Page 24 of Game Plan
8
HAWK
"I toldyou someday your ego would get you into trouble," Bam said.
"You never told me that." I reclined on the chair beside him and looked out over the lake.
"Well, then, I thought it plenty of times." He shrugged and shot me a cheeky grin.
"I'm not saying you're wrong." I wanted a beer, but I sucked on a water bottle instead. It was a small price to pay for all of this, but some days the dietary restrictions chafed.
"That's 'cause I'm right, like always," Bam said. He looked so smug I couldn't keep myself from smiling. "She's cute," he added. "Are you sure you're not the one I should worry about falling?"
"Who, me?" I asked, half barking a laugh. I pointed a finger at myself. "Do I seem like the falling type?"
Bam regarded me for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Yes you do. It's been a year since Kyla. Isn't it time you moved on?"
"She moved on quick enough," I said.
Strange, I would have said that with bitterness not long ago. Now it barely registered, much less stung. A yearwasa long time.
Back then, I could hardly believe she even applied for a job in Los Angeles, much less took it. She begged me to come with her. I thought about it, and for a long time too. In the end, my life was here. I thought hers was too. I hadn't quite pictured marriage or children. Some day down the road though, I might have, if we'd stayed together.
Apparently waiting wasn't on her agenda. Barely six months in LA and she was living with some real estate guy, expecting their first kid.
I was happy for her, really, and happier to realise I was finally over her. Now if those photos would disappear from the net, I'd be ecstatic. The press made a big deal over them. Especially Kyla topless. She'd never been shy. Just one of the reasons I stayed on the press’ good side. Those pictures could have been much worse.
That all seemed like a lifetime ago now. Funny how Becca tutoring me seemed like last week. It had nothing at all to do with any feelings I had for her, because there were none beyond friendship and a lingering gratitude. No way. No matter how cute, sexy and smart she was.
"Kyla was never the 'being single' type," Bam said with a nod.
"There's a type like that?" I asked.
"Sure is," Bam agreed. "Take me, for example."
"You're not my type," I said.
Bam made a face and stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Bro, I don't mean 'take me' like that. I mean, I am a fine example of the kind of person who will be happily single for life." He puffed out his chest as though this might be his purpose for existing.
"Until the right woman comes along," I said. "Like Felicity. And Hannah. And Lola. And…"
Single for life, my ass. Bam fell in love often and hard. He always denied it later, but I saw it often enough.
"Temporary insanity," he declared.
"I think you can only claim that the first time," I said. "By the fifth it doesn't count."
"Can I plead the fifth?" Bam asked.
"Not in this country. Besides, I think it's too late for that." I propped my feet on another chair and half-closed my eyes as a breeze ruffled the strands. The sun was almost set, but golden rays rippled on the surface of the water. This alone made all the hard work worth it. I didn't need a huge house, but the view over the lake and unimpeded access to the water helped me get my head clear when thoughts spun like a wild web in my overactive brain. Here, I could breathe. Take a moment. Appreciate life and everything it had to offer.
"Hey, when did this conversation become about my love life?" Bam asked. "We were talking about yours."
"Youwere talking about mine," I replied. "I was saying I don't have one. Becca is a friend, that's all. I'm probably going to lose this bet anyway. She's too smart for a guy like me."
"Most women are," Bam agreed. He grinned while I made a face at him.
"Let me ask you this," he went on. "If you win, you'll see her more often. Because you'd be a dick if you let her fall for you, then walk away. I'm not saying you'renota dick, but that would be ultra dickish, even for you."
