Page 16 of You Found Me
After our dinner at Acme Feed & Seed, we decided to keep the night going at the rooftop bar, and the view from up here is pretty incredible.
Looking out, I can see Nissan Stadium, a better look at the new stadium, the Cumberland River, and all the other buildings on Broadway Street.
Breathing in the city air, watching the city come alive from all around me, reminds me why I decided to become an architect. I want people to feel as I do when I look out at these buildings. I want them to be awed, but more than that, I want them to feel a sense of peace when they see something that I created.
That’s partly why I agreed to come work with Theo. His dad, Gavin, owns a construction company, Callahan & Son’s, and while he primarily does work in Charleston, he’s decided he would like to bring a few new projects into Meadow Springs. He mentioned to Theo about wanting to expand and hire another architect before starting work in town.
While I still work remotely with Coleman & Jenkins, an architecture firm in Willow Beach, Theo thought of me for the new position as a way to have us working together again. He knows the kind of ideas I can come up with, and the potential variety of projects we could bring to fruition at Callahan & Son’s. My main priority is to prove to Mr. Callahan that he made the right choice hiring me.
Lost in my thoughts, I miss the fact that B and Bastian managed to find somewhere to sit. I see their drinks are getting low, so I order another round to bring to the table. “Were you guys just going to leave me by myself?”
“Dude, we tried getting your attention a few times but no luck. What were you thinking so hard about?” Bastian asks.
“Probably about the girls from the other night,” Beckett proudly says, knowing full well Bastian will react the same way he did.
“Ooooh, girls? Who are they?” He looks between me and Beckett excitedly. “Does Aunt June know? And if she doesn’t, can Ipleasebe there when you tell her?”
I roll my eyes so hard they hurt. “Thanks a lot B.” I ignore him and talk directly to Bastian, “It's only one girl, actually. She’s afriend of Theo’s sister. Only, she’s engaged and is very much off limits.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, Jay. I didn’t realize you actually had a thing for one of the girls you helped home,” Beckett apologizes.
He has the decency to look sheepish even though it’s not his fault. How could he have known that one of them was my literal dream girl from forever ago.
To keep him from feeling too bad, I downplay it. “It’s not a big deal. I met her years ago and it didn’t work out. Saw her for the first time since college last week which is how I found out she’s engaged.”
“Okay, but could you take him in a duel?” Bastian asks without an ounce of playfulness.
Beckett and I exchange a glance before falling into a fit of laughter that only gets worse when Bastian looks so perplexed about what we could’ve possibly found funny.
“What is this? The freaking renaissance?” I ask in between laughs.
That makes Beckett lose it even more, struggling to get his words out, “Can you imagine Jay in full-blown knight attire ready to joust with some dude he’s never met?” He wipes a lone tear.
“Actually, I’d pay money to see that,” Bastian says earnestly.
“Sebastian, you’re one of the biggest dorks I’ve ever known. Please never change.” He grumbles and pouts at my words.
This grown ass, 230-pound NFL tight end ispoutingbecause we didn’t take his question seriously.
Selfishly hoping to find out a bit more about Emmaline’s fiancé, I throw him a bone. “I’m not sure if I could take him seeing as I’ve refrained from looking him up. But it’s possible that you know him.”
“How would I know him?”
“Well,” I clear my throat, mentally preparing to hear how wonderful her fiancé is, “he’s a football player for the Charleston Cougars. His name is Chance Collins.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Bastian pleads with a look of disgust. “He’s a hothead. So much so that his attitude and poor conduct were the very reasons he was traded to Charleston. Hisagent worked out a deal and was able to get them to agree on a two-year contract with the first year being probationary.”
Beckett looks at him and with a chuckle says, “I feel like Mom and Aunt Sarah just took over for a minute there.”
“Is that public knowledge or is this a ‘heard it through the grapevine’ type of thing?” I ask him.
“Ha ha,” Bastian replies sarcastically. “It isn’t public knowledge, but my agent, Luke, works for the same agency as Chance’s. Plus, he knows Chance is not my favorite person which is why I know about it. And I’m only telling you, so you know not to get your hopes up with this girl.” He sits back, taking a sip of his gin and tonic. “It’s highly likely he gets the boot before the season is up. Then it’s bye-bye dream girl.”
I can’t stop my sigh. “It’s not like that. Not really. I had to help her and Theo’s sister the other night because Emmaline got really upset during her speech. Several tequila shots were involved after that, and I was the one who helped them home. She said some things that made me think he wasn’t good to her. All I wanted to know was if he’s a shitty person or if it was just a bad day, ya know?”
“Tequila shots to cure sadness? Sounds like those are my kind of girls,” Bastian says with a grin. “But to answer your question, yeah. He’s a shitty person. He’s known for causing issues with his teammates and the coaching staff. I remember reading an article about his engagement last year, but I didn’t know he was still engaged, given how he talks to women in the comment sections on his social media.”
Beckett, who has been sitting quietly listening, pipes in, “I know you, Jay. And I know you wouldn’t be asking about her unless you were still into her. Doesn’t matter that it’s been years since you first met. Even with zero contact. She clearly left her mark on you.”
