“He came to dinner at my parents’ house, Dale. Does that answer your question? He didn’t write me a note with checkboxes to mark asking if I’d be his girlfriend, but he came to dinner with my family, and I’ve flown with him out to his place in Nashville if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“Damn,” he replies. “You’re so lucky to be dating Jaxon Steele.”
I stand up, slapping my palms down on the table and leaning over just slightly so I’m looming over him. “You know what, Dale? Jaxon Steele is lucky to be datingme, mmk?”
I hear a slow clap behind me, and I pull my gaze away from Dale’s shocked one, my heart pounding.
Is that Jaxon? Did he—
Jameson and Bryn stand behind me, matching smiles on their faces.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Bryn says. “Jaxon is lucky to be dating you. Oh, and, Dale, you’re in my seat, so kindly fuck right off.”
I laugh, quickly realizing I need to pee at the extra pressure it puts on my bladder. I head to the bathroom, locking myself in one of the fancy toilet stalls. Wild Bluffs Country Club does not skimp on its bathrooms. The stalls are fully enclosed rooms, complete with large, dark wood doors. Knowing I need to talk to Jaxon, to tell him how much I miss him, I hold the button on my phone, turning it on for the first time since my hair and makeup were finished over twelve hours earlier.
I tap into my messages app, impatiently trying to refresh it with no success. I don’t have any new texts. Which is fine. Exactly what I was expecting. Everyone I know is here. And Jaxon is busy.
I find myself in my internet browser, searching for the HMAs. A few short clips pop up, and I watch one, chuckling a little as Jaxon makes a joke about one of his long-time friends in the industry. I watch it a few times before finally pausing itjust as Jaxon’s smile hits its apex, the wide grin breaking open something inside me.
I miss him. I wish he was here. Not to be my fake date, not to keep my family off my back, but just to share the night with.
“Izzy?” Becca’s voice barely makes its way to me through the thick door.
“Just a second,” I say, using a couple of squares of toilet paper to wipe my eyes, not even sure when the tears started leaking down my face.
I turn my phone off and give the skirt of my dress a hard pull on the sides, begging it to cover more of my legs, before forcing a smile on my face and walking out the door.
“You okay?” Becca asks.
“Yeah,” I say as I slide past her to wash my hands.
Her eyes meet mine in the mirror, and she offers me a reassuring smile.
“Okay, I just had this thing with Dale and then thought Jaxon had decided to surprise me—you know the kind of thing you’d see in a rom-com movie, but obviously, he didn’t. Not that he should’ve. This is real life and he is literally live on stage right now.”
I dab at a smear of mascara under my eye. “Oh, and one of the golfers’ girlfriends told me I look ‘super relatable,’ which I’ve decided to take as a compliment, even though she definitely didn’t mean it that way.”
“Could’ve been worse,” Becca says. “I’ve been stuck outside, pretending to be interested in the social media accounts of all the golfer bros’ girlfriends. I bet I know which one made the relatable comment, too.” She pauses, and I turn around to face her.
“Ness?” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Ness,” she says, her grin widening.
“I don’t understand what Scottie Nyram—of all people—sees in her. That man is one win short of a Career Grand Slam. He could have anyone.”
Becca raises her eyebrow. “Really? You don’t see what he sees in her?”
“Okay, fine. She’s gorgeous and, if she can be believed, is the top nutritionist in the state of Texas.”
“Terrible personality though,” Becca agrees.
“Why were you talking to them?” I ask as we walk back to the reception.
“Oh, just casually avoiding someone,” Becca says with a laugh.
“Becca! You really are avoiding someone. Who? Conrad? He said he called you a floozy.”
“Shhh. Yes. Conrad, okay? I—”
