InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (56 page)

            He wanted to
call her. More than anything, he wanted to tell her that he was sorry and that
he was her friend. He’d gone so far as to get her number from Dylan; something
he’d not trusted himself to have before. Oh, who the hell was he kidding? What
he really wanted to do was to hear her voice, to tell her he was sorry about
the way things had gone down between them since that damn television
appearance, and find out if she’d see him. But every time he took the crumpled
piece of paper out of his wallet and started punching in the numbers, his mind
went blank and his fingers started shaking.

            He’d screwed
this up in more ways than one. First, the whole fiasco at the hotel that had
never been dealt with loomed over him—she’d either left thinking he wanted
nothing to do with her, or she noticed his ‘indiscretion’ and had gone running
for the hills. Then he had his accident and was out of everything for weeks;
and it was even longer before he finally remembered the reason why he felt sad
and guilty every time he watched the recording of the damn show.

            Then another
thought crept in…what if that was part of the reason her fiancé strayed?
Thoughts of the leopard print outfit jumped back into his mind. The dude could
had been pissed— and after watching back the tape of the show, and the way the
mic picked up his surprised and excited greeting, he might’ve been too if it
was his fiancé leaping into another man’s arms on national television.

            Dylan kept his
word though, and as the days passed, he never asked if he’d gotten around to
calling Lexi. He also wasn’t saying much about how things were going with her,
except to say that she was still in the dumps, but moving forward. At this
point Bo had no idea if she’d even take his call; and he had absolutely no clue
about what he would say;
‘So hey, sorry I had such a boner for you—want to
get some dinner?
’ so he put it off and put it off and before he knew it
weeks had gone by and the guys were taking a few days off to let the producers
do some mixing while they took a little break from recording. Dylan was meeting
Tia in Colorado to finally take her to the house in which she’d soon live,
Tommy was taking his new girlfriend to Disney World, of all places, Ty was
going to visit his parents in Philly, and Angelo was going to some meditation
retreat in Sedona to “get his chakras in balance.” Bo hadn’t really made any
plans—he’d spent the last three weeks thinking about Lexi and checking the
weather in Chicago. It sucked, as it usually did in March.

            “You should
come with me, man,” Angelo said as they were checking out of their hotel. “I’ve
never seen you so out of balance, bro. Seriously, you sit in one of those
vortexes and you can just feel the positive energy of the planet coursing
through your veins. They do Reiki, too—it’ll heal up any residuals left over
from the accident.”

            Bo tried to
picture himself sitting in a vortex with his legs crossed and palms up chanting
a mantra, and laughed out loud. “I don’t need a bunch of hippies trying to
balance me. I’m pretty sure it’s an impossible feat, anyway. I’m going to be in
charge of my own meditation, thanks.”

            “Suit
yourself, but I think you’d get a lot out of it.”

             What Bo
really needed was some absolute solitude, so he decided to take his good friend
Joi—one in a long line of exes but on a short list of those he still considered
a friend—up on the offer she’d made him at the engagement party. She wintered
somewhere warm; The Florida Keys, if he remembered correctly; and her place in
Puget Sound on Orcas Island was secluded, quiet, and vacant. Maybe he could
actually sit down and think some things through.

            He said
goodbye to the guys on Friday afternoon and headed north. Three hours later, he
turned down the dead end street and snaked his SUV down the drive. Already he
could see that the house had spectacular views of the Sound, and it was nestled
among plentiful trees and foliage. An older gentleman was in the driveway,
waving him into the garage.

            “I’m George,”
he said, extending his hand once Bo hopped out of the car. “Folks around here
call me Big G. Welcome to the island—first time?”

            “Bo, and yes,
it is. Beautiful place.”

            “Indeed. I’m
the caretaker here. I’ve stocked the kitchen with some staples; eggs, milk,
cheese, pop…things like that. There are some steaks in there too; enough to
last you a couple days, at least. The nearest grocery store is just a couple
miles away…”

            “Yeah, I
passed it on the way in.”

            “Oh good. Joi
asked me to give you a little tour; show you where everything’s at.”

            Bo followed
him into the house, feeling more relaxed already. The smell of the air was
different here; heavy, cool, and tinged with the salt spray that came off Puget
Sound. “These here are the controls for the hot tub,” George pointed out, “and
the steps off the big deck lead right down to the beach. Not too many folks
around here this time of year, so you’ll pretty much have it to yourself, I
imagine. There are a couple kayaks in the garage, and the keys to the boat shed
are in the drawer here. There’s a little private sitting area down there with a
fire pit; wood’s in the shed; and fishing gear too, if you’re so inclined.” Bo
jotted a few notes, so he could keep everything straight. “Oh,” he added,
reaching into his pocket, “here are the keys to the house. I’ll just let you
get comfortable, but my number is on the fridge if you need it. Don’t hesitate
to call if you have any questions about anything here or island related. I’ve
lived on this little slice of heaven for going on 25 years now, so I can give
you insider information about pretty much anything.”

            “Thanks, I
appreciate the welcome and the tour. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

            As soon as
George’s Buick rolled out of the driveway, Bo slipped on his jacket and walked
down to the beach. It was just a small bit of sand, really, and aside from a scarcely-used
path he could see in the trees behind him, he didn’t see any other way to get
to it. The solitude he had hoped for surrounded him like a blanket, and he
kicked off his shoes, letting the icy water rush up to greet his feet as he
walked along the little stretch of shoreline. Out in the distance he could see
several rocky outcrops and thought that later on he might squeeze his ass into
a kayak and check them out. It was just the start of orca season, and he hoped
he might get lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.

            For tonight,
though, he was going to fire up the grill, sear a steak to perfection, and
watch the sunset from the expansive deck that overlooked the calm water. Then
maybe a soak in the hot tub, a movie, and a good night’s sleep. He’d start on
figuring things out tomorrow.

*****

            “Thanks again
for barging in on me, and for spending the night; I’m sorry I was such a bitch
when you first got here, but I really do feel better.” 

            “Already
forgotten, and you’re welcome.” Tia pulled Lexi into a tight hug. “I’ve always
got your back, right? Don’t hesitate to call if you need me, OK?”

            “You’ve
already done so much. Really, Tia, I was seriously dreading making all those
phone calls—nothing says ‘loser’ more than having to cancel your wedding over
and over again.”

            “I hate that I
had to repay that debt, but I’m glad that you don’t have to face it.” She
remembered, a lifetime ago, hearing the soft voices of Lexi and her mom on
their separate phones explaining time after time that the groom had passed away
suddenly and that they had to cancel the wedding.  She couldn’t imagine leaving
Lexi to do it on her own. 

            “You’ll be
back in a week, right?”

            “Yes, but like
I said, call me if you need to talk, or if you need anything.”

            “I will. You
better send pictures—I want to hear every detail. I’m really happy for you, you
know, but I do hate the fact that you’re going to be moving so far away.”  She
knew Tia was both apprehensive and excited—she was going to see her new house
for the first time, and Dylan was meeting her there. Part of her, a part she
didn’t like very much, resented the fact that Tia was skipping off to Colorado
when she needed her best friend the most. She’d never left Tia’s side after
Nick died, and even canceled a trip to the Caymans to take care of her. Damn
it, she shouldn’t feel this way; she knew that the whole band was taking a week
off and that Dylan couldn’t just take a break whenever he wanted to; she knew
that it was planned long before the whole catastrophe with Ryan. Lexi suddenly
feared that she would have nothing once Tia moved away permanently; no best
friend, no fiancé, and, the way things were going at work, maybe no job. Bryce,
her boss, was none too happy about the blowup in the kitchen and her outburst
at Candy. Then she’d taken the rest of the week off without officially
informing him. She dreaded going back, and was far from feeling ready to do so.
“Oh God, I don’t know what to do next,” she whispered.

            Tia was at her
side in an instant. “What you do is get back to work, stay busy, and show the
world that you aren’t so easily broken. Call some people— go out…go to Paddy’s.
You know everyone there, and they certainly know how to have a good time.”

            “I really
don’t feel like being social right now; I just need a break.”

            “I’ve got an
idea…why don’t you call Bo? He’s a champion at making people feel good. He
always brings a smile to your face, that’s for sure.”

            “Oh, right.
Like he wants to listen to me bitch about my shitty life.”
Or like he’d even
want to talk to me at all,
she added in her mind.

            “Oh honey, you
don’t have a shitty life; you had a shitty boyfriend. Believe me, I know that
it feels like he was your whole life; like every part of you was tangled up in
him; but once you unravel all that, you’ll see that who you are hasn’t really
changed.” She put her arms around Lexi’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.  “I
also know that there are good guys out there; guys who are actually worthy of
you; and when you find one, you’ll see that all this happened for a reason.”

            Lexi dropped
her head. The rational side of her knew that it was true—Tia had lost the love
of her life and still managed to find Dylan—but the emotional side of her
wasn’t ready to even think about the possibility of another relationship and the
chance that she’d be hurt again. “Whatever. I can’t even think about that right
now.”

            “I know,” Tia
answered quickly, glancing at her watch. She reached into her purse and pulled
out a notepad. “I’m going to leave you with his number anyway, just in case,”
she said, scribbling on a fresh page. “I know I don’t have to tell you that
this isn’t public, so I’d suggest you tuck it away somewhere, just to be on the
safe side. And you know I’m a phone call away, too.” She took a long look at
Lexi’s drawn face. “Do I have to worry about you?” she asked. “Maybe you should
call your mom; see if she can come stay with you for a while.”

            “That’s the
last thing I need. She’d probably tell me to forgive the bastard and try to
make it work. You know she forgave my dad when she found out he was sleeping
with one of his nurses. I’ll pass on that option.”

            “Just promise
me you’re not going to sit here for the next week and mope around. I know it
sucks, but dwelling on it doesn’t make it any better. I’ve always been jealous
of how strong you are, you know. You can’t let this break you.” She glanced at
her watch again. “Listen, honey, I’m so sorry, but I’ve really got to go. I
have a plane to catch, and I still have to stop by my place to pick up a few
things…” She pulled Lexi into a hug as she headed for the door. “Promise me,”
she said again, holding out her pinkie.

            Lexi groaned,
but linked her little finger around Tia’s and gave it a limp shake. “Have fun.”

            “I’ll call
you.”

            “OK,” she said
as she closed the door and the emptiness enveloped her.

            Going back to
work was no piece of cake. She held her head high, put on her best stoic face,
and did her best to shrug off all the condolences and faces that held pity, but
she was having a hard time concentrating, especially when her boss chewed her
out for her behavior of the previous week.

            “I understand
that you had a rough time,” Bryce said, “but you need to keep your head in the
game when you’re at work. I won’t have you berating your coworkers; especially
in hearing range of clients. You owe Candy an apology, and I expect we won’t
have any more similar outbursts.”

            She didn’t
think she owed Candy anything—Bryce was only bothered because he was currently
sleeping with the office slut—God, did the cheating never end? He was a married
man. Her plan was to avoid Candy completely, but there she was, hovering
outside her office when she went back after her ass chewing.