One of the Guys (12 page)

“Thanks,”
Jackson said. He gave her a squeeze and when he let go, the tears were spilling
down over Kate’s cheeks. “Are you okay?”

Kate
nodded clumsily and reached for a cocktail napkin so she could blot her cheeks.
“I’m just really happy for you guys. I mean… finally!” she said, a giggle
escaping through the tears.

Max
smiled, and Jackson laughed. “I know, right?”

“You
guys are like a fairy tale,” she said. “Best friends, high school sweethearts.
Getting married!”
 
She
sniffled, folded the napkin over, and carefully dabbed underneath her eyes.

“Lucy
has to say yes first,” Max interjected, chuckling. Jackson turned from Kate to
Max to laugh with him.
“Just kidding, man.
Congratulations!”
Max hugged him and pounded him on the back. “I’m happy for you.”

Kate
took that as an opportunity to slide off of her stool, grab her purse, and head
to the ladies’ room. She used her fingertips to remove some of the mascara and
eyeliner that had smudged, then rummaged around in her bag for a compact to
blot at her cheeks. Then she studied her reflection in the mirror.

It
was going to suck, having to stand by and watch her best friend get married.

But that was
just what she was going to have to do.

*

           
Even though it’s customary for the
losers to clean up after the poker game, the following Saturday, Kate found
herself hanging out with Jackson and Kevin long after she’d beat the two of
them. They were hanging out on Kevin’s little balcony, watching people stroll
through the downtown streets below them. It was mid-October and although the
warmer weather was lingering, it cooled off nicely in the evenings. Kate was
enjoying the fresh air while Jackson and Kevin both enjoyed two more of the cigars
that Jackson had brought over to celebrate his upcoming proposal.
 
Since Kate had given up smoking awhile back,
she found that she kind of liked the smell of the cigars.

           
“So have you talked to Lucy’s
parents yet?” Kevin asked.

           
“Yes,” Jackson said, puffing on his
cigar. “And I have their blessing.”

           
“I bet they were relieved,” Kate
said, leaning against the railing and resting her chin in her hands. “I don’t
really think they wanted her to marry that other guy.”

           
“Lucy’s parents have always been
great,” Jackson said. “Now I just have to figure out when to do it.”

           
“Her birthday’s next week, right?”
Kevin asked.

           
Almost immediately, Kate said,
“Don’t do it on her birthday!”

           
“That’s what I was planning,”
Jackson said.
“Why not?”

           
“Because… Her birthday’s her
birthday. The day you propose should be… the day you propose,” Kate explained.

           
“I can’t propose to her on her
birthday?”

           
“It’s like proposing on Valentine’s
Day.
Everybody
proposes on
Valentine’s Day. Propose on another day, not her birthday. You want that day to
be special because it was the day you asked her to marry her. Not… It was her
birthday, so you gave her a ring as a present.”

           
Jackson and Kevin exchanged glances.

           
“I swear I’m not the only girl who
feels that way. And I’m almost positive that Lucy would not want you to propose
on her birthday.”

           
Kevin scratched his head in
puzzlement. “I don’t know, but I’m going to bed, kids,” he said, snuffing out
his cigar. Jackson did the same. Kate hugged Kevin.

           
“Good night,” she said. She and
Jackson made their way through Kevin’s cramped apartment, out into the hall,
and down into the parking lot.

           
“Come with me tomorrow,” Jackson
said. “Now that you mention it, I need your opinion on a present for Lucy.”

           
“Do you know what you want to get
her?” Kate asked, looking through her purse for her keys.

           
“I have an idea. I’ll pick you up at
your office and we can do lunch.
How about that?”

           
“Does this mean you won’t propose on
her birthday?”

           
Jackson grinned and hugged her. “I’ll
wait. But I can’t wait much longer.”

           
“Okay,” Kate said. “See you at noon
tomorrow?
 
How’s that?”

           
“See you then,” Jackson said.

           
Kate got in her car and headed for
home. She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Earlier in the
evening, Chris had claimed that he was tired and wanted to go home and get some
sleep. When he went out of the game, he left shortly afterwards. Kate wasn’t
sure if he was really going home to go to sleep, or if she should try to hook
up with him later.

A
glance at her cell phone answered that question. She didn’t have a single call
or text message from him. She considered calling him, but maybe he really was
tired and had gone to bed. Oh well. She had been enjoying herself and was
determined to beat Jackson and Kevin, so she was glad she hadn’t thrown the
game just so she could join him.

However,
she was a little disappointed that he didn’t even attempt to show her any
affection at the wedding they worked that evening, or at the poker game. Usually,
he’d steal glances at her, put his hand on her leg under the table, or touch
her shoulder as he walked past her chair… Tonight, she felt like she was just
another one of the guys sitting around the table, drinking beer and playing
poker.

That
seemed to be how things went with Chris. One minute, they were buddies – just
hanging out. Then they were making out on her couch, but Chris never wanted to
spend the night. It had been awhile since they’d gone out on an actual date. They
always seemed to go out in the group, like always.

And
then, whenever Kate would start to question exactly where things were going,
Chris would say or do something just thoughtful enough to squelch her worries
and make her think that maybe they were on their way to being a serious couple
after all. This, however, was one of those times where she wasn’t so sure where
they stood.

*

           
Kate was in the alley behind Bride
Ideas, waiting for Jackson to arrive for their shopping trip. Checking her
phone once again and seeing that she still had zero calls and zero text
messages, she sighed. She’d texted Chris a few times throughout the morning,
but never heard back from him.

           
Jackson arrived just as she tossed
her phone into her purse. Kate got in the car, kissed him on the cheek, and
fastened her seatbelt. He drove them to a little diner their crowd sometimes
went to. The place was pretty full, so they sat at the counter. They both
ordered burgers, fries, and shakes. Kate silently cursed the fact that she
would probably have to watch what she ate for the next six months until Jackson
and Lucy finally got married. Looking down at her plate of greasy food and her
tall, frosty milkshake glass, she decided that this would probably be her last
cheeseburger for awhile.

           
“So, what are you planning on
getting her?”

           
“How about I just show you?” Jackson
said, taking a bite of his burger.

           
“You already got something?” Kate
asked, dousing her fries with ketchup. “I thought you needed my opinion.”

           
“I think I managed okay on my own.”

           
Kate looked at him, puzzled. “So
what is it?”

           
“I’ll show you. After lunch,” he
said, stuffing a couple fries into his mouth.

           
From the way Jackson was eating,
Kate guessed that he was either starving, or really excited to show her Lucy’s
present. She tried to keep pace with him, but got full and eventually tossed
her napkin onto her plate.

           
Jackson drained his milkshake and
paid for their lunch. When they were back in the car, Kate looked at him in
surprise. “So… Are you going to show me Lucy’s present?”

           
“Yes. I’m taking you right to it.”

           
Kate fiddled with the radio. “You’re
not going to tell me what it is, are you?”

           
“Nope.”

           
“Can I guess?
 
Will you tell me if I get it right?”

           
“You’ll never guess,” he grinned. Kate
screwed up her face and folded her arms across her chest, trying to pay
attention to where they were going. They were headed south, but she knew that once
the road narrowed down to one lane, the only thing left was the lighthouse. She
looked at Jackson and he winked at her. “Just wait.”

           
As the lighthouse came into view,
she sat up a little bit in her seat. Jackson slowed down and then pulled into
the driveway of a large house. He put the car in park, turned off the ignition,
and leaned over the steering wheel, peering up at the house. Kate sat, gaping
at him, her hand on the door handle.

           
“You didn’t…”

           
“I did!”

           
Kate clapped her hand over her mouth
and was out of the car almost immediately. She stood in the middle of the brick
driveway, gazing up at the towering house.
Fresh white paint,
bright red tile roof.
Two huge palm trees on either side of the
driveway, blue
plumbago
spilling out of the flower
beds on either side of the front door. It was gorgeous.

           
Jackson clapped his hand onto her
shoulder. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

           
“She’d better!” Kate said.

           
Jackson reached into his pocket and
dangled a key in front of her. “Be my guest.”

           
Kate ran to the front door and
unlocked it, throwing the door open wide and then stopping in her tracks. From
the front door, you could see clear through the kitchen and living area to what
was probably the dining room, and then beyond that – the beach.

           
Jackson followed Kate to the dining
room where she stood staring out of the immense sliding glass door. He unlocked
and opened the door for her so she could step out onto the sprawling back porch.
Being the last house before the bridge to the lighthouse, there was an amazing
view of the lighthouse and the jetty. Kate gazed down at the grasses swaying in
the dunes, then out at the ocean, and then over at Jackson.

           
“This is incredible. It’s really
yours?
 
You bought it?”

           
“I close tomorrow. The realtor’s a
friend of mine, already gave me the key,” he said.

           
“Does Lucy have any idea that you
did this?”

“Nope.
I don’t think she suspects anything.”

Kate gasped. “Wow.
A house.
Congratulations!” She hugged Jackson tightly.
“I am so happy for you guys. Everything’s happening for you all at once!”

           
Jackson gave her a squeeze in return.
“Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs. I’m sure you and Lucy will love the
master suite.”
 
Kate followed him up the
stairs to a loft that split the second floor in half. “Second floor ocean-view
balcony,” he said, pointing to two French doors in the center of the loft. “Two
bedrooms and a bathroom that way,” he said, pointing to the left.
“Master bedroom that way.”

           
Kate walked into the master bedroom
and nearly laughed out loud. “I think this room is as big as my living room,
kitchen, and dining room put together,” she gasped.

           
“Check out the bathroom.”

           
Kate opened the set of French doors
into the bathroom. In one corner was a walk-in shower. In the other corner was
an enormous tub set into a bay window. A wall-length mirror and countertop ran
in between the shower and tub, with a vanity table spaced directly in the
center. As she turned around, she realized that tucked behind the French doors
were massive his-and-hers walk-in closets. “Lucy is going to freak out.”

           
“I know,” Jackson said, his face
lighting up.

           
Kate stood in the middle of the
bedroom, trying to imagine what it would be like for Lucy and Jackson to fill
this whole entire house. Then it hit her… it was starting.