Page 54 of Catching Our Moment
I nodded. “Grace, call him off from blacklisting Riley in Hollywood, please.”
“You all need to stop sending him to voicemail all the time.” She leaned against the railing I had just cleaned. “Besides, he doesn’t know anyone in Hollywood capable of doing that.”
I guffawed again. If she only knew. Not even I understood the extent of Wyatt’s ways, and truthfully, I’d rather stay oblivious. “Keep thinking that,” I muttered.
Grace walked over to Kelcie. “Girl, you look amazing. Absolutely beautiful.” She put her hand to her chest, and affection lit up her face. Then she side-eyed me, mischief laced in her words. “Doesn’t she, Shaw?”
And I felt like an even bigger schmuck because I should’ve been the one to tell her that first. But I was pouting like a child who hadn’t gotten picked first for the game, even though I’d never even showed up to the field.
I glanced at her but couldn’t hold her eyes. I tried to find middle ground between sincerity and biting back my true feelings. So, clearing my throat, I settled on, “She always looks beautiful.”
I slowly walked over to kiss her on the cheek. She smelled different. Whether she used special lotion or actual perfume for this man, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like that she was making an effort to be someone else for him. She looked fantastic with her ponytail and yoga pants. She was gorgeous with lip balm and the fresh scent of her shampoo. That was my Kelce.
Goddammit. She was so close…but more unreachable than ever.
She was trying to start over. I was her friend, and it was my job to be supportive. But I didn’t have to watch it.
“He’s a lucky man. Have a good night.” And I walked inside, unable to watch her walk away with another man—again.
19
Kelcie
I think I must be broken. There was a screw loose in my head. Here I was, pulling up to my house in an expensive luxury car with a good-looking, single man, and…nothing. I felt nothing.
Mitch Williams was a developer, a marathon runner, divorced, no children. He was kind, complimentary, handsome, engaging, and intelligent, and he asked about Aaron and my job. He was gorgeous with sea-glass green eyes and dark-brown hair, and I was single for the first time in thirteen years. I hadn’t had sex in…I didn’t even want to count how long…and I didn’t want to. He was very easy on the eyes, yet there was no chemistry. Not even a spark.
All I kept thinking about was Shaw sitting at home, his sour mood, and what he was dealing with after Riley’s actions. I texted Grace a few times to check on him when Mitch stepped away.
She said he was fine, and he’d told her it was her and Wyatt’s constant “checking in” that was upsetting him. I got the nerve to text him before we reached the restaurant, but it went unanswered.
My poor Shaw. He had such a big heart. I knew, when she left him alone in that hospital room, it was going to end this way.
“Hey, you okay?” Mitch asked as we pulled off the highway.
I shook my head and turned to him. “Oh, yes. Sorry, I was just…”
Mitch knew I was friends with the infamous Dawson Shawfield. Shaw had been nowhere to be seen when Mitch had come to pick me up, and Mitch hadn’t brought him up.
“I’m not sure if you follow social media or anything, but Shaw is going through some stuff right now.”
He nodded once. “Yeah, it was even on the local news this evening.”
I winced. “The thing is, I saw it coming. It was like a train wreck, but there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. Did you know she left his hospital room and flew straight to Hollywood? Who does that?” My indignation for him ran wild, along with my mouth, after months of being shoved down. “I mean, you don’t abandon the man you love for a reality TV show, especially when he’s literally in a hospital bed. I guess she figured someone else would step in and take care of him.”
“That person being you.”
“Me and his other friends.”
“But he’s living with you.”
“He’s living next door to me.”
He nodded again thoughtfully. He was quiet for a minute, keeping his eyes on the road. He patted my knee gently and said, “Well, he’s better off, considering the way things worked out. I mean, if she’d stayed, he wouldn’t have moved next door to you.”
I nodded, playing with the hem of my dress that was inching up my leg.
Having Mitch’s hand on my knee felt good. Having a man touch me because he found me desirable certainly helped my ego make a reappearance. He’d chosen me. He’d asked me out because he saw something in me he liked. It had been a while since I felt special.
