Page 9 of The Do Over
He still hadn’t gotten over the spat they had two days ago on the way to pick up samples for the wedding programs. What was wrong with the way he drove? Being a single father meant he had to think about his son’s safety too, and that meant keeping to the speed limit.
Jack also worried about the possibility that he could get into an accident, somehow get arrested, and have a record that his son would discover when he grew up. Of course, dramatic conclusions to anything he's ever done in his life, but he's trying to be the best father possible. If some woman who could live her life anyhow she desired, wanted to drive recklessly…she could do it on her own terms and when it did not affect him.
Then the color picking.
How did she think that her brother’s best color was blue? Blue was the color that Andrew liked when he was little, but that changed when he got to college. Sophie Davis had no idea what her brother did or did not like, but he wasn’t about to argue with her about choices, which was also why he let her drive all the way back.
When Andrew told him that Sophie would be tagging along and asked Jack to look after his sister, Jack immediately used Aidan as an excuse. He didn’t want to be away from his son for too long and it had already been more than a day.
But the groomsmen, especially the ones he knew from college were adamant that Jack tagged along. According to them, they would take turns watching Aidan.
Fat chance.
As soon as they all arrived at the resort, they gathered around the pool, talking to other bridesmaids and forgetting the promise they made to a single father. Jack was left to take care of Aidan, who was surprisingly gentle, falling asleep almost as soon as they arrived.
Yet, he was pissed. Why?
He was watching a particular person. A woman was wearing a short black mini-dress that had all the men turning whenever she passed by them. Some went a bit further and held her hand, pulling her close so they could whisper things into her ear that had her laughing and giggling.
Did she know that all they wanted was to see her naked? No matter how good their jokes were, how appreciative they were each time she brought them drinks, all they wanted was to see her naked. The lewd looks they had on their faces as she strutted away each time, made him angrier.
Jack knew them—the ones he had been with in college. The kind of lives they led, the number of women they slept with, and the tally they publicly shared. Jack wanted to march up to Sophie, pull her by the hand and drag her away. For some reason, he couldn’t see her as the kind of woman who fit what these men wanted.
She could flirt back and tease as much as she wanted, but she was still Andrew Davis’ little sister. Even though the sight of her in jeans, when he first saw her and now in the mini dress did things to him, it wasn’t acceptable for them to regard her like that.
Aidan stirred in his arms, so he focused his attention on his son for a while, rocking him back to sleep. When he lifted his head, Sophie was no longer standing but was now in the pool, splashing around. Her hair was wet and plastered to her face and he could see that she still had the dress on, although it clung to her body—from the view he had.
Two of the other men—Jerry and Caleb were in the pool with her, going round and around in circles.
Instinctively, Jack whipped out his phone from his shorts to call Andrew but was distracted by the sight of someone coming to stand in front of him. All he could see from his line of sight were tanned legs that went on forever until the person lowered themselves and he saw a familiar face.
“Hi,” her smile was as wide as he remembered it. He didn’t have to think far back, since they met three months ago at a work conference. It didn’t mean that Jack was happy to see her though.
He had no idea why she was here either. Still, he willed himself to be polite.
“Bethany.”
“Oh,” she replied, lowering herself next to him. Jack wished he had gone for a lounge chair instead of sitting on the half-circle sofa around a low table. “You remember my name. I didn’t think you would.”
He knew that she was trying to get words from him, so Jack did not say anything.
“You’re wondering why I’m here. At Andrew’s wedding party. Well,” Bethany shrugged. “He invited me.”
Jack highly doubted it. He wouldn’t believe, even if it came from the groom himself, that his best friend would invite Bethany with her dyed blonde hair, boobs that never stayed in her clothes, and penchant for chewing gum loudly and getting into everyone’s face.
Besides, Andrew did not know Bethany as well as he did. He was the one who introduced her to him during a period in his life when he made terrible mistakes. Of course, he had gone and made the mistake again but he was quick to cut off all ties after it happened.
“You’re correct,” Bethany went on. “He didn’t invite me. I didn’t get a fucking invitation even though I’ve known him for what, four years? You didn’t send me one either.” She tried to touch his arm but he scooted. “I’m starting to think that you might be very good at running away, Jack Williams.
Is that your son? Did you adopt him?”
Again, he knew that she knew Aidan was his son. So Jack kept mum. His hope was that she would get tired of being in a one-sided conversation and leave him alone. That was the only way to deal with Bethany.
Once you tried to correct her, she’d have gotten you. Line. Hook. Sinker.
She tried to touch him again and Jack was almost off the couch, save for the fact that he had Aidan in his arms and was trying to keep his son asleep.
“Why would you bring him to a party like this, though? You’re supposed to be mingling with everyone, drinking. Having fun. Even the uptight younger sister of Andrew Davis is in the pool with two men, everyone fawning over her like she’s going to get rid of that gown anytime soon.”
