Page 73 of Summer with My Sexy Ex
“Tell me what you need me to do,” I sigh, feeling like a shitty friend and even shittier best man. I haven’t been there for Blake over the last few weeks like I should have been. So, if he needs me now, I will suck it up and be the best man and friend I can be. He deserves at least that.
* * *
I meet Blake at the marina to take the ferry to Seaside Island in Oregon, where the wedding will be. In four days. Taylor and the bridal party being in quarantine has been hard on him, and he’s had to do all the last-minute things alone. And there are a lot of last-minute things. I still don’t see how they will pull the actual wedding off, but Blake seems to think we’ll figure it out.
I look at the binder again; it’s got to be two inches thick. “How do people ever get all this shit done and still have time to get married?”
He takes a big bite of the sandwich he brought, chews, and swallows before answering.
“I have no clue, man.” He takes another bite.
All the guy seems to do lately is eat. In contrast, I lost my appetite after Vegas and don’t want to eat anything.
“Thif if welwy gud,” he says with his mouth full. “Want some?”
I shake my head. Even if I did have an appetite lately, I don’t think I could eat on a ferry. The up-and-down motion of the boat makes me queasy.
“All I know is if I didn’t have you and Brie, I’d have gone off the deep end by now.”
My body goes on full alert at the mention of Bristol. I haven’t seen her or heard from her since Vegas. She filed for an accelerated annulment, and that’s that. The wedding will be the first time I’ll see her in weeks.
I miss her.
A lot.
“How’s she doing?” I try to sound casual but don’t succeed. I sound like the needy, desperate mess that I am, hoping to glom onto any tidbit of information about her that I can.
“Eh, you know Brie, she’s fine.”
“What do you mean by fine?”
He shrugs. “She’s Brie. She’s all strong and independent and shit. She doesn’t let anything get to her. She’s totally good, you know?”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t know. Explain, please.”
“It’s like this.” He thinks about what he’s going to say for a moment. “She’s the opposite of you. Like how you’re all pissy and gloomy and sad?”
“Yeah.” I won’t like what he says next, I can feel it.
“She’s not. That’s all.” He shrugs again like it’s no big deal. Like everyone gets married and then annuls it all the time.
“She’s not pissy?” I confirm.
“Nope.”
“Or gloomy?”
“No.”
“Or sad?”
“No, dude. She’s totally good.”
“What the fuck?” I didn’t mean to say it aloud.
“What?” Blake asks. “It’s not like you were in love with her or anything. You said so yourself. What’s the big deal?”
Yeah, what is the big deal?
