Twenty Tanner

"So, where are we going tonight?" I asked Wyatt as we both got in his car after work.

It was a bit later than usual, but he'd had some work to finish up, and I was happy to wait. The past few weeks had been amazing, and I knew that both of us had been letting our work slide a bit. It actually gave me some time to work on my own things as well. Not that I had much.

All my clients had pretty much dropped out from under me, and all I had for the moment were a couple of run-down houses sitting on the market that nobody wanted to buy. The only reason I agreed to list them was because I was desperate. But that turned out to just be a useless gesture. They were coming up on their three-month mark, and I had a feeling they were going to delist.

Even though I should have been worried about not making any sales, I wasn't. With Wyatt around, I didn't have much energy to stew over things I couldn't help. There would be hell to pay come the end of summer, but the longer things went on, the more I didn't care. I was starting to like Ludington and my strange little life with Wyatt. Maybe… if I was really lucky, he'd want me to stay.

It wasn't like I ever had a shot at pleasing my father anyway. He'd set me up for failure the moment he called me into his office that day. The business was gonna go to Vinny. And the more I thought about it, the less I cared.

"We're not going anywhere tonight," Wyatt sighed. "I'm too tired, and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"No problem," I shrugged. Reaching over, I stroked the back of his head, running my fingers through his hair. He always liked it when I did that. "A night in with you is always a treat."

"Don't," he muttered, shrugging me off.

"You okay?" It wasn't like him to act like that. "Something wrong?"

"I'm just… tired."

The tone of his voice did nothing to convince me.

"Wyatt," I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong."

He sighed, his muscles tense under my fingers. "My dad called today."

"What happened?"

"He… He wants me to fire you."

There was a sudden burst of anxiety in my chest. "Oh…"

"You haven't made any sales since you got there, Tanner," he continued. "I know I haven't been setting the best example, but ever since you and I became… friends, everything has kinda fallen to the wayside. I like the fun things we do, too, but if I'm going to take over this business, I have to prove to my dad that I can do it. And keeping on a salesman that doesn't make sales is a poor way of showing him I'm competent."

"I… I'm sorry," I replied, suddenly feeling like a little kid again standing in my father's office. "I didn't realize I was making things hard for you."

"We're both to blame for this one. Not just you." He paused for a moment. "That's why I talked my father into giving you another chance."

I lifted my gaze back up to him. "You did?"

"I don't want you to get in trouble with your dad, and I certainly don't want to get in trouble with mine. The last thing I need is for him to fly down here and start micromanaging everything."

Obviously, I knew Wyatt cared for me in some capacity. But I'd never expected him to stick his neck out for me when it came to his family or his future. It seemed like a pretty big step. I couldn't help feeling a surge of hope that there was more to this than just a summer fling.

"And that's why I think we need to take a break," he added. "Just until we get things back on track."

Well, hopes dashed. I might have gotten ahead of myself a bit on that one.

"Oh," I said. "Yeah. You're right." Attempting to sound confident was definitely not working. "I don't want to get between you and your future."

"And I don't want to get between you and yours, dude." Wyatt glanced in my direction, that same stoic expression on his face that I'd seen when I first arrived. He was moving on. "For now, I think it's best if we just focus on work."

"Right," I nodded, my voice cracking slightly. "I'll get to it as soon as we get in the office tomorrow morning.

"Thanks."

The interior of the car filled with a heavy silence as he drove back toward the apartment. My head was still reeling, trying to overthink every little thing he'd said to me in the past five minutes. Had I put Wyatt's entire life in jeopardy because I gave in to him? He was the one who pursued me, but at the same time, I was the one with the experience. I knew what getting involved might do to him… what it might do to me. And yet, I still said yes.

I wanted to reach across the center console, grab Wyatt by the face, and tell him how much I cared for him. Over the past three months, he'd wormed his way into my heart despite my best efforts, and I felt stupid for allowing it to happen. Summer dick wasn't supposed to make you fall in love, but I'd let myself be the fool in the situation. Instead of guarding myself, I jumped in head first and let myself get swept up in something that I knew wouldn't last.

And now I had to sit there in the mess I'd made.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me from my thoughts. Desperate for some sort of distraction, I pulled it out and swiped it open. My heart sank the moment I saw the notification. It was a text from my father.

Dad: Just got a call from Walter Trombley. He said you're not selling as much as he would like. Care to explain?

A thousand different excuses raced through my mind. I could blame the market, interest rates, inflation, really any number of things that any normal person would consider a valid point. However, I knew my father too well. There was no excuse that would satiate him. As far as he was concerned, a salesman made sales regardless of the economic environment.

My goose was cooked, and I knew it. I saw no reason to keep up the charade any longer.

Me: Nothing I say is going to make you happy. We both know you hate excuses.

Dad: You're right. I'm glad you're finally seeing the truth.

Me: So what happens now?

Dad: I'll be taking on Vinny as the next in line. When you've got an address, let me know. I'll ship your belongings out to you. They'll be expecting cash on delivery. Don't bother coming home.

Me: Cool. Thanks.

I wanted to write a million different things, but mostly I wanted to tell the old man to go fuck himself. But there was no point. Nothing I could say would change his mind, and if I got too snippy, he might just throw all my shit in a dumpster and call it good. I already didn't have much in the world, so I wanted to retain as much of it as possible.

Glancing over at Wyatt, I opened my mouth to speak and then immediately clamped it shut. I didn't need to put that weight on his shoulders. He was already under enough pressure. The last thing I wanted was pity. However, there was a silver lining.

I was free of my father at last. And, come tomorrow morning, I had plenty of motivation to make those sales.