CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

NOAH

They ask what happened.

“It’s over,” I say. I want to forget about this and move on. And I’ll do that, after a good drinking session. I know I swore after the last time that I would never do it again, but I never thought I would experience this much pain again either.

Wish I knew what I did wrong. Doesn’t matter anymore, I guess. As long as I’ve learned my lesson. And I have. No more love.

“I need to find a bar,” I say, and to Ryder specifically, “Your driver on call?”

“Let me find out where he is.” He gets on his phone, and I stand there. “He’s at the gas station down the block. He’ll be back in five minutes.”

“Tell him I’ll be out front.” I walk to the door. “You guys coming?”

A chorus of yeses rings out. It’s good to have family.

* * *

The guys cut me slack until we get in the car.

“Tell us what happened,” Blake says.

I peer out the window while Ryder mixes a drink and hands it to me. I take a sip. Too much Coke.

Blake urges me to tell him something, anything.

“She’s engaged, all right?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Did she tell you that?”

“No, he did. Met him when I went to her house.” I take another drink. “Don’t want to talk about it.

“You didn’t speak with Amber?”

“She wasn’t there.”

“The guy could have been lying.”

“Why would he? I was a complete stranger to the guy. He and Amber have been friends since grade school. You know how it goes from there. She comes home from the big city, and they meet up again. It’s a Hallmark movie.”

“He’s got a point,” Ryder says.

“Damn right, I do.” I raise my glass to Ryder and nod. Then I drink.

“You should have hung around and talked to her yourself,” Blake says.

“She wasn’t home. And do you know how many times I’ve tried to contact her? Phone calls, texts. Dozens. Hasn’t the decency to get back to me. I’m a memory to her.”

Things turn quiet and remain that way until we reach the bar. We go inside. It’s loud. Women are here by the fistfuls. “Ladies’ night,” Ryder hollers and winks. “Can’t beat ladies’ night.”

He waves for us to follow, and he guides us to a table. I would prefer a booth in a back corner, but I’ll play along. Why not?

The waitress comes over. She seems nice. Her smile beams and her eyes sparkle as she talks. “What can I get you, fellas?” She cocks a leg and taps her lips with a pen while she waits for us to reply. Her short skirt and crop top emphasize her toned legs and stomach, which is the purpose of the outfit. She’s probably raking in the tips.

We order, and Ryder gives her his credit card and tells her to start a tab.

“Yes, sir,” she says and leaves.

Then a girl with wavy shoulder-length hair the color of truffles smolders by in what might be the tightest spaghetti-strap party dress I have ever seen. The contest begins between Ryder and my brothers on who will bring her home.

While they bang on their chests, my mind wanders. Maybe what’s happening is payback for the way I’ve treated women all these years. But what was wrong with what I did? They knew my intentions upfront because I was honest about it. It was purely sexual and nothing else. A one-time thing with no strings attached. Everybody wins.

I slump back in my chair and stare at nothing. With Amber, it was never purely sexual. Her being a one-time thing never entered my mind. I knew she was the one when I saw her. Had an engagement and wedding ring specially designed by a master craftsman.

And it wasn’t cheap.

I thought I did everything right, but I guess I didn’t.

“Here you are.” Our waitress sets the drinks in front of us.

I pick mine up.

“Anything else?” She hands Ryder his credit card back, and he slips her a twenty. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Ryder repeats, and then continues, “My friend—” he juts his chin at me “—might need another drink here soon, so if you could check back in about five minutes, that would be great.”

“I’ll do that.”

She turns and leaves, and Rob says, “I’d do her.”

I hear his words. Really hear them, and I have to say, I’m rather disgusted. She’s a human being and deserves respect.

“Don’t, Rob.” I unintentionally use a brisk tone.

“Don’t what?” He bristles. Not pleased with my retort. I’ve said the same thing before, so maybe I shouldn’t have commented. He probably even learned it from me.

“Now, let’s not,” Blake interjects. He understands things are about to become contentious.

“Sorry,” I say because I was the one who started it.

“I’m sorry, too,” Rob says. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

I tip my glass and let the alcohol pour down my throat. “Need to use the bathroom.” I lurch out of my chair. “Order me another drink, would you?”

“Sure thing.”

After relieving myself, I return to the table and drink more than I should, faster than I should. And that’s the last thing I remember until I wake up the next afternoon in an unfamiliar bedroom.

My clothes are still on, which is a good sign. It hopefully means I didn’t sleep with anybody. I crawl out of bed and drag myself to the next room. It’s a living area, and Rob is on a couch watching one of the HDTVs.

He waves the remote at me. “How are you feeling?”

“Where are we?”

“The Waldorf.”

“What?”

“Had a change of plans. We all got girls, and Ryder’s place wasn’t private enough if you get my meaning.”

“I didn’t pick anybody up, did I?”

“No. You paid for the rooms, though, so thanks for that.”

I instinctively bring my hand to my right back pocket. Wallet’s still there.

“How many rooms?”

“Three.”

I scan the dwelling and observe a one-touch fireplace, private bar, executive desk. Look out the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the oversized terrace. The place isn’t cheap. Probably runs anywhere between eight and fifteen hundred a night.

“Where’re the girls?” I ask.

“They left this morning.

“How about Blake?”

“He’ll be back later. Had to take care of something.”

“What?”

“No idea.”

I tap all my pockets. “Seen my phone?”

“By the coffeemaker. If you want coffee, it’s still drinkable.”

I pour myself a cup before looking at my phone. I’ve missed a few texts and calls. Maybe they’re from Amber?

They’re not.

“Mom trying to get a hold of you?” I ask Rob.

“Yeah, but I haven’t read the texts yet or called back.”

“Aren’t you the good son?”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m ready to go home,” I say. “Are you?”

“Sure.”

“Let’s get out of here when Blake gets back.”

“Fine by me.”

“I’m going to take a shower and then call Mom.”

“All right.”

I drink some coffee and start for the bathroom. Blake comes in looking grumpy.

“Blake,” I say.

“Hey,” he answers back and sits on the couch.

“How’d your meeting go?” Rob asks.

“No-show.”

“Who’d you have a meeting with?” I ask. This trip was spur of the moment, so we hadn’t planned for any business.

Blake’s phone rings and he holds up a finger as he checks to see who it is. Presses the side button to silence it and then sets it down beside him. “Mom.”

Rob’s phone goes off right after, and he doesn’t bother looking, just hits the kill switch. “You’re up,” he says to me.

I shake my head and palm my phone, answering on the first ring, “Hello, Mother.”

“Where have you been?”

“Out of town, why?”

“Don’t you ever check your phone?”

“Been busy, Mom.” Yeah. Busy getting my heart ripped out.

“Are your brothers with you?”

“Right here.”

“Tell them I’ll be talking to them when they get home.”

“I will. What do you need, Mom?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About the engagement.”

I scowl at my brothers, wondering which one told her I was asking Amber to marry me. “There is no engagement, Mom.”

“You could have at least told me I was going to be a grandmother.”

“That’s because I didn’t know you were.”

“Don’t get funny with me, young man. You understand what becoming grandparents means to your father and me. We think about it all the time. That’s why we’re always pushing you to find someone and settle down.”

“That’s not going to happen, Mom.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“So, what? You’re going to let Farrah bring this child up on her own? We raised you better than that, Noah.”

I bring the phone to my side and let out a long, slow breath before I return the phone to my ear. “Listen, Mom. I have no idea what you’re talking about. If Farrah is pregnant, I didn’t know. And if she is, I damn sure didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Blake whispers, “What’s going on?”

I raise my hand. “Who told you this, Mom?”

“Social media. Everyone’s congratulating her on her engagement to you and wishing her well on the pregnancy. You two will have such beautiful children.”

“None of that is true, Mom. Farrah’s not carrying my child. I have never been with her, nor am I engaged to her. Nothing has ever happened between us.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I, Mom. But I’m going to find out. I’ve got to go.”

“Call me.”

“I will.” I hang up.

My brothers are upright and attentive. “What’s going on?”

“Fuckin’ Farrah.”