Page 62 of That Kind of Guy

He laughed. “Yeah, well, Nat helped me figure that out fast.”

Record scratch. I paused, narrowing my eyes.

“Nat? Will’s Nat?”

He nodded. “Yep. Will’s Nat.”

“Wow.” So Emmett dated a girl and then she dumped him for his best friend. “What do you mean, she helped you figure it out?”

My head raced with ideas. Pregnancy scare? Did Emmett get Nat pregnant, she wanted to keep it and he didn’t? The idea of Emmett getting anyone else pregnant sent jealous rage through my veins.

He sucked in a breath and inspected the apple in his hand before tucking it in the bag. “She had a plan, she wanted a family one day and didn’t see me as the kind of guy who could provide that. I didn’t care about that kind of stuff.”

My heart split in half, thinking of a teenage version of Emmett, gangly and young, sitting home alone on his prom night, thinking about how he wasn’t good enough for Nat’s life plan.

He saw my sad expression and laughed. “Adams, it’s fine. Really. She apologized years later for dumping me the night before prom. Besides, I like being an uncle. Will’s a much better dad and husband than I’d ever be.”

My hand came to my chest, hearing those words. Is that why Emmett didn’t want a relationship? Because someone didn’t want him, she wanted Will instead?

I knew they were just teenagers when this happened. I knew this. I also knew Nat was a lovely person. She and Will had been into the restaurant for date night, and she was friendly, polite, and patient. People made mistakes. I had done things I wasn’t proud of.

But she had also made Emmett feel pain. She made him feel like he wasn’t worthy.

In an ugly place in the back of my mind, I wondered if he still had a thing for her. They were both in their mid-thirties and from what I had seen, Will and Nat were happily married. I had never seen Emmett and Nat together, though. Maybe he still carried a torch for her.

An idea struck me and I brightened up. “What are you doing tomorrow night?” I asked him.

“We have dinner with my family, remember?”

“Right.” Elizabeth had called and invited us to dinner at their place tomorrow. The whole family would be there. Actually, this might still work. “I’ll be right back.”

He gave me a curious look but nodded, and I walked away and pulled my phone out. After a quick call to Miri, during which she asked many questions about the upcoming wedding that I wasn’t able to answer, I asked her my own questions and finally returned to Emmett, who was paying the fruit vendor.

“I have a proposition for you,” I told him as we wandered to the next stand.

“Okay.” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Let’s go to prom tomorrow night.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him. “We can get all dressed up, rent a limo, awkwardly slow dance amidst the scent of teen lust, it’ll be so fun.”

He looked uncertain. “I don’t know.”

“Come on,” I pleaded. I looped my arm through his as we walked. “I promise it’ll be fun. And a great campaign opportunity. Isaac never volunteers around town. Also, it’ll make Miri so happy.”

His gaze lingered on me and he smiled. “Well, if it’ll make Miri happy.”

I nodded, feeling flushed and excited. “It will, it really will. This is going to be great.”

15

Emmett

I parkedoutside Avery’s place just before eight. Dinner with my family had been moved to another night after my mom found out about Avery and I going to prom, and after Div had informed me that the only limo in town was booked by a group of teenagers, my dad had insisted that I pick Avery up in his Porsche.

It was an emerald-green 1989 Porsche 911, and my dad’s pride and joy. My dad was a simple guy, not materialistic at all, often wore t-shirts with small holes in them. All his clothes were purchased by my mother and growing up, he had taught us to fix something instead of buying something new. But this car, he loved this car. He normally kept it in the garage under a cover and only drove it out when there was absolutely zero chance of rain.

I had begged him to take the car to pick Nat up for prom, seventeen years ago, and finally, he had relented.

My shoulders tensed, thinking about that day, and I shook my head to myself as I made my way up the gravel path beside Avery’s house. It was seventeen years ago. It wasn’t a big deal.

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