I laughed bitterly. “I’m not going to be any better company at the bar. Drinking is just going to make me sadder.”
“What the hell do you have to be sad about?” he asked. “You’re too famous? Too rich? Too successful?”
“I’ll tell you what. If you don’t make me talk about it, I’ll go have a beer with you.”
“Hell yeah, let’s go.” Chris got us an Uber, which wasn’t cheap since it had to come out to the ranch to pick us up.
I had encountered that issue the night before. The price was nuts, but I was just happy we had Ubers in town. It was nice to see my hometown joining the rest of society in the digital age. Harrison City had never been backward, but they were pretty slow to change.
Plus, the only thing to do around here was drink and no one needed to be driving after a wild night out. I was planning on getting properly blitzed tonight, myself. The day had not been an easy one for me.
I felt like I had handled things pretty well, but Clara had been upset seeing me, even though it wasn’t on purpose. Nothing I said had cut through her defenses, and that was profoundly disappointing.
At the bar, we ran into a bunch of old friends from school. Chris immediately joined them and started catching up. I told them I would be back and went to the bar to get a drink. I was not in the holiday spirit, but maybe beer would help.
I got the bartender’s attention and ordered two beers. While I waited, I turned to look down the bar. Nic was glaring at me.
Oh shit. I should have stayed home.
I could have run from him the way Clara had run from me, but I chose to stand my ground. Whatever was coming my way, I had to face it head-on. If Nic wanted to hit me, at least I had good insurance.
Obviously, Nic wasn’t thrilled to see me. It was written all over his face as he approached.
“Hey, I’m glad you’re here,” I told him, surprised I actually meant it. “I’ve been wanting to talk in person. I need to apologize.”
Nic paused like he hadn’t expected me to open with that. He narrowed his gaze at me, then shrugged, and we stepped outside. We walked a little ways from the building to Nic’s truck out on the edge of the parking lot.
We leaned against the tailgate like we used to in high school, just shooting the breeze for hours after practice. I would have given anything to go back in time and feel as free as we did back then.
Just two dumb kids looking toward the future with wide eyes and big dreams, back before life got so damn complicated.
“I know I fucked up royally and I need your help fixing it.” I figured being direct was the best course of action. Hiding things had messed everything up. I had learned my lesson.
Nic sighed and shook his head. “I don’t think you can fix it, and even if I wanted to help, I wouldn’t. You might be my best friend, but Clara is my little sister. You lied to us both.”
“I know, and that’s why I’m apologizing,” I said quickly. “I didn’t tell her the full story and I should have. I didn’t just want her help at work. I also wanted to bring her back here at Christmas to win a stupid bet with my brother.”
My friend’s back straightened and his hands curled into fists. “Yeah, why the fuck are you making bets with your brother about Clara? That’s what I want to know.”
“I swear, the bet had nothing to do with her.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Actually, the bet was kind of about Clara, but not how she’s thinking. You remember the play back in senior year?”
“Of course,” Nic said. “You were trying to flash your dick at everyone. Then Clara sat right on your lap, you fucker.”
“Okay, yeah, that,” I replied with a sigh. “Well, in the last ten years since that happened, my fucking brothers have given me shit about it. They’re relentless. It pissed me off. Then for a while it was kind of funny. Then it got downright infuriating.”
“Okay, so what does this have to do with the bet?”
“Well, if I win the bet, Troy’s not allowed to mention that nighteveragain. If he wins, he gets my cabin. It all sounds so dumb now, but at the time, it had seemed important.” I looked at my friend. “It sucks something so stupid caused your sister so much pain. I fucked up bad.”
“Hold on, so how do you win?” Nic asked.
“I just had to bring a girlfriend home for Christmas,” I said. “They said Mom was worried about me dying alone. And then it dovetailed nicely into bringing my girlfriend to the office with me, to show them I’m not a total fuck-up. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted her help impressing my bosses.”
Nic snorted a laugh. “You’re right. That is a stupid fucking bet.”
“I know. But I swear I wasn’t thinking about asking Clara when we made the bet. I didn’t think of her until later.”
He sighed. “Man, I think she has the wrong idea about that bet. Have you talked to her?”
