Page 7 of The Rule of 3

As he’d done each year since graduation, Eli rented a huge suite in a local hotel for the reunion weekend. He made the trip to Newark via chauffeured limo to pick up Tanner at the airport. They greeted each other publicly with handshakes and bro hugs, but two hours later, once they checked into their suite for the weekend, they were all over each other. After a couple of hours of frantic, sweaty sex, they finally relaxed enough to have a conversation.

“You hungry?” Tanner asked. He’d had a much longer trip than Eli, and his stomach was beginning to rumble. He’d had to drive all the way up to Lexington to catch a flight to Newark. It had been a long-ass day.

Opening one eye, Eli conceded, “Yeah. You know they have that dinner tonight. Want to go or skip it?”

Rolling over to fondle Eli’s taut abs, Tanner considered their options. “Would you rather just order some room service? I’m not sure I can even walk.” He groaned a happy sound. “We can always see everyone tomorrow.”

So, they ordered some giant steaks, scarfed their dinners down, and went back to bed. The king-sized bed was a particularly wonderful treat after their narrow dorm beds all during college. They spent hours tasting, fucking, clutching, stroking, and sometimes even biting—finally falling asleep wrapped around each other.

The next morning, they woke up too late to make it to the breakfast but wanted some fresh air, so they wandered out to the nearest Starbucks and filled up on breakfast sandwiches and tall coffees. Then they were too full to attend the luncheon, so they headed back to the hotel for more fun. They had both been starving for each other.

After a refreshing nap and shower, Eli asked, “So now what’s your plan to woo the beautiful Zoë back into your good graces?”

Shaking his head slightly, Tanner answered with an exasperated sigh, “Hell if I know. The woman is so stubborn, she makes my blood boil. Sometimes I think she’s just playing an evil game with me to see how far she can make me grovel, and other times it seems as though she’s never going to come around. She did talk to me last week though, so that was encouraging. She even smiled. Well… sort of.”

Eli brightened up and asked, “What did she say?”

With a bark of a laugh, Tanner said, “She came to a town council meeting about school funding, and she asked if taxes were going to go up or if teachers were going to be fired.”

Eli grimaced. “Oh.” He was thoughtful a while then and then spoke up, “Well, you’re just going to have to up your game. Apparently, she’s worried about money and worried about her job security, so we’ll have to do something about that.”

Sighing, Tanner explained, “I’m sure she still has student loans. She wasn’t as lucky as Madison and I were in that department with Madison’s full-ride to Emory and my free aid deal from Princeton.” Eli nodded, and Tanner continued, “Zoë’s dad owned a crappy little hardware store in town that he and his wife ran together. Right after Zoë came back to Honeybee Hollow, they sold out to a big chain store, took the profits, and bought a tricked-out old van that they moved into. They told Zoë she could have the house she’d grown up in—not that it’s much of a prize. It’s tiny and in pretty bad shape actually.” He shook his head thinking of the peeling paint and the creaky door. “Anyway, then they said goodbye and took off to see the country. They’d never had a spare dollar to their name, and they’d never traveled, so this was a big thing for them. Honestly, I always got a kick out of them even though they’re a couple of kooks.” He let that sink in for a moment and then added, “Madison told me that Zoë kind of had a tough time when they left. It was like she was ‘being abandoned again,’ was how she put it to my sister. I assume the first time she felt abandoned was by me. Fuck, I feel like such a tool. No wonder she doesn’t want to get near me again.”

Looking every inch the businessman, Eli said, “Okay, Tanner. I have a plan.”

They discussed it until it was time to get ready for the reunion dinner. It was with renewed hope that Tanner set out to greet and catch up with a bunch of their old friends.

Chapter 10

A few weeks later, Zoë almost fainted when she got a letter in the mail announcing that her student loan was paid in full. She immediately called the number on the statement.

“Um, hi, this is Zoë Deliban, and I think there has been a mistake—not that it’s bad, but I have a letter here saying my loan is all paid off…?”

The man on the other end of the call did some checking and came back sounding smiley. “Yes, Ms. Deliban. Thank you for your payment. The check arrived and it cleared just three days ago.”

“I don’t understand.” Zoë frowned. “I didn’t send a check like that.”

“Well, I see that the bank account it came from was a new one, but it has your name on it,” explained the man. “Thank you again. It’s so nice to see someone pay up contentiously these days. So many people are defaulting on their loans. Please let us know if we can be of service to you for any future loan needs you have. Goodbye.”

Zoë was left with dead air and a stunned expression. She didn’t know what to think, so she immediately called them back and got someone else.

After explaining once again, she asked, “Can you tell me the bank the check was sent from as well as the account number, please?”

The lady on the phone answered, “I can tell you that the check was drawn from an account with Charles Schwab, but I can’t reveal the account number without the proper ID from you.”

Frowning, Zoë asked, “What kind of ID?”

“Your social security number and the account number from your bank.”

“No, Ineedthe account number!”

In a voice that sounded like someone talking to a dim four-year-old, the loan officer stated, “Ms. Deliban, I suggest you look at the checks they must have sent you from Charles Schwab. The account number is on the bottom of your checks.”

“No, I… oh, never mind. Thank you.” Zoë hung up.

Shortly after the student loan episode, Zoë received a similar letter congratulating her and thanking her for payment in full on the loan for her house. It had irked her no end that right before her parents took off on their journey, they’d taken out a mortgage, pocketed the cash, and left her to pay the bank back.

She made a call. “Hi, Mom. How are things on the road?”

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