He takes them and stares at them. “Silly girl was making me laugh again.”
I shrug. “He thinks I’m funny,” I say, eyes rolling, and sigh.
“I love that about you.”
Caroline comes back into the room and Blake and I straighten up. That wasn’t nearly enough time for the two of us to talk—or say everything that needed to be said.
“Well, Blake,” I say, “I agree with everything Diana said, and I’m glad you’re all right.”
Caroline is smiling peculiarly. I hug them both and then walk out of the room—deciding it’s not the right time to tell him he’s basically crushing my heart.
Chapter 17
It’s a month later and I’m at Rag-O-Rama with Caroline. She’s telling me all about Marcus.
“I mean, my dad basically hired him on the spot as our internal counsel. And just like that, the case was dropped, all thanks to Marcus.”
“He seems like an amazing lawyer.” She’s sifting through a rack of dresses. She holds up a short skater dress. I nod, and say, “with tights.”
“Okay to the tights. I just like everything about Marcus. He’s caring and sweet and funny—all the things Blake is, but Marcus and I just click. We enjoy the business; we enjoy brainstorming on how to make it better. We love the same food and the same movies.…”
I’m trying to be nonchalant. “But you and Blake liked the same music—”
“That’s kind of it, though, Hayden. I’ve really done a lot of soul searching in the last few months and I figured out why Blake and I didn’t work.”
“And?”
“It had nothing to do with him. I was actually pretty controlling. Maybe because we were basically together since we’d been kids. But we’d both grown up—we’d changed. It affected the dynamic of our adult relationship. I needed to find someone more like-minded. I was taking a lot away from Blake…a lot away from his passion and art. He’s very talented, and loyal beyond words. I mean I practically broke up with him a year ago when he asked to marry me, and he still stayed with me and loved me.”
I knew all of this but wanted to hear it from Caroline’s mouth. “Then what happened?”
“I strung him along. I kept him around. Now with Marcus, the idea of marriage doesn’t sound so far-fetched.”
I wonder briefly if I recorded her saying that, would Diana give me another bonus? “That’s great progress. I’m truly happy for you,” I say, and I am.
She looks at me so we’re face to face. She smiles. “Yeah, it is.” She pauses and looks at me meaningfully. “You know Blake will be fine, right? I mean in more ways than one.”
Of course he will. I have at least six clients that would kill to go out with him. He’ll find someone who deserves him in no time. “How is he doing, by the way?”
“He’s on crutches and he has a knee brace, but that’s about it. They say he’s making a miraculous recovery.”
She knows that’s not what I mean. “I meant—”
“Let me put it this way…he basically thanked me for breaking up with him. It was time. He told me he loved me and was happy for me…that I found someone else. It takes a lot for your boyfriend of ten years to say that. We both knew it was time.”
As happy as I am to hear her words, something about it still makes me frown. So much of his life has been tied to Caroline, her family, and his job at her father’s company. What will he be like now that he’s his own man? Now that he’s free? I picture him sitting in his apartment all alone, with his messed-up knee elevated, binge-watching Game of Thrones.
“He still won’t sell that damn motorcycle,” she adds, laughing, and then I laugh, too, but my laughter is forced.
“Well, I’m glad his spirits are high. At least he’s still being stubborn about the motorcycle.”
“Most stubborn man alive.” She giggles.
“Yeah.” I don’t totally agree that Blake is stubborn—he’s too easygoing to be stubborn. I belatedly wonder, for the five thousandth time, why he hasn’t called me.
I think Caroline has picked up the sadness in my tone, so she adds, “Hey, you know what? Marcus has a hot friend, Kade. We should all go out.”
Oh, no. Diana’s been nagging me for weeks about getting out there and dating. Now Caroline’s trying to play matchmaker, too. “I don’t know, C.”
