Page 17 of Trust Fund Baby

He grunted, lunging for the ball. “I’m not—she’s not—Christ, Seb.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That sentence was a work of art. Maybe leave that to Hallie, yeah? Let me guess, you guys are seeing each other but not seeing each other? Talking but not talking? Tying it up with an it’s complicated bow?”

James wiped the sweat of his brow. It was hot today. “Is there a point to this?”

“There’s always a point,” I said, casually tossing the ball up and catching it. “I just haven’t figured out what it is yet.”

It seemed James had finally realized that I was largely dedicated to the task of irritating him. Especially when it came to his dating life. However, that became less important after his disastrous relationship with Cassidy. He’d already been through so much with her, I couldn’t bring myself to really pile the teasing on him.

James walked to the baseline, breathing a little heavier. He rested his racket against his hip. “Actually, there is something I wanted to talk to you about. To do with Hallie.”

“Oh no.” I shook my head. “No, I cannot help you elope to Vegas. That’s where even I draw the line.”

He gave me an incredulous look. “Didn’t you try to do that yourself once?”

“Which is exactly why that makes me the perfect person to tell you not to do it.”

James waved off my antics. “You’re not doing anything this weekend, right?”

“That depends,” I drawled. “If this is your way of roping me into third-wheeling your romantic weekend, I’m going to need a damn good bottle of scotch and a formal apology.”

James rolled his eyes and served the ball hard and fast. I barely volleyed it back.

“Her articles are about a finance guy who spoils her with extravagant dates, and I figured a Hamptons getaway would be a great idea.” James came to a halt on the court. “To ease the pressure of a weekend getaway for just the two of us, I thought I could invite you and her friend.”

I arched a brow. “So, you want me to come to the Hamptons … to be a human buffer between you and your pretend date?”

James shrugged, unapologetic. “Pretty much. I figured Hallie might feel more comfortable if her friend comes too. And I thought, why not make a weekend of it?”

I didn’t respond right away, just caught the ball mid-air and turned it over in my hand. He hadn’t used Hallie’s friend’s name, but I knew exactly who he was talking about. Or at least I hoped I did. Roxie. She was on my mind a lot these days.

“Is this the same friend who gave me the death glare at McGuire’s?” I asked lightly, hoping that he didn’t pick up on anything in my voice.

While James and I had known each other since we were kids, we’d only ever seen each other during summers in the Hamptons, where both of our families had second homes. We joined the same summer golf and tennis leagues. Our friendship only made its way outside the walls of the country club when we’d both gotten into Princeton, and then he’d become more like a brother I’d never had. But when it came to Roxie, the two had never crossed paths and I couldn’t have been more grateful for it now.

“I think that’s just her face,” James replied, deadpan.

I couldn’t help but grin, even with everything else going on in my head. Roxie hadn’t replied to the last two emails I’d sent. I hadn’t even meant to send the second one—just started typing after too many drinks one night and hit send before I could stop myself. But still. Nothing.

James served again, but I didn’t move for the ball. Just let it sail past me and thud against the back fence.

“You in?” he asked.

I bent to pick up the ball, taking my time, pretending like the sun was in my eyes. Truth was, I needed a second to think. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected when I started writing to Roxie, some kind of absolution? Forgiveness? A second chance? Or maybe just proof that I hadn’t imagined the look in her eyes that night at McGuire’s, the one that said she still remembered everything too.

But silence had been her answer of late.

Still, the thought of being in the Hamptons, knowing she’d be there, stirred something inconvenient in me. I didn’t want to admit it even to myself, but I was hoping for another shot. Not a big one. Just a crack in the wall she’d built up between us.

“Seb?” James asked again.

I straightened up and shrugged. “Just trying to figure out if I want to spend a weekend watching you hang on Hallie’s every word.”

James smirked. “I don’t do that.”

“You absolutely do,” I said, grabbing my towel and draping it around my neck. “It’s unbearable.”

But even as I said it, the answer was already settling in my gut. I was going. Not because I was desperate for a weekend of tennis whites and overpriced wine, but because something had shifted the night Roxie walked back into my life. And despite her silence, I couldn’t shake the feeling that seeing her again now wasn’t just inevitable.