Page 35 of Last First Date
Daniels shakes his head at me. "You're pathetic. I mean look at you. You're the designated lady killer of Valentine and you're sitting here day drinking and mooning over the one and only woman in town who doesn't want you."
I sigh and plop my head onto one hand. "I know I'm fucking pathetic, okay? Why do you think I texted you? I want sympathy, not someone lining up to tell me how crappy of a person I am." I look at his face, which is tinged with empathy for my current state. The clear view of my own tragedy on his face makes my stomach turn.
"Look, it's not her fault. She just got this job. You can't really expect her to throw away all of her dreams for some guy she just met." Daniels clinks his beer against mine.
I raise it and drink. It goes down like water, which means I've had too much already. Once the beer stops tasting like beer, I'd ordinarily go home and sleep it off. But I'm still deep in the feeling sorry for myself part of this whole affair.
"I get it. I know I'm not good enough for her. Hell, her mom hates guys like me."
Daniels scrunches up his face at me like I'm talking gibberish instead of actual words. He reaches up and scratches at his head with his free hand. "What exactly does Darcy's mom have to do with all this? You're not banging her mom too, are you?"
I smack him. "Knock it off, Daniels. The whole point for Darcy is that she really wants to make her mom happy."
"And what exactly is the problem with you in that equation? I mean you've got a good job, and you probably clean up okay." Daniels looks at me. "What's wrong with you? Third nipple or something?"
I roll my eyes, but the amount of alcohol in my bloodstream makes me a little bit dizzy when I do it. "I'm too low class for the Millicent von Albrechts of this world."
I shrug.
"I'm never going to be able to compete with the rich guys of the world, the ones who are born with more money in their trust funds than I'll ever have."
Daniels shakes his head decisively. "Darcy doesn't care about your bank balance. She's a regular person you know. Not stuck up in the least."
I nod at him. I know that about her and like her even better because of it. "I'm not saying the problem is with Darcy. Darcy's great. She's smart, and she's tough as hell, and she's a damn good firefighter."
Daniels clinks my beer with his again. "I'll drink to that. Every time."
We sit quietly and let the alcohol do its magic. But I don't feel any better yet. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad at her. I said some really terrible things."
Daniels winces. "Well look. If you're feeling bad about the way that things went down between the two of you, then you need to man up and apologize. Don't be a dick to Darcy. She doesn't deserve it."
K.T.'s voice rings out down the hallway. "Damn right."
I sigh. I know they're both right, but I wasn't expecting her to discard me in favor of the guy her mother wants for her and it still stings that she did it so easily.
The shame of her telling me she was taking that rich guy to the gala in the middle of my attempt to seduce her fills me all over again, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth and a knot the size of my fist lodged deep in the pit of my stomach.
"I can't deal with being her good-time guy. I don't want her to call me whenever she's lonely and then tell me I'm not good enough to take out in public or whatever."
"Is that what she told you?" Daniels asks me, his hand on my shoulder.
I shake my head. "I asked her out to that fundraiser for the hospital and she told me she was already going with this other guy."
Daniels gives me a long, sorrowful look. "Dude. She was probably set up with that other guy like ages ago. Long before you made your awkward as hell moves on her."
I shake my head. "I've never treated a woman like that. They always know where they stand with me."
Daniels laughs right in my face then and I kind of want to punch him, but maybe that's the alcohol talking. "Bullshit. You always treat women like that. Like they're disposable. Isn't that what you really mean?"
I sigh heavily. "Well I certainly got what was coming to me then. She couldn't get out of my place fast enough this morning."
He nods his head at my words. "You were probably a total dick to her. I don't know if you've noticed this about yourself, but whenever you get your precious little feelings hurt, you can be a grade A asshole."
I laugh, but it's not a happy sound. "Okay. I'll apologize to her. She may have hurt me first, but that doesn't make what I did okay."
He nods and claps me on the shoulder. "Good man. That's the way."
I pull out my phone and pull up her number. I go ahead and call her, because I figure this deserves an actual phone call and not just a text.
