“Breaker and I are sharing the responsibility,” he answers. “But since I’m older I get to walk down the aisle with the maid of honor. Lucky you.”
“Oh, yes, lucky me. I’m sure you will make some inappropriate comments.”
“Wouldn’t be right if I didn’t.” He sighs and then says, “I’m happy for Huxley, though, despite how their relationship came about. Since he’s the oldest, I feel like he’s always carried the burden of making sure we’re all taken care of. When we decided to invest money into a business of our own, he sat us down and said he was setting us up for the future, which he did. Financially, Breaker and I are both set. We don’t have to worry.”
“But when it comes to happiness?” I ask.
“Still figuring that out.” He straightens up and says, “I’m sure you have some early morning meetings. I should get you back to the penthouse.”
“Unfortunately, I do.”
I turn to face him and just catch the way his face almost falls in disappointment. But he puts his arm around my shoulders again, and together, we walk back up the pier.
“Thank you, again, for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”
“I did, too,” he says.
“I was kind of afraid when we were told to come up here that it would be awkward and weird. It was at first, but these last two days have been really great. Just what I needed.”
“Yeah, about that,” he says just as his phone rings in his pocket. Groaning, he takes it out, and I see Huxley’s name flash across it before he silences the phone call. But it’s only seconds before Huxley rings again.
“Must be important,” I say. “Go ahead, answer it. I’ll meet you in the car.”
“You sure?” he asks.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” I go to take off his jacket but he holds his hand up.
“Keep it. I’m fine.” And then he turns away and brings the phone to his ear. “What?” he answers in an annoyed tone.
As I walk toward the car, I hear a distant “Fuck” slip out of his mouth and my stomach immediately churns with worry.
It takes him about ten minutes before he joins me in the warm car, and when he sits down, I can tell the good mood he was in is gone as he moves his hand over his jaw. I’m afraid to ask, but I know if I don’t at least check with him, I’ll regret it.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he says through clenched teeth. “Just some bullshit stuff I have to deal with tomorrow.”
“Anything I can help with?” I ask.
He shakes his head and looks out the window. “Nah, nothing you can deal with.”
And then, that’s it.
He shuts down.
What once was a perfect evening quickly vanishes and I don’t know what to do. What to say. Or how to help him. Therefore, we drive the rest of the way in silence. And when we get to the penthouse, I hand him his jacket and he tells me to have a good night. Even though JP was fun and mostly easygoing tonight, I’m sad with how it ended. I’m sad he shut down on me, because despite what he’s said about friendship between men and women, I felt as though he let me in as his friend tonight. And then, that simply...vanished.
ChapterFourteen
JP
I was going to kiss her last night.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to either kiss her on the pier or at the penthouse. It was going to happen, I was fucking ready, willing, and needy. But then, Huxley’s call happened. Regis had gone behind my back to Huxley, saying Kelsey isn’t experienced enough for the position. He believes we shouldn’t have faith in her and that we should hire someone else. Someone on his team. Huxley told me to set my project straight.
I didn’t even want this fucking project.
I blew a goddamn gasket, and even though my phone call with Huxley was only short, I took a moment before getting back in the car. I didn’t want to blow up in front of Kelsey. And by the time I got back in the car, the moment was over.
