Boyfriend Chronicles 02 - The Boyfriend Mandate (16 page)

Tyler turned the development over in his head, his brows pulling together in concern. Memphis had sustained a head injury yesterday, and
neither
of them had gotten much sleep last night. The last time Tyler had gone to check on him, the man had been lying in bed, awake. But he’d looked completely whipped. They’d run through his neuro checks in thirty seconds flat, and then Tyler had left. As tired as Memphis had seemed then, why had he gotten up so early? Even after Tyler had explained the risks—headaches, dizziness, the cumulative effects of a repetitive injury—and the need to take it easy for a couple of days.

Christ, Memphis could have at least
slept in
.

Technically, the situation wasn’t any of Tyler’s business. He didn’t want to spend any more time with Memphis than absolutely necessary, much less worry about him. Tyler had done his job of ensuring the guy lived to see another day. Memphis hadn’t croaked during the night. Mission accomplished, time to stay out of his life.

With a great sense of disappointment, Tyler realized he was about to ignore his own rules.

“What’s wrong with him?” he said to Julissa.

She tipped her head with a confused expression.

“What do you mean, what’s wrong with him?” she asked. “You’ll have to be more specific.” She lifted her eyes heavenward in a silent
ay dios mio
gesture. “This is Memphis we’re talking about.”

Tyler ignored the catch in his chest at the words full of fond familiarity.

“Something’s not right.” He selected a banana from Noah’s fruit bowl with the intent of adding it to the ingredients in the blender. “Why get up and go so early when he had nothing scheduled?”

The question probably came across as melodramatic. But if Memphis was half as exhausted as Tyler was this morning, then he’d still be sleeping.

Unless something was up.

“You know how Memphis is,” she said with a casual shrug, “so energetic it’s enough to drive you crazy.” She turned to face him head on, both in tone and posture. “I’m sure you’re familiar with that.”

His fingers froze in the process of peeling the banana. Damn. Had she really just said that? And
why
he didn’t like the words he couldn’t say. Her almost-black eyes held his, and Tyler tried to pretend that he wasn’t constantly scanning the tone of her voice and looking for subtle innuendos in her statements.

Coffee cup in hand, Noah handed Julissa a matching mug and settled onto one of the barstools as if preparing for a show. “Is this the start of a cat fight?” he said, his expression one of horrified delight.

“Not a cat fight,” she said at the same time Tyler said, “I don’t do cat fights.”

Noah shrugged. “It sounds like the beginning of a Who Knows Memphis Haines Best debate to me.”

She added cream to her mug, the coffee turning the same shade as her skin. “That would be a useless debate.”

As in the debate itself was ridiculous? Or the outcome was so easily predictable why even bother? Heat prickled along Tyler’s spine, leaving him uncomfortable. Julissa certainly had the numbers on her side. She’d been with Memphis for a total of five years, and Tyler had lived with the man for less than two. She still worked with her ex, and Tyler hadn’t seen Memphis for a full decade.

But still, his gut was telling him something was wrong.

“Trust me, Memphis is fine,” she went on. “He’s always been full of more energy than he knows what to do with.”

Unsatisfied with her response, Tyler considered how to reply to her statement as he dumped the banana into the blender, put the lid on, and then hit the button. The noise filled the air until the smoothie was complete, and he poured the evergreen-colored mixture into a tall glass.

“Yes,” Tyler said quietly. “I know how he is.” He hated having this conversation with Memphis’s ex-wife. “But something isn’t right, I mean, besides just the fact he thinks that poorly timed explosions should be dealt with by running faster. Why would someone who’d just suffered a concussion not take the time to rest?”

“Trust me, I’m well aware of Memphis and his limitless energy,” she said. “And he always gets a little…
off
when it’s time for his annual checkup with the oncologist, and he’s overdue now. He
hates
going to the doctor.”

Oh…

The news made sense. Tyler had firsthand experience with Memphis’s dislike for all things medical. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was nothing more than a reaction to having to go back to see his physician. Tyler wished he could be sure.

“He needs to slow down and take it easy,” he added anyway.

“Good luck with that.” Julissa let out a snort. “An idle, bored Memphis is a dangerous Memphis,” she said. “I learned that the hard way.”

Curious, Tyler cocked an eyebrow in question.

“About six weeks ago, he had a longer-than-usual break in his schedule,” she said. “But then he got so bored he actually went to the hospital to visit Patrick, the Hope Heals patient. At the
hospital.
” The look on her face spoke volumes.

Noah’s brow bunched in curiosity. “What happened?”

“Patrick wasn’t supposed to leave the oncology ward, but Memphis snuck him out anyway,” she said, and Tyler could tell she was trying not to smile. “And then the nurse finally found them in the physical therapy room, playing a makeshift game of hockey using the exercise balls and canes. The PT guy was really pissed off.” She rolled her eyes. “But the explosion in the microwave is what got him into
real
trouble,” she said with a tiny grin. “Memphis is only allowed to return if the guards escort him to and from Patrick’s room.”

The amusement in Julissa’s eyes did nothing to ease Tyler’s concerns.

He shook his head. “I’m not talking about his pranks. Seems to me he’s wound up more than usual.”

Julissa coolly met Tyler’s gaze. “You haven’t been around him for a really long time.”

And married to him like me
, she didn’t say.

His stomach grew tight, but he held the woman’s gaze.

Sitting on the barstool, Julissa gracefully crossed her legs. She wore the attitude of a woman who knew she was attractive but didn’t let it define her. A woman who was smart and feminine but not afraid to bust a few balls along the way.

The tension in the air increased by several degrees, Julissa’s gaze clashing with his.

“Tyler,” Noah said as he stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder, holding out the spinach smoothie. “Why don’t you take your grass clippings and go so Julissa and I can get back to our chat? We’re brainstorming ideas for the Bachelor Bid commercials.”

Tyler shifted his gaze away from Julissa and slowly inhaled. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was wrong. Hopefully his morning jog would help him get his head screwed back on straight. While he was out there, maybe the exercise would exorcise the lingering thoughts about Memphis’s newfound desire to get Tyler to top him.

Oh, God.

Because if that wasn’t enough to drive him to run forever, the sight of Noah and Julissa in planning mode was enough to haunt Tyler with the endless possibilities for mind-fuckery ahead.

With a sigh, he headed out of the kitchen and decided he’d better go for the extended jog.

~~~***~~~

“We have some
killer
drink specials this afternoon, gentlemen.”

After being woken up every two hours last night by the ex-boyfriend sitting across from him, Memphis found the waitress’s words kind of amusing. “I assume you’re using the term
killer
figuratively.”

“Certainly, sir,” the blond said with a beaming smile. “Otherwise it wouldn’t be called happy hour.”

“Bottled water will make me happy enough,” Memphis said.

When Julissa had called this morning and proposed they meet Tyler for an early dinner to discuss her ideas for the Bachelor Bid commercials, Memphis had figured he could accomplish two goals with one meal.

Body humming with a hell-yeah anticipation, he shifted in his seat on the outdoor deck of the restaurant and stopped analyzing the bird’s-eye view of San Francisco to study Tyler. He appeared more rested than he had a right to be. Last night’s sexual tension had gotten Memphis
way
too worked up. The headache hadn’t helped, either. Unable to rest despite the fatigue, his brain buzzing with ideas, he’d left early to set his plan into action.

Today was Push Tyler’s Buttons Day.

While Tyler discussed the specials with the waitress, Memphis moved his nylon pack out of the way of his feet and leaned back. With any luck, today’s attempt to crack his ex’s cool demeanor would succeed. At least he hoped so. Otherwise Memphis would have spent all morning putting things into place for nothing.

He’d chosen a stellar location for the two parts of his plan. The Belfour Building rose six hundred and eleven feet into the air, with Andres Restaurant located on the top floor. The conditions were perfect—very little breeze and the late afternoon sun shining on the city below.

A kick-ass rooftop view.

Tyler’s order complete, the waitress turned back to Memphis.

“A chef salad and cosmopolitan for my manager, who’ll be joining us late,” Memphis said as he handed her his menu. “And a double cheeseburger with bacon and an order of French fries for me, please.”

He looked expectantly at the vegetarian sitting across the table and shot him a grin. “Oh, and I’d like extra bacon on the burger.”

“Of course,” she said

And then she crossed the wooden deck, heading back inside the restaurant.

Another few seconds ticked by before Tyler finally spoke. “Do you always eat bacon with your beef?”

“Every chance I get.”

And it was with a great sense of pleasure he noted the wry lift of his ex’s brow.

“Because beef should always be served with a double order of pork?” Tyler asked.

“Because every day should be celebrated.”

And not just celebrated but met with bells and whistles and fucking fist pumps in the air.

“It’ll be hard to celebrate when your arteries are so clogged they require Drano,” Tyler said dryly.

A short laugh escaped Memphis. “The vegetarian wrap just doesn’t do it for me anymore.” He leaned closer and sent him his sexiest underwear-ad grin. “What else does it for you?”

Tyler didn’t look fazed. But after last night’s blatant, sexual come-on, Memphis had seen the occasional flare of his lids, the way he held his breath. Tyler wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended.

God, what Memphis would give to see the guy
really
let go—preferably in a sexual way, because the moment that thought had popped into Memphis’s brain, the idea had settled in like a freaking guest who just wouldn’t leave.

“The veggie wrap works just fine,” Tyler said evenly.

At the end of the workday, his button-down shirt remained crisp and wrinkle free, his tie well placed. For the millionth time since the photo shoot, Memphis wondered where the Tyler Hall from their college days had gone. Unfortunately, Memphis was beginning to think he was responsible for a good bit of the man’s reserve.

Fuck.

“So, tell me about the stunt your producer is letting us use in our commercials,” Tyler said.

Memphis’s mouth gave a wry twist. Yes, back to the business at hand. Getting him to lose his cool wasn’t going to be easy. But the longer Memphis spent in his company, the more important the goal became.

“The stunt is for
The Indestructibles
,” Memphis said. “A rather clichéd movie with a fairly lackluster script. I have a high fall I’m taking off a fifteen-story building. I asked the producer if your volunteer cameraman could film the shot to use in one of the ads for your Bachelor Bid, and Tom said yes. Turns out his brother was diagnosed with some kind of rare blood disorder, so he has a soft spot for medical charities.”

“Fifteen stories?”

“What?” Memphis said with as much innocence as he could muster, which wasn’t much. “Are you worried I’ll miss the air bag and splatter my brains on the ground?”

Tyler raised his brows, as if feigning innocence, too. “I’d hate to see your family upset.”

Memphis grinned. “I think my parents pay Julissa extra to keep me in line.” He studied Tyler for a moment more. “When you and I were together, I used to think they paid you to do the same thing.”

“Keep you in line?” An amused scoff escaped Tyler. “Like I would have taken that responsibility on. Although,” he said, “your mom used to call and beg me to encourage you to eat right and get enough rest.”

At the mention of Memphis’s mother, an awkwardness washed over the moment. The silence that followed was interrupted by the return of the waitress who set their drinks on the table. Even after the server left, Tyler seemed hesitant as he reached for his wine glass.

“How are your parents?” Tyler asked carefully.

“They’re good,” he said, and the awkwardness grew a hundredfold.

Freaking fantastic, another topic they were supposed to avoid.

“I’m glad.” For the first time, a genuinely easy smile appeared on Tyler’s lips. “Tell your mom I said hi.”

“I will.”

“Did she…” He paused for a moment, taking a sip of his wine before going on. “Did she know how things ended between us?”

You mean with me being a fucking coward?

Damn, why didn’t Tyler say the words himself? Memphis massaged the bridge of his nose and dropped his hand to the table.

“No,” he finally answered instead. “She―” He rubbed the label on his bottled water, studying the imprints he left in the condensation. “She would have
killed
me if she’d known what I’d done. I told her the breakup was mutual.”

For a moment, Tyler gnawed on his lower lip as he set his glass down, saying nothing. Couldn’t he at least
comment
about how unfair that had been to him? He kept insisting the past didn’t matter, that he’d gotten over his hard feelings years ago, but Memphis could sense the underlying…brittleness. It was like a thunderstorm that slowly built and kept threatening to break but never did.

Which meant it was time to focus on his plan, to get this conversation back on track.

“Don’t you want to know any of the details?” Memphis asked.