I followed the sounds until I spotted my statuesque friend standing high up on a chair, her equally lanky beau beside her on the rickety contraption.
“Did you have any trouble finding us?” Stewart asked, trying to appear serious when you just knew he was laughing on the inside. Shannon’s main squeeze was one of a kind. There were nerds, and then there was Stewart – their intergalactic commanding officer. Standing six foot three and weighing in at a breezy one hundred and fifty five pounds, his pale body was see-through in certain light, and if not anchored down, Stew could easily be blown to sea by a gusty wind.
“Were we loud enough?” Shannon asked, a smirk of innocence stamped upon her face.
“Yes, thank you. I think your cowbells may have disrupted the gray whale migration along the coast.”
“Eh.” Shannon waved dismissively as she climbed down from the chair and hugged me. “They’re off the extinction list. If they swim around in circles for a few hours, it’s a small price to pay for your utter joy.”
“Such pleasure,” I agreed with a wry smile.
“I don’t think she’s amoosed.” Stew snorted at his own wit. Oh, how he loved puns! and, someday, maybe I would too – in my late seventies.
Still, I laughed. Nothing, not even puns, could ruin this day for me...
“Congratulations, Sam. I’m so proud of you.”
Except for him. I froze. What was he doing here? Slowly I turned, hoping he had a voice twin or something but, nope, there he was – my ex. Taking a very close second behind my mother of people I did not want to see, Preston was not a welcome sight. This wasmyday, not his to ruin. And, of course, he had to be standing before me all gorgeous and looking like he’d just stepped out of a J. Crew ad. With a winning smile and the Heisman trophy of all flower bouquets bundled in his arms, Preston was the upgraded package that women – most women – lusted after the world over.
“Hi, Preston,” I greeted him with a forced smile. “What are you doing here? Do you know someone graduating today?”
Yes, I knew it was a long shot, but I was still holding out hope that he’d simply stumbled upon me by accident while searching for the true recipient of the oversized flowery casket spray.
He chuckled as if I’d made a funny. That told me all I needed to know. Despite the beatdown I’d delivered him a couple of weeks ago, Preston was back for round two.
“What do you think, Sam? Of course I’m here for you.”
And suddenly, the flowers were shoved into my arms – all eight hundred pounds of them – and I was struggling under their weight.
“Thank you, they’re beautiful,” I said, trying to juggle the arrangement as Preston leaned in for a hug. My eyes connected with Shannon’s. She was standing directly behind Preston and was dramatically mimicking an asthma attack.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” I said as we stepped apart.
And truly I was. I thought I’d been pretty clear that we were no longer a couple, but lo and behold here he was again. I knew Preston was no quitter, but I didn’t think he was a glutton for punishment either. Besides, he had a line of women waiting in the wings. What did he need with me?
“I know, and I’m sure you’re devising some exit strategy in your head as we speak, but you need to hear me out, Sam. I made a mistake. I know that now, and I’m ready to do anything necessary to win you back.”
I glanced around at all the interested faces. Even some strangers in the aisle behind seemed overly invested in our conversation. I shoved the blooms into Stewart’s hands and grabbed Preston by the arm to lead him away.
“Um, Samantha,” Stewart called to me. “Maybe this is a good time to tell you I’m allergic to absolutely every flower in this arrangement.”
Steering Preston away from the crowd, I didn’t stop until I found a spot where we could speak in private. “Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate you thinking of me today. But I need you to know – it’s over.”
“I heard you the first time. I just don’t accept it. When you love someone, Sam, you fight for them.”
“Like you fought for me? With your family?”
“I was working on them. They were warming to you.”
“Preston.” I held my hand up to interrupt his make-believe retelling of the events leading up to our split. “Your mother invited everyone but me on a trip to the Bahamas. Hell, even your brother’s fuck buddy was summoned – of course her daddy owns a Fortune 500 company, so she can be forgiven for being loosey-goosy with her morals.”
“There’s no reason to hash over the same details. Yes, I admit it. That was bad. I shouldn’t have gone. I understand that now. It was just that I was getting pressure from you and I was getting pressure from them. I chose wrong, and I’ve apologized a thousand times.”
He wasn’t lying about that. Preston had felt guilty… after the fact. But I’d seen the Instagram pics he’d been tagged in. He wasn’t sorry when he was drinking a Bahama Mama on the beach, and, try as I might, I couldn’t get the image of his smiling face out of my mind. Preston might be sorry now, but he hadn’t fought for me when it counted, and that was where I drew the line in the sand.
Preston grasped my arms and drew me in. I blinked up at him, his face blinding me.Oh, Preston. Why do you have to be so beautiful?It made what I was about to do all the more difficult. I should have shut him down that very first day I met him at the beach. I was the surf instructor and he the unsteady pupil. Try as I might, I never did manage to get him to his feet. Preston was accustomed to winning quickly, and when it became apparent he’d have to work hard for every ounce of skill surfing demanded, he gave up – on surfing, that is, not me.
He’d pursued me hard, I’ll give him that. Like a whittler, he’d chipped away at my resistance until I finally agreed to a date. And really, why wouldn’t I? On paper, Preston was the perfect guy – a first place trophy. Five years my senior, he’d had the mature stability I was looking for. Handsome, wealthy, and a real go-getter, Preston was a rising star in his father’s freight trucking business. He was going places, albeit with a little help from his friend named nepotism. Still, life with him promised to be steady and fulfilling – and boring.
