Page 4

Chapter 4

Nick

JULY | Tarot: I. The Magician

There she was.

Annie lounged in the shallow end of the pool, sipping her drink and laughing. She wore that damn hot pink bikini I’d seen that morning, with those ties that only make you think of untying them. My fingers were itchy at the sight of them. Sunscreen made her skin have this gorgeous sheen, her freckles looking darker.

The guys were just back from our golf outing, passing the pool to consult with the girls on timing for the rest of the day’s events.

Mikey cackled. “Let’s go get ‘em.”

He stripped off his shirt as he ran toward the pool, tossing his phone, shoes, and socks aside just before he got to the water’s edge.

“CANNONBALL!”

The girls collectively flinched as a ball of Mikey hit the water, making a massive splash.

“BENNY!” and “MICHAEL!” were heard at the same time, from Jessie and Kitty respectively.

“My hair, Michael!” Kitty followed up.

A lifeguard tweeted her whistle. “You can’t wear street clothes in the pool!”

Mikey bent to remove his shorts, just down to his underwear, holding them over his head with a flourish before tossing them poolside.

“Oh my God, Benny,” Jessie said, covering her face and shaking her head.

“You love me,” he cooed, tugging her into his arms and kissing all over her neck.

Guy also stripped to his underwear and ran to the pool but stopped just before jumping in to carefully lower himself into the water. No splash. Kitty clearly appreciated the move. With the two of them occupied, it left Annie on the side with no one to talk to.

“Psst. Hey,” I said, crouching at the edge of the pool.

She grinned and waded my way, putting her hands on the cement. “You not stripping and getting in?”

I sighed. “I want to. It’s hot enough.”

She rubbed her lips together and licked them, a movement that somehow went straight below my belt. “What’s stopping you?”

I glanced around, considering that, then stood to take off my shirt, shoes, and shorts. I carefully folded them and put them on a deck chair, not as devil-may-care as my friends. I returned to where she stood and sat, slipping into the cool water.

“That’s disappointing,” Annie said.

I gestured to my body. “Sorry?”

“No. I expected a full belly flop out of you,” she teased. “The rest is . . . not bad.” Her smile was heart-stopping as she shrugged.

“Not bad, huh?” I paused, staring into her eyes as we studied each other. “Ooh, uh, you’re getting a little burn.”

She touched her nose. “Shoot. Was trying not to have that happen before the big day.”

I took off my hat and placed it on the top of her head. “I got you.”

“Here.” She held it out for me to take while she disassembled her messy bun, twisting the length behind her head and reaching for my hat again. She tucked her hair into the back of the hat. “Thanks.”

“Yeah. Anytime.”

I realized how quiet the pool had gotten and found everyone in our bunch staring at us. Annie noticed, too, idly swishing her hands on the top of the water.

“Who won?”

“Uh, won what?” I asked.

“Golf.”

“Oh! Golf. Yeah. Um, I think Branson. Maybe Frank? I stopped keeping count.” My throat felt suddenly tight as my eyes snagged on some ink on her side. “You have a tattoo.”

She beamed, turning to the side and lifting her arm to show the flower pattern that trailed down her ribs and abs. “I do!”

I leaned closer, tracing a finger down the design. “It’s pretty.”

“Thanks. Result of a late teenaged crisis.”

I was just about to ask her for the story when Kitty interrupted from Guy’s embrace. “Hey, Annie, we need to go start getting ready. I’ll shower first since now I have to dry my hair, MICHAEL.”

Mikey gave a sheepish grimace. “Sorry, Kitty. The intrusive thoughts won.”

“I’ll come with you,” Annie said, glancing back to me. “Do you want your hat back?”

“Keep it,” I said, somewhat in a daze.

She bit her lip. “Thanks, bubby. See you at the rehearsal.”

Second time she’d used that name with me. Bub. Bubby. It was kinda hillbilly and somehow made me feel like a million bucks. Did it mean baby? Who cares. I loved it.

I watched as Annie got out of the pool by the stairs, the water running down her glowing skin, through the valley of her spine, over the two dimples in her lower back, some of it under her swimsuit. And shit, my cock was stiffening. I ducked my head underwater, not able to get out of the pool until my body calmed.

* * *

I was jealous of a man I didn’t even know. For a woman I also didn’t really know. Great start to the evening, Nick.

Don’t get me wrong. Kitty’s brother is a nice enough dude. We had fun at the bachelor party. But watching him yucking it up with Annie as they walked into the pristine little white chapel made me hot under the collar. I had to be scowling. I mean, I got to walk in a famous actress. That was cool, I guess. She’s funny, as would be expected for a comedy actor. And yeah, she’s beautiful. But I don’t know. Not my type somehow. Probably a little too outgoing and cool for me.

My type was walking in with this sweet little blue dress that flared out at her hips, her blonde hair loose and wavy over one shoulder. The other shoulder was mostly bare, leaving those freckles exposed. And she was sharing a private joke with Kitty’s brother Frank.

It’s not like I should have been the best man or anything, but ugh. I didn’t like it. I wanted to be the one making Annie laugh.

Do freckles have a taste? That was all I could think about when I saw her in that damn pink bikini, and then in the blue dress. I felt like the biggest weirdo on the planet. Why was I such a creep? Maybe I’d be better off sticking to men. I didn’t know how to act with women. They were so pretty and this wild balance of delicate and powerful.

What was so funny about what he said to her? She threw her head back and everything. They’d probably known each other for years. Since they were kids even. Like Guy and Kitty! This could be their relationship origin story!

Why did I care so much? Why was I attached to some woman I met one day before?

As they took their places at the altar, I turned in to watch her rather than keeping my gaze at the end of the aisle where Kitty was coming in.

“Get it together, bro,” Mikey whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Jessie sat in a pew, giggling at my blunders. She shot me a thumbs-up. I ground my molars and pasted on a smile. Jessie and all her little teasing and opinions. I jokingly called her Mommy for all that she fussed over me and coached me on everything since she showed up in Mikey’s life. I even tried growing out my facial hair for a while because she said I looked like I was twelve.

Well, even if I looked twelve, I had a million bucks in the bank. Take that, Jessalyn.

Mikey’d kill me if he knew I had ever harbored any sort of negative thought toward Jessie. Better keep that to myself. People wonder why I’m quiet. It’s because my thoughts aren’t all public-facing.

And here were Guy and Kitty, fake exchanging their vows and giggling. Being all cute. I could only see the girls’ faces since we were all faced in. Kitty looked so in love, and Annie watched Guy’s face with a certain reverence. What was on her mind? Was she on the verge of tears because she was happy or sad? She didn’t look happy.

Everyone loves a crying maid of honor, though, right? Losing their best friend! The drama! The pride! The joy!

She laughed at a joke one of them made, and I mirrored her. Jesus, Nick, listen to the people talking . Annie’s face returned to its sad state after the laugh died.

For one fleeting second, I caught her eye. Her lips turned up in a soft smile and she gave me what I’d call a blink of acknowledgment. I see you , I thought, hoping she’d hear me or feel the sentiment somehow. I’m sorry you’re sad.

We all cheered for Guy and Kitty’s kiss and filed out, heading back to the main resort for the rehearsal dinner.

I was seated with the hockey guys. Branson and his wife were easy to chat with, which I figured since Guy was so close with them. They showed off pictures of their son and talked about hoping for number two soon. I showed pictures of my version of a son, my Chihuahua Greg. Guy and Kitty made a speech thanking us all, giving out nice gifts for us. A real nice dinner all in all.

I’d had enough martinis for the moment and slipped out to the bathroom. As I was coming back, a soft cry sounded from around the corner. I froze. Sucking air. A big shaky breath out.

A quiet, “You can do this, Annie.”

I popped around the corner to find Annie dabbing a tissue carefully into her lash line.

“Everything okay over here?”

She scowled. “Yes.” Then her face crumpled. “No.” Silent sobs shook her shoulders.

“Oh, shoot. Oh, Annie. Oh, man. It can’t be that bad, right?”

I patted her arm, not really knowing what to do. This beautiful woman was crying in a dark corner during her best friend’s wedding rehearsal. I just started guessing.

“Are you in love with Guy?”

She screwed up her face and looked up at me perplexed. Then she busted into a hearty laugh. “No. Definitely not that. He’s not my type.” She sniffed and then fell apart again. Quick, come up with a joke .

“Is it because this wallpaper is so loud?” We took in our surroundings: garish oversized flowers in audacious colors splashed every wall.

She laughed, quietly at first, then full-on old man wheezing. I laughed too, delighted that I had that kind of power. “It’s really loud, isn’t it? The flowers are huge. I mean, I know it’s their thing here, but yeah. It’s big.”

She chewed her lip, her eyes scanning the floor again. Okay, that only sort of helped .

“Um, do you need a hug?”

“Okay,” she said. I pulled us a little more out of sight in case someone else came along, then brought her into my arms. Annie’s tears returned, resting her chin against my collarbone. She must be really tall. I’m 6’4” and the top of her head is just below mine. But she’s also wearing heels so . . .

Right. Back to the crying. I gave her a tighter squeeze, and she hummed her thanks. She calmed down, fanning her face and dabbing the soggy tissue to her eyes.

I cringed at what I was about to do, but maybe it’d make her laugh.

“I have a handkerchief,” I said, offering her the edge of a red cloth.

“Thanks,” she said, pulling at it. Then out came another cloth in orange. Then yellow. Then green. Then blue. Her face went from confusion to horror, to recognition. “What are you, a magician? Is this one of those endless handkerchief gags?”

I blushed. “Kind of.”

“Kind of? Like you’re kind of a magician?!”

“Uh, yeah. I like to do little magic stuff. It’s silly, I know.”

“I don’t want to get makeup on your equipment here,” she said.

“Oh, it’ll be a fun story,” I assured her with a shrug.

She wiped under her eyes, coughing out a shocked laugh. “The goalie prodigy likes to do magic, huh?”

“It makes people laugh sometimes. I like to make people smile.”

She stuck out her bottom lip. “That is so stupid sweet, Nick.” She studied me more seriously, rubbing her lips together and furrowing her brow. Then her phone buzzed in her hand. She flicked a glance at the number, immediately silencing it while her shoulders deflated a little.

“Do you need to take that?” I asked.

“No. Just spam. I hoped I wouldn’t have signal this weekend,” she sighed, returning to her previous analysis of my face. She hesitated, a breath caught in her chest. “Nick, can you keep a secret?”

“A secret? Yeah, I’m pretty good with those.”

She peeked around the corner and pulled me farther down the other hallway by my wrist. “I just broke up with my boyfriend. He was supposed to come but bailed on me, so I dumped him. I don’t want to tell anyone because I don’t want Kitty to freak out and worry about me.”

The sad eyes. The crying. The hollow expressions. It all made sense. Being at your best friend’s wedding after breaking up. What a trainwreck.

Also, lucky me that Annie was miraculously single. God, I suck . “I’m really sorry, Annie.”

She shook her head. “It’s bad, but it’s probably good. I’m not a good person, Nick.”

I laughed a little as she dabbed her nose with my handkerchief. “Come on, Annie. Nobody’s perfect. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

She pursed her lips. “I was his mistress. I was the other woman. We work together at the law firm, and it just kinda happened. But she found out, and that’s why he’s not here.”

I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what to say. “Oh.”

“But he lied to me. He said he was divorced, and he wasn’t. And then he said he was getting divorced, and then he was getting divorced soon and I shouldn’t have stayed with him but I just kept hoping—” she sucked in a breath and looked down at her hands, smoothing her dress. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I’m trauma dumping. It’s trauma that’s even my own damn fault. I just—I should get back.”

I turned as she walked past me, catching her hand. “Wait.”

She glanced at our joined hands, then up at me expectantly.

“I’m here for you. We don’t know each other, but that sucks. If you wanna talk, or yell or something, just come find me.”

She got a soft smile and squeezed my hand. “Might need you for the maid of honor speech.”

I sucked my teeth and grimaced. “Eesh. Yeah. Talking about love fresh off a heartbreak.”

She stepped back closer, her eyes brightening. “Right? I wrote the thing before all this happened, thankfully. I’ll just have to stick to the sheet and not derail. I’m so happy for them and love them both to pieces. But love between partners just feels like a lie at this point. We’re all chasing after this fulfillment from love, but is it even worth it?” She sighed. “No one’s gonna know the irony of all this. A maid of honor who’s stopped believing in love.”

I still had her hand in mine. Long fingers, elegant hands. The corner of my lips turned up. “I’ll know.”

Her green eyes held mine as I went on. “You know what?”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting.

“Fuck love.”

She giggled, an amused twinkle in her eyes as she waited for my next words. The problem was, I didn’t really have a coherent plan. So I just spat out some words.

“We don’t really need it, right? A partner loving us doesn’t change who we are. We’re worthy people all on our own. We don’t need another person to say ‘I love you’ for us to be valid human beings.” I looked down to gauge her reaction. “Right?”

She shook her head but smiled. “Yeah. You’re not wrong.”

“Correct. I’m right,” I said, eliciting another dancing giggle from her. “And tomorrow, you’re gonna get up there and put on the best maid of honor show. But you’ll know, and I’ll know, what’s really up. And I’ll be cheering for you, Annabelle Markham. Because I know you can do it.”

She worried her lip, smiling eyes taking me in. “I see why Guy trusts you so much.”

I snorted and shrugged. “I’m lucky he hangs out with me.”

She watched me a beat longer, eyes darting over my face as her smile grew wider. “We should get back.”

* * *

After the dinner was a cocktail reception for all the other guests. Most of our team and staff were at the resort for the occasion, so I melted into catching up with them.

Until things started to turn. I was at the bar ordering a refill when I spotted our teammate Jack Leroy and his wife Sydney talking to Mikey and Jessie. Mikey and Leroy previously had beef but had a makeup of sorts during our playoff run that spring. They were trying to be friends for the sake of the group, and we all appreciated the break in the tension. No one likes having to pick sides when we’re all supposed to be a cohesive group.

Sydney must have said something offensive because Leroy, Jessie, and Mikey all recoiled. Leroy led Sydney to the end of the bar, a few stools away from me, looking furious. I could make out their conversation over the hum of excited voices.

“You can’t talk to people like that, Syd,” Leroy said.

“You never back me up! She was being a bitch!” Sydney protested.

“She was making conversation! Mikey’s my friend. I need you to not treat his girlfriend like trash.”

“Well, she is trash,” Sydney huffed.

I could barely hear his next statement. “You stir up shit just to give yourself something to do. You’re a bully to these women. You do it in front of our kids. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Oh, so what are you going to do about it?” she challenged him.

Leroy caught my eye for a second, knowing I was listening. He set his jaw. “I want a divorce.”

Then a series of events happened. A drink was thrown in his face. Sydney screamed like she’d been shot, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. A series of shouts came from her, littered with embarrassing accusations about his dick and his bedroom habits, his inabilities as a father, and all the ways he wasn’t a man.

Everyone was looking, the room silent. Annie cracked her neck and took a deep breath, striding right up to Sydney and interrupting her tirade with a light touch on her arm and a broad smile.

"Hi there. I don’t know you, but this is my best friend’s wedding. You seem to be going through a difficult time, and while I’m sorry for that, I need you to stop whatever this is and get the hell out of here before I have someone remove you.”

“Don’t touch me, bitch!” Sydney shouted.

Annie cocked her head to the side with a tight smile. “Okay. Leave and I won’t need to.”

“Fuck you,” Sydney yelled, then turned to her husband. “And fuck you too, Jack. I’m sorry I had children with you.”

I swooped in and put my arm around Leroy’s shoulders, steering him outside. “Let’s get out of here, bud.”

Outside, he scrubbed a hand over his face, looking in the direction Sydney had just gone. He covered his eyes, shoulders shaking. I hugged him. “It’ll be alright, man.”

When he showed his face again, yes, there were tears, but he was also laughing. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long. She’s a terrible human being. I’m . . . I’m going to be free now.”

I laughed along with him as he grew more hysterical. Our teammate and Jack’s closest friend, Romelski, poked his head out.

“You alright, Jack?”

“I’m leaving Sydney.”

His eyebrows went up. “Okay. Wow. You’re sure?”

“Never been more sure about anything.” Jack let out more borderline-insane laughter, then sobered. “She’s gonna take my ass to the cleaners.”