“And then we wind up with our nuts wrung and all sorts of feelings,” Roman said.
“Feelings aren’t so bad.” Brek hitched a hip at the corner of the bar, crossing his arms.
“Says the guy who has it all,” Roman replied. The Brek he knew before didn’t talk about things like feelings. This Brek had a wife and kid. This Brek practically pissed sunshine he was so happy all the time.
“I met the right woman.” Brek shrugged.
And that girl had been good for him. Roman had seen the difference immediately. It wasn’t an in-your-face change, but it was like someone had flipped on a light. Now, Brek’s world seemed pretty fucking sunny.
“You really love her?” Roman asked Stockbroker Guy.
The guy moved his focus from the Coors sign to the mirrored wall with alcohol behind the bar. “Yes.”
Roman knew exactly how that felt. A pit of dread and doubt that made it hard to breathe.
“Maybe don’t give up,” Roman suggested.
“She ended it. Filed for divorce.” Damn, the guy looked near tears. “Said she isn’t happy anymore.”
“Any idea what would make her happy?” Roman asked.
“Right now? Dividing up the restaurants in Denver so we never have to see each other,” the guy said with a huff. “She gave me the choice between Snooze and Syrup.”
Two of Denver’s favorite breakfast spots.
“That’s not even a choice,” Brek said, his expression tighter than Roman’s grip on his glass. “Sometimes you want Snooze. Sometimes Syrup.”
“Can’t you just divide by location?” Roman asked. “You get Cherry Creek and she can have LoDo?”
“I don’t want to divide up restaurants. I want to take her to a restaurant.” The guy tried to laugh, tried to pawn it off as nothing. “Your girl ready to give up on you, too?”
“She gave up on me,” Roman said in total honesty. “I thought we’d both moved on. Then I thought we had another shot. Turns out, we don’t.”
“But you want to move on?” the guy asked.
Did he? Did he want to?
“No.” Roman shook his head.
He didn’t. Sadie was the shining star in an otherwise cloudy night sky.
The guy swirled his bourbon. “Ever wonder what you’ve got to do to change her mind?”
Every freaking day since Sadie had walked down the aisle of the church straight toward him. “I figure if I show her that I’m in it for her, maybe she’ll come around.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Then I guess I’ll get a goldfish.”
“Don’t go the goldfish route, trust me,” the guy mused. “You know, I thought she’d appreciate the time I spent at the office. She likes these brown bags with letters on them that cost a fucking fortune. They don’t just buy themselves.”
“Handbags didn’t make her happy?” Roman asked.
“Guess not, since she’s divorcing me.”
“I never thought to buy handbags.” Roman grinned at the thought of Sadie getting excited over a purse. Yeah, that wasn’t his Sadie. “Maybe it wasn’t about purses.”
“Obviously.” He sighed. “Because I have enough of those damn things to fill up my entire car and we’re both miserable.”
