Page 32 of Forever Wild

“Yes. Yes, I know. We both know how important it is that she comes,” he said, followed by a creak as he stood from a chair. “She just can’t do both things.” He started pacing. “Mom, she just can’t excel at her job and as a girlfriend. It would be hard for anyone.” More pacing. “I don’t know, Mom, I guess maybe she just can’t juggle both.”

I could picture him, running his hand along the back of his neck like he does when he’s frustrated. It was a gesture I’d seen frequently lately.

“Maybe, Mom. I mean, I loved Bryn.” He sighed after he said that, and I felt the d on the end of the word love like it was a knife thrown straight at my heart. “You’re right. Maybe we just aren’t a good fit anymore.”

All I heard was yet another person saying I wasn’t good enough on that same day.

We broke up that night, and I flew back to Wild Bluffs knowing the only way I could ever be enough was to focus 100% of my energy on my job.

So what am I doing now, letting myself develop an interest in a professional athlete?

I have three minutes before the team leader said he could meet, so I quickly dial Izzy.

She answers with a yawn, asking, “Why are you calling me so early?”

“Am I ridiculous for going out with Jameson Walker?”

“Why would you be? And are you going out with him?”

“He’s a professional athlete. He’s likely not just going out with me.”

I turn around, startled by the masculine “knock, knock” behind me. Ugh. Why does it have to be Kyle? Gosh, I hope he didn’t hear anything.

“Is he, though?” Iz asks in my ear.

“I gotta go, Izzy,” I say, hanging up before she can say goodbye.

I straighten my back, refusing to seem any more rushed by Kyle’s unexpected appearance.

“What do you need?” I ask, not at all pleased that I get to see him on the weekends as well now.

“Just wanted to see how things were going with the development team. You know marketing is waiting on that update.”

Marketing doesn’t actually need to know about the update. It has almost zero impact on anything they are doing. This is just typical Kyle, needing to be in the know about everything while doing absolutely nothing.

“I actually have a call with them right now,” I say, swiveling my chair back to face my computer. “Bye, Kyle.”

Chapter sixteen

Jameson

After getting in a morning workout with JT at the hotel fitness center, I’m in an Uber on my way to pick Bryn up. She’s already been to work this morning, which was crazy to learn. Bryn insisted she could just meet me at the restaurant for brunch, but I was just as insistent that I pick her up after she had a chance to drop her stuff off at her hotel. Because I still believe a guy should pick a girl up for a date. And this is a date. Even if Bryn doesn’t know it yet. Even if I was adamantly opposed to dating just twenty-four hours ago. Now all I have to do is convince her to date me seriously. While keeping it appropriately casual for our first official date. Fuck.

The black car I’m in rolls to a stop in the Marriott roundabout, and I see Bryn sitting out front wearing a pair of black joggers and one of those baggy cut-off shirts that seem to be so popular these days. I’ve never really thought about how hot workout clothes could be—athleisure, as the kids are calling it these days—but damn. I really want to cuddle with her.

I can imagine it now. A cool autumn day at a cabin in the mountains, lazily sprawled out on the couch, binge-watching a show together while she snuggles up into me. I shake my head and throw open my door, hurrying around to catch Bryn before she lets herself into the other side.

“Hey!”

“Morning, Jameo. What brings you to this side of LA?” she jokes.

I pull her into a hug because…well…I want to hug her. “I’ve got a hot date I’m here to pick up.” Then, looking behind her, I say, “Have you seen Mila Kunis anywhere? I swear she said she was staying at this hotel.”

“Thank God.” Bryn whacks my arm good-naturedly. “I was worried you thought this was a date. Which would be highly out of character for the man who was a complete dick to me and then went out of his way to make it very, very clear that he was not interested in dating.”

Well, shit. I feel my shoulders slump slightly as I close her door and walk around to my side of the car. That’s true. I was a dick. And I did make it clear I wasn’t interested in dating. But, on the other hand, I’m now very interested in dating Bryn. How the hell do I explain that to her? I have no idea.

Taking a steadying breath, one I’ve worked on with my sports psychologist regularly over the years, I slide in next to Bryn. She’s staring out the window, and I sit silently next to her, trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do. I can’t spend the rest of the day pretending this isn’t a date in my mind. Even if I wasn’t in a situation forcing me to make it official, I would still want this to be a date. This is the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been around her.

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