I owed it to him to hear it from me
first.

“Vi? Is that you?” his voice asked urgently. “Are
you okay?”

“Hey, Will. I’m fine, sorry to call so late, but I
figured you’d be up anyway. Are you busy?”

“Just sitting here at the bar. Let me get someone
to cover me so I can go outside, just a sec,” he said.

Silence fell over the phone and I took the
opportunity to go into the living room so as not to wake Dani. As I settled on
the couch, pulling my knees to my chest, I heard his voice speaking again.

“You there?”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“Where is
here
?”
he asked.

“Actually, I’m in Vegas with Jo, Dani, and another
friend,” I answered.

“Tell them I said hi…unless they hate me…then
don’t say anything.” He sounded sad, perhaps resigned, regarding his fate
amongst my friends. They’d been as much his friends as they were mine. But
their loyalty would always be to me first.

“They don’t hate you,” I told him truthfully.
“They hate what you did, but not you.”

“That’s something, I guess. So are you having fun
in Sin City?”

“You know me, I love this place.”

“I remember,” he laughed. “Did you see any shows
or anything?”

“Nah, just drank a little too much today,” I answered.

“Does this mean you’re drunk-dialing me?” he asked
in that flirtatious tone I knew well.

“Afraid not,” I muttered.

“Damn,” he muttered playfully and I felt my smile
appear. Will was always able to make me do that, even when I was mad at him. I
couldn’t allow myself to get lost in thoughts of him, so I sat up straighter
and cleared my throat.

“I know it’s late, but I needed to call.”

“You sound pretty serious. Is everything okay?”

“It’s getting better. Every day is another good
one.”

“Okay then…what’s going on?”

“I wanted to give you a heads-up that you’ll be
getting some papers from me soon…I filed for divorce.”

Will was quiet, and I was about to ask if he was
still there when I heard his heavy sigh.

“It’s been almost a year, Will. Nothing’s changed,
and it just seemed like the right thing to do. For both of us.”

“This isn’t what I wanted, Vi.”

“I don’t think it’s what either of us wanted. I
married you assuming it was forever, and I loved you more than you will ever
know.”

“Love
d
…past
tense?”

“I’ll always love you. But I have to do this. For
both of us.”

“I just want you to be happy, Vi. And I’m really
sorry that I fucked up so bad.”

“I know you are.”

“Then maybe there’s a chance,” he said, and I
could hear the hope in his voice.

“I don’t know, Will. There are some things that
can
be fixed, but I’m not sure we’re one
of them.”

“I think we can fix this,” he argued.

“I didn’t call to argue. I just thought I’d let
you know, and if you wanted to get your own lawyer to look over the papers, I
understand. It’s all pretty simple, and I didn’t ask for anything.”