The Rules of Dating(77)

“For fuck’s sake.” Deek sighed. “Another change of pace needed, stat! Let’s get the hell outta here and find something to eat.”

We left Madame Tussauds and hit Katz’s Deli for my favorite pastrami sandwich. Then we hopped on the subway and went to Central Park to have our lunch on a bench. We’d just finished eating when I spotted a couple approaching. She wore a wedding gown and held up the bottom of her veil so it didn’t drag on the ground. They were about to say their vows in the middle of the park. Then a horse and carriage appeared, waiting to whisk them away after.

When Deek saw them, he hung his head in defeat. The poor guy had tried like hell to distract me, and the universe dealt him quite a blow.

“Someone up there just doesn’t want me to forget, Deek.”

“First of all, look at her dress. It’s horrendous. And not a tat on her. Boring as hell.” He sighed and stood up. “Okay, you know what? I was thinking we could get through this day without alcohol, but doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case. Let’s find a bar.”

“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” I hopped up from the bench. “Lead the way.”

We went back out to the street, and Deek searched down the block for the nearest bar. Once he found it, we headed inside, took a corner seat, and settled in to spend the afternoon.

I was already on my second beer when my phone rang. Colby. It was nearly 3 PM, which meant “it” hadn’t happened yet. I picked up and tried to sound cheery. “Hey.”

He, on the other hand, sounded out of breath. “Where are you? I’m at the shop, and it’s closed.”

Oh no. “Crap, really? I’m at a bar with Deek.”

“Why?”

I didn’t want to lie. “Okay…I might have had some trouble focusing this morning. And Deek made the executive decision to close down after the first couple of clients today. We’ve been wandering around the city.”

“Which bar are you at?”

I didn’t even know. “What’s the name of this place?” I asked Deek.

“Sammie’s.”

“Sammie’s. It’s somewhere near the Park.”

“Shit. That’s far. I needed to see you and figured maybe you’d have time for a quick visit if I stopped by before I had to head to the courthouse.”

I felt terrible. “That wasn’t the plan, Colby. You said you were going there straight from work. I wish I’d known.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I just…needed to make sure you were okay. I didn’t feel like I could go through with this if you weren’t. And admittedly, I wanted to see you. I just…” His words trailed off. “I don’t know. I’m not okay right now.”

My chest constricted. “I’m not really okay, either. But that doesn’t matter. Because you marrying her will never feel okay. Feeling okay is not what it’s about. Nothing is going to make it feel okay for either of us, you know? We just have to accept that.”

“I don’t have to go through with it,” he said in an urgent tone.

“Yes, you do.” I sighed deeply. “You know you do.”

There was a long pause where all I could hear was his breathing. I wished I didn’t have alcohol in me because it made me more emotional than I wanted to be at this moment. Tears stung my eyes.

“Let me talk to Deek,” he finally said.

I handed the phone to my friend. “Colby wants to talk to you.”

“Yo,” Deek said as he took the call. He listened, and then he nodded. “Yeah. No worries.” He paused. “Take care of yourself, man. I’ve got it covered.” Deek handed the phone back to me.

“Hey,” I said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you,” Colby said. “But I’m glad you’re with Deek.”

“It’s probably better that we missed each other. Seeing me would bring out all the emotions. You shouldn’t be emotional going into this. It’s a business transaction.”

“Of the worst kind, yeah. Pretty sure I’d rather be meeting with the mafia right now.”

I looked at the time. He had less than an hour. “You’d better go. The courthouse is on the other side of town. You don’t want to be late.”

“Yes, I do want to be late. I’d like to get married to her at a half past never.”

I put on my big-girl panties for a moment. “Colby, it’ll be okay. You got this.” Exhaling, I said, “Call me when it’s over, okay?”

“Okay.”

Then I hung up before he could say anything else. I could tell he wasn’t going to be the first to hang up. I immediately regretted ending the call, but I couldn’t bear it if he’d said something that made me cry. I didn’t want to turn into a blubbering mess in this bar. That wouldn’t have been good for him or me.

“What did he say to you?” I asked Deek.

“He thanked me for looking out for you today. That’s all. He’s really worried about you.”

I ran my finger along the condensation on the beer bottle and became lost in my thoughts. A few minutes later, I looked up and noticed someone waving as he walked toward us. It was…Owen?

“Fancy meeting you here.” He grinned.