Page 64 of Dr. Brandt

“Live like what? I’m confused.”

“See,” I opened my arms and widened my eyes, “I can’t even make sense of how I feel. I can’t fucking do this. If she doesn’t want me back, then fine, but Jesus.” I started walking through the grand atrium of this insanely beautiful yacht. “Shit,” I said, seeing that Jim was back where I left him, wondering what I was doing.

We were all lucky I successfully flew the helicopter here because, as of right now, my brain was shutting down on every level. I was consumed with the loss of this woman, and it was the most painful fucking thing I’d ever felt.

“Where are the damn stairs on this thing?” I asked, frustrated.

“Over here,” Jim said, punching the buttons on the wall with the side of his fist. “And you aren’t going anywhere near everyone else until we work this craziness out of you.”

“I’m heading to my room,” I said. “I need to calm down.”

“Yeah, your flushed cheeks clearly indicate that your blood pressure is about to pop a brain cell or two in that genius surgeon’s mind of yours. So let’s get a drink while Jake and Collin entertain everyone when the boat comes to pick them up for whale watching.”

“I’m fine, Jim,” I insisted. “I just need to do some push-ups or run the track on this yacht to get this shitty energy out of my system.”

“Good idea. The track is on the lower deck. I’ll meet you down there in ten,” he said after we stepped out of the elevator that led to the living quarters on the top section of this yacht. “Let me tell Avery, then you and I can work out our frustration together.”

“Frustration? You? You’re the calmest mother fucker on the planet.”

He chuckled. “Thanks for the compliment. See you down there.”

After Jim and I sprinted this massive ass yacht for nearly thirty minutes, I felt renewed after all that rotten energy was out of my system. Jim and I had gone to our rooms to shower before meeting up on one of the party decks. I grabbed a juicy chunk of watermelon and sat on a lounge chair while waiting for my friend.

“All good?” Jim questioned as he walked out, making his way to the bar across from me and ordering a drink. “Bourbon. Neat.”

“Much better.” I wiped off my hands and walked to the bar where Jim stood. “I’ll take a bourbon too.”

He sipped the amber liquid from his glass. “Since we’re technically on some form of vacation, it’s perfectly acceptable to have a drink at noon, right?”

I glanced at my watch, “Eleven-thirty, but I won’t say a word to the rest if you won’t.”

Jim chuckled, and we walked to a table that overlooked the back of the yacht. “I can’t understand my brother and that damn bar,” he said. “The idiot hires staff for table service and still has a bartender.” He glanced over his shoulder and waved off the young waitress approaching from out of nowhere, then he turned back and shook his head. “See what I mean? What the fuck? Why the bartender and bar if everyone is going to follow you around to wait on you hand and foot?”

“Ah, probably gives him a hard-on to have all the luxuries at his fingertips. Who knows, it’s fucking Jake,” I laughed.

Jim’s features lightened, taking another sip of his drink. “Good to have you back, buddy,” he said. “And listen, I get it. I do. I fucked shit up in the worst way possible with Avery when we were dating. I lost the best thing that’d ever walked into my world with her and Addy at the time, and I didn’t think I’d get her back.” He looked out at the ocean thoughtfully, “It takes challenges like these, though, to make you appreciate what you have when you get it back.”

“That’s the difference between you and me; you got the girl in the end. I messed this one up bad.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jim grinned. “Did you fire her and act like the biggest asshole she’d ever met, all while she had a kid to feed?”

“Well, you got me there. Jesus, you fired her?”

“Practically had her escorted out of the building by security because she lied on a resume. The worst part was that I knew she wasn’t the person I’d made her out to be.” He exhaled, and his features darkened, “I should’ve never been so harsh to her, yet I was. I was struggling with some serious demons at the time. I know it’s not an excuse, but that was why I put her in a position to be perfectly justified in never wanting to see my face again.”

“And what was the trick?” I asked, taking the bait on this story which I knew had a happy ending.

He raised his glass and pointed with his index finger toward the bar, “I reintroduced myself to her right over there at some party Jake was hosting on this yacht.” He looked back at me and smiled. “Got the girl back.”

“That was it?”

He shrugged, “Nah, but that was what reminded her about what an amazing fuck I was when we finished the conversation in my cabin.”

I laughed, “Well, if sex has anything to do with me getting Jessa back, then it looks like the story doesn’t end well for me.”

He frowned, “You suck in bed, huh? Fuck, if that’s the case, the story will never end well for you.”

“No, dipfuck,” I said with a laugh. “I can’t even find a way to kiss the woman, much less fuck her. She seriously wants nothing to do with me. I hurt her pretty bad.”

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