JESS
I’m calling you right now.
“What happened? Start at the beginning.”
I fill Jess in on dinner, how we kissed outside by the ocean, and how the evening was easy, fun, and romantic. When I get to the part where I agreed to go home with him, I have to pull the phone back from my ear as she squeals with excitement. Then I have to talk her off the excitement ledge by telling her I didn’t end up at his house.
“He said he hasn’t been with her since the first time he saw me. But it didn’t feel like he’s officially shut it down with her.”
“Did you ask him?”
“Not exactly. When she walked up, I froze.” It was a mix of rage and despair. It totally fucked with my head, and all my insecurities showed up. About how Wyatt chose Holly, Billy chose Kandi, every guy in college didn’t choose me… “It just shut down any hope I was feeling.”
“How did he react?”
“He pulled back like he’d been burned.” I think about what he said, how we both have a past. I just don’t know if she is part of his present. “He did introduce me as his date. She was snarky, asking if I was why he couldn’t meet her this weekend.”
“Bitch!” Jess shouts.
“He got us out of there quickly and took me home.”
“You need to talk to him about this. If you like him, tell him.”
I sit back in my chair. I came into work so I wouldn’t sit around the house and obsess about Wyatt. As I look around my corner office, I feel lucky. It’s glamorous, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished here—and the 180-degree views of Hollywood and Beverly Hills aren’t terrible, either. Yet, there are days when I would gladly give it all up to run my own agency. Talking about it with Wyatt rekindled something in me.
“Honestly, Jess, it’s for the best. I need to focus on work. Lance has all but threatened to throw me under the bus if I don’t sign Sophia.”
“Asshole.”
Tell me about it. Normally, I’m relentless in pursuing new talent. But I know spending more time with Wyatt and Sophia has changed how I’m approaching everything. I don’t feel a sense of urgency because I want her to find her perfect match. I think that is me, but I need to know she believes that, too, regardless of how well we get along or if I have history with her brother.
“You heard TWA is laying off like three percent of staff in prep for this merger,” Jess says, interrupting my wandering mind.
“I mean, I heard that there were some financial things that needed to be cleaned up. I was part of the early meetings, but it sounded like it was more around systems and processes. I didn’t think we would impact actual people. At least not yet.”
“Word is there’s a list. Apparently, everyone working on the merger is now under an NDA, so I couldn’t get a lot of details, but it doesn’t sound great.”
“Another reason I should stay away from Wyatt. He’s deeply embedded in all that work, and I’m sure that would piss Lance off. I just need to focus on signing talent, selling projects, and staying alert around here.”
I knew something didn’t feel right when Lance asked me to attend the meetings early on and then abruptly shut me out. I can’t believe I didn’t question it more.
“Ok, but I’m just going to say one thing. You are the total package: gorgeous, smart, talented, funny, kind, and generous. Don’t get into your head about if the relationship will work. Protect your heart, but don’t close it off.”
I hear what she’s saying, and logically, I know it’s all true, but it’s hard to trust my judgment when it comes to relationships. My heart was open with Wyatt and even Billy, but it still fell apart.
“Thanks, Jess, but I don’t have the best track record.”
“Blair, I love you, but you drive me crazy with this perfection thing. There is no perfect fairy tale.”
“Annie and Sam.”
“That doesn’t count. They’re the only couple in the world we know who met as teenagers, married, and still like each other.”
“Nathan and Haley.”
“Who? I don’t know them.”
“Daphne and Simon.”
