Page 13 of The Boyfriend Boycott
“Anywhere. The Whisky Jack maybe?” she suggests.
I don’t mind going out with Ally tonight, as long as we go anywhere but the Whisky Jack. I’ve expertly dodged Grady around town over the last few days. Good thing, too. Because just seeing him from a distance this morning had me replaying our night together in detail. I’m going to chalk it up to the fact that he was looking extra fine in his black athletic shorts, his grey T-shirt snug against his chest, showing off the black ink on his arms.
No, seeing him again would not be good for my boyfriend boycott.
“Hmm. How about Thistle + Thorne?” I offer. “You can’t drink anyways, and that way Poppy can join us after she closes up.” Poppy and Ally often sit in the cafe after hours, and that kind of secluded get-together sounds like just what I need tonight.
“Poppy already said she’ll get Ethan to close, and I don’t want to sit in the cafe alone. I want to go out, see other people,” Ally counters. “Besides, just because I can’t drink doesn’t mean I don’t want to get dressed up and go out to a bar. I have a limited amount of time to do it before my Friday nights look a lot different.”
I imagine what Ally’s nights will look like in a couple of short months. Poopy diapers, spit up, and so much screaming. I cringe for her. I’m not about to argue with my pregnant best friend, so I say, “Okay, the Whisky Jack it is.” Maybe I’ll get lucky and Grady won’t even be working.
“Yay!” Ally squeals and I jerk my phone away from my face at her sudden outburst. “I’m excited, Spence. This will be fun. It’s been so long since we’ve had a girls’ night out. I’ll pick you up at six.”
“Isn’t that a little early?” I say, checking the time on my phone screen quickly. It’s almost five now.
“Not for me. My bedtime has been getting earlier and earlier these days,” Ally explains.
“Fair enough. See you at six.” I hang up the phone with Ally, and lay my head back in the hammock, letting the golden evening sun warm my face as I close my eyes. I’ve been trying to soak in every peaceful moment I have left out here in the woods, just me and Wilma. I gave the van a name because even though I denied it to Grady, there have been moments where I’ve been a little lonely. But now, I’m sad that my time with her is ending.One more week until my contract is over, and then I don’t know what I’ll do. All I know is that I’ll leave Heartwood like I’ve left every other place I’ve visited.
My stomach sinks at the thought. This time won’t be like every other time that I’ve left a place behind. I have nothing else on the horizon. I’ve typically secured my next gig by now, and while I had a few offers, none of them seemed that appealing. It’s hard to motivate myself to hustle for contracts that I’ll inevitably get passed over for a younger Instagram girlie with lip fillers and much, much smoother skin. Not to mention, the commission these companies are offering still won’t be enough to pay my rent back in Vancouver.
I need to figure something out quickly. Sasha said she might have a lead the last time I talked to her, though I’m wary of getting my hopes up too soon. But if it doesn’t come through … I’ll have no roof over my head once I return Wilma to Wanderluxe.
Later that evening,Ally, Poppy, and I are seated around the table in the far corner of the bar. I caught a glimpse of Grady when I walked in, but I beelined for the booth that would offer me enough cover that I might escape having another interaction with him. As Ally and Poppy chatter away over something that I’ve lost the thread of, I try to sink low enough in my seat that I’m not visible from the bar.
“What can I get you ladies to drink tonight?” The familiar, husky voice that approaches our table makes me jump, and when I look up to see Grady standing over me, my stomach flip flops.
“Spencer,” Grady says with a grin, “lovely to see you again.” It’s an innocent comment at face value, but I know that he’s playing at something else. It’s not that I dislike Grady, quite the opposite. The physical chemistry we have is downright addictive. Men like him are my vice, and I am trying to stay sober.
“Likewise.” I nod, trying not to take in the way his apron is tied low around his waist, low enough that if his shirt lifted slightly, I would bet anything that you could see the two lines that form a V above his waistband.
“I’ll have a gin and tonic.” Poppy, oblivious to the tension between Grady and I, orders, and I hope that Ally is just as blind to it. I don’t need her asking questions.
“I’ll have … Gosh I don’t know what to order if I can’t get my usual rosé.” Ally taps her chin with her index finger. “Surprise me, Grady. Make me some kind of fancy mocktail.”
“Okay, and for you?” Grady’s eyes are boring right through me. Coming here tonight was a terrible idea.
“Uh,” I hesitate. “I haven’t even looked at the menu yet.” My mind has been so preoccupied that I never decided what to order. Now I feel like an idiot.
“Tell you what, I’ll surprise both of you. If I don’t get it right, it’s on the house.” Grady backs away from our table, but not without shooting a wink in my direction that makes my insides turn to goo.
“What was that about?” Ally turns back to me, eyeing me up.
“What was what?” I force my face into the most neutral expression I can muster.
“That. You and Grady.” Her voice raises an octave. She would love nothing more than for Grady and me to get together, and she should know better than anyone why that can’t happen.
“Me and Grady, nothing. He said hello, I said hi back. That was it.” I give her a casual shrug.
“That was not nothing. There’s no chance that you haven’t thought about him. You have a type, and that type is Grady Landry. Looks-wise, at least.”
It’s nothing I don’t already know. But my type also involves them being emotionally unavailable, and I can already tell that Grady is fundamentally different, even if he looks the part.Even if he agreed to keep things casual.
“Yes, and there’s a good reason I have sworn men off. I need to practice some self-discipline, so Grady is firmly off the table.” I snap, a little too defensively and I know Ally caught it. Whatever she thought she saw, I need to shut it down quick. “I’m going to go use the restroom.”
Ally squints her eyes at me as I make my escape. Hopefully by the time I’m back, her and Poppy will have moved on to something else. Ally won’t let this go if she even has an inkling that there might be something between Grady and me.
I weave my way through the tables, and find the short, narrow hallway that leads to two restrooms. The bathroom is small, a little cramped, but I check myself in the mirror, smoothing out my long red waves, and rub any remnants of lip gloss off my teeth. I didn’t need to go to the washroom, so I just wait long enough that Ally thinks my trip wasn’t just a ruse to get away from her for a moment.
