Page 49 of Game Changer
I show him the cocktail on the menu.“It’s really good.”
“I’ll try it.”He orders one also.“Here for the convention?”
I repress my smile.“No.Just vacation.How about you?”
“Yeah, I presented today.”
“Oh, awesome.What was your presentation about?”
“Domain-driven design for modern architectures.”
I blink.“Oh.Cool.I have no idea what that means.”
He laughs.“That’s okay.What do you do for a living?”
“I teach third grade.”
“Fun.Maybe?”
“It is.I love kids, and I love teaching.”
“Do you have any of your own?”
“No.I almost got married…a while back.”Okay, four days ago.“But it didn’t work out.”
“Ah.Sorry to hear that.”
We chat back and forth about the resort and the weather.I learn his name is Ben and he’s a software developer and architect, apparently an expert in domain-driven design, whatever that is.He’s being a little flirty, and I’m not looking for anything more than casual conversation, but it’s fun.
“Ben.”
A woman’s voice speaks behind us.We both turn to see her standing there.She’s about his age, wearing a suit also, and she’s looking at me like I just tried to steal her purse.
“Oh, hi,” he says.“Done already?”
“Yes.”Her tone is frosty, her eyes ice blue and narrowed at me.
“Let me just settle up for this drink.”
I want to tell the woman I’m not interested in her husband or boyfriend or whatever he is to her, that I wasn’t the one flirting, but that probably wouldn’t be helpful so I just give her a friendly smile and turn away from her to check my phone.
Why are men such douchewaffles?It’s not that I was really interested in him, but he sure as hell wasn’t acting like he was married.
“Enjoy your vacation,” he says, his tone completely different as he slides off the stool.
Asshole.“Thanks.”
I sigh as they depart.Another man takes the stool right away, smiling at me.I scrunch my face into a phony smile then focus on my phone.
I order a salad and scroll through social media, keeping my head down as I eat to discourage any chatter.I have one more drink, then I pay the bill and go outside for a walk, which is getting to be a routine while here.Except tonight I’m alone.
I really don’t mind being alone, and I totally didn’t want to go with Jax to have dinner with his family.They have a lot to talk about.I hope it goes well.Everly was a bit snarky toward him at the party the other night, implying that he wasn’t interested in the family issues, but come on!He lives on the other side of the country.And they know what a professional hockey player’s schedule is like.He can’t just get on a plane and fly to L.A.for a family meeting.
I pause at one of the pools, which is closed, but I sit on a big round lounger and watch the shimmering water.What should I do tomorrow?A different pool?The beach again?Take a hike along the coast?The resort is beautiful but kind of isolated, so without a car I can’t get very far.They do have a shuttle service though.I could check out options, like maybe a whale watching tour.
I think about my day at the beach, and how fun and easy it was with Jax.How excellent he looks in a pair of board shorts.How his shoulder muscles bunched and rippled when he paddled the kayak, how his strong legs braced on the stand-up paddle board.
I was glad to see him relaxing and having fun; yesterday was clearly a rough day for him.Confronting the reality of his grandfather’s decline would be difficult for anyone to accept, but he also feels guilty about not seeing his grandpa and about doubting Chelsea’s commitment to her husband.Having his eyes opened to that was another reality check, and it was obviously hard having those long-held beliefs challenged.
