Page 2 of The Charmer
It’s mid-June, the Hawks didn’t qualify for the play-offs, and while the team has a bunch of unofficial skates and community outreach initiatives lined up for the rest of the month and into July, I’m heading to a beach resort to watch my buddy Mick marry Emily, his soul mate.
Soul mate.That’s the phase of life I’m in. The one where all my close friends are buying homes, wifey-ing up, and starting to pop out babies.
And the only woman I’ve ever been able to envision doing that with is Jayde. With her snarky attitude, her flippant remarks, her bored expressions. But just under the surface, there’s fire and want, desire and need.
And…fuck this, what am I waiting for?
Turning on my car, I blast the AC and call Mick.
“Better be calling me with a confirmation, fucker,” he answers on the first ring. “Or should I say Golden Boy?” he jokes, calling me out for being the good guy my college friends love to hate on.
Grinning, I lean back in my seat, dropping my head against the headrest. “I’m in, douchenozzle. Did you really think I’d miss your wedding?”
“Nah,” he laughs, but I hear the relief, the happiness, in his tone. “Can’t wait to see you, Keller. Em is gonna be thrilled when I tell her you’re coming.”
“Same. Sorry for waiting till the last minute to RSVP.”
“Don’t be. I was hoping y’all would make the play-offs too.”
“Yeah.” I shift, and grip the back of my neck. “Listen, I need a favor.”
Mick groans. “No, you can’t bunk in the wedding suite with me and Em because you forgot to book a room and now, there’s none left.”
I snicker. “You forget who you’re talking to? Of course, I booked a room.”
He guffaws. “Shit, Keller, I forgot how annoyingly organized you are. Even your sock drawer was?—”
“I need a plus-one to your wedding.” I cut him off before he goes down memory lane and I chicken out on asking for a date. Mick’s quiet for a long moment. “Shit, did I shock you speechless?”
“You’re dating someone?” Surprise lines his tone.
“Ahhh, not exactly,” I draw the words out. “It’s…complicated.”
“Don’t tell me you got a kid on the way or?—”
“It’s Jayde.”
“Jayde? Wait, bro, seriously? The Jayde with the combat boots and the purple hair?”
“It’s blue now.”
“The girl you haven’t stopped pining for since forever?”
“A year.”
“She’s giving you a shot?” He claps his hands together in the background. “Hell yeah, Golden. I’m proud of you, brother.”
I chuckle, nerves racing through my limbs about what I’m going to do. About my attempt to win Jayde’s heart. But for it to be successful—“Not yet, man. That’s why I need a plus-one. I want to bring her to Turks, to your wedding, and…prove to her that we belong together.”
“Oh shit!” Mick exclaims. “You’re staging a coup!”
“What?” I laugh, pulling the phone away from my ear to look at it. “This isn’t a military strategy, Mick, this is?—”
“Love is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar booms through the line.
I crack up, impressed he YouTubed the song so quickly.
“Heartache to heartache,” Mick sings in the background.
