Page 14 of Mr. July

What a stupid fool I’d been. We were mismatched. Truthfully, my main attraction to Wade was that we shared the same passion about our career path. Turns out Sierra does, too. Maybe I was drawn to his quiet stability. I’ve pretty much been a loner. My mother was quick to move on with a new husband making a new family, leaving me feeling like an outsider in their new home.

My father, well he was a traveling medical device salesman. His family was the road and whomever he met at a hotel bar. I spent my summers with him in Jersey. We lived out of cheap motels and his company car. As a kid, I felt like he genuinely wanted to spend summers with me and that was the only way he could. Looking back, it’s clear that having a kid in tow during his business meetings increased his sales numbers. I was the summer bump in his pay. My only one constant was always Gran. I could always pick up a phone and rely on her words of advice. Speaking of Gran, I headed back to the torture of Christmas with my mother’s new family which included my new stepsister and her perfect body and “perfect life.” Mom kept comparing me to her and it stung. Gran was there with a soft smile and encouraging roll of her eyes. I won’t miss Mom’s new family with my smirking stepsister who always thought having a boy’s name was so tragic.

I liked my name.

It suits me. I’m definitely not a southern belle looking to cash-in on my looks as a ticket to a house and a Range Rover Sport. Something which makes me standout at our small satellite campus filled with all the Real Housewife wannabees. I was born and raised in Jersey. We only drove south when Mom decided a southern gent would be her next mark on the path to finding Mr. Right, instead of a trail of Mr. Right nows. We landed in Nashville for a while but ended up in North Carolina after she met her new hubby in an online chatroom.

Mom has more in common with Sierra and Kendall than me. They are more intent on finding a man then finding themselves. Wade and I used to make fun of women like them. I thought Wade shared my disdain of them too. What did he do? He fell for one. Because although Wade has a real passion for the ocean, he’s backed by old family money. Wade Harrington V comes with more than just a desire to save the planet. He comes with the generational wealth to do it. I never wanted him for any of that. I simply wanted him for his easy grin, laid back attitude and great cuddles. He was the best at spooning.

Sighing, I pushed back all the memories of my ex. He wasn’t good or charming after all. Maybe just maybe, Wade had more of the rich boy in him than I thought. Maybe he really was a cheating bastard just like I had suspected but never wanted to face.

Stuffing my hands back into the deep pockets of my puffer coat, I turned making my way back to the house filled with too much fa-la-la. At least Gran’s there.

“You were gone a while.” She smiled from her wing chair in front of the burning logs.

“I had a lot on my mind.” I crossed the floor to warm my hands by the fire. “Where is everyone?”

“They left. I told them I burned the turkey.” I walked over to the oven turning on the oven light. Inside sat the turkey. Golden, crisp, and brown. “I had enough of them. I was getting a headache. They went to Derek’s club for a late brunch. Don’t let Kendall get to you. She’s fake as that ring she’s flashing. It isn’t real. It’s a knock-off. Cubic Zirconia if you ask me, but she’s too stupid to realize. I’ve had enough of them all fawning over it. I want to hear about you.”

I eyed the wet bar by the tree. “Care to split a bottle of Cabernet?”

She grinned. “I might look old, but I feel so young.”

“And thank God for that. Wade dumped me.”

She lifted her brows. “Figured as much.”

“For a fake blonde who wears 4-inch heels and 2-inch skirts to class.”

“Not surprised.”

“Anyway, I feel so lost. I had my future mapped out and poof.” I snapped my fingers.

“So? Stop making maps.”

I sighed, handing her a glass. “How did you get to be so smart?”

“By living. Chart a new course, Ryan. One with just you on it. Maybe you’ll be surprised by who else shows up on the same one.”

“I’m not looking for another boyfriend. I’m not a coward but facing him and her back on campus will be brutal. She’s going to put the fact that she’s on his arm in my face.”

“I always thought you could do better than that satellite campus anyway. Wade’s a loser.”

I shrugged. “He partied a little too much his senior year of high school. He had an early acceptance into Ole’ Miss but messed up by taking it for granted. He blew off his classes. When Ole’ Miss saw his senior year grades they withdrew his acceptance and he ended up at Brexton.”

“Ah, the big fish was swimming in the small pond.”

“I guess.”

“You weren’t meant for a small pond, my dear. You are destined for greater things.”

“I’m working on it. Wade and I were supposed to apply for the coveted research program affiliated with Duke. They only consider upperclassman in Nags Head. I was hoping to get in for next year.”

Gran set down her glass of wine. “Go. Apply over break. Why wait? Transfer now. Even if you don’t get in, you’ll be by the water where other research programs are. Apply to Duke. Today. Maybe something will open up for the spring semester.”

“That’s a month away?”

“So? Ryan, you have to go for it. With everything in life. Don’t wait for chances to come to you. Make your own.”

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