Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Please call me Ever,” I said, “and it really means a lot to me to know something I said made a difference. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
He seemed thrilled when I suggested the three of us take a selfie together. After we snapped some photos, I added tags and posted them to social media, which delighted both men. Then Preston indicated the items his waiters had deposited on our table. “We brought you a few appetizers and a bottle of champagne, on the house,” he said. “If you need anything at all, or if you have a special request, please ask any of my wait staff to come find me. I’ll take care of it personally.”
“Thanks. That’s very kind,” I said, “and your club is truly impressive. You should be proud of what you’ve built here.”
His expression instantly brightened. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
We chatted for another minute, and after they left, I slid back into the booth beside Tracy. “You’re so nice,” he said. “I noticed that at the gym, too. So many people want things from you—a photo, or your time, or whatever. You’re kind to everyone and always try to make them feel good. Is that just because you want them to keep following you?” He was getting tipsy, and I was starting to hear it in his speech.
“No. I was always like this, even as a kid. I love meeting new people, and if I can leave them smiling, all the better.”
“Were you the baby of the family?”
“No, I was the middle child. My brother is two years older, and my sister is eighteen months younger.”
He drained his glass and poured another margarita as he nodded knowingly. “That’s what it is. You learned to get attention from others because you weren’t getting enough from your parents.”
That made me chuckle. “I paid a therapist a lot of money to basically tell me the same thing. I should have just asked you what was wrong with me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re perfect. It’s weird how perfect you are.”
“I’m really not.”
“You are, though. I feel like the first pancake, compared to you.”
Oh yeah, he was definitely tipsy, and well on his way to drunk. I grinned and repeated, “The first pancake?”
“Yeah, you know. Or maybe you don’t, because you barely eat carbs. But like, when you go to make pancakes, the first one is always horrible. You usually have to throw it away, that’s how bad it is. But then, the pan heats up to the right temperature or something, and the next pancake is perfection—golden and gorgeous. That’s you.”
“That’s quite the analogy.”
He nodded and raised his glass, saying, “Cheers, golden boy,” before downing half of it.
I squeezed his shoulder and said, “When you’re sober, we’re going to talk about the fact that you just characterized yourself as something that should be thrown away. You need to be kinder to yourself, Tracy.”
He shook his head. “You don’t even know. You only see what I’m trying to become, not what I was. But I’ll always be trash, no matter what I do.”
I was about to argue with him, but his friends returned to the table just then. I popped the cork and poured the champagne, and they all talked excitedly as I passed around the glasses and the snacks. Meanwhile, Tracy turned down everything I offered him and seemed to withdraw into himself.
After another hour, I decided to call it a night. I wasn’t sure how drunk he was, but Tracy clearly wasn’t having a good time. We said goodnight to his friends, and as we began to make our way through the crowded club, he grasped my arm and stayed very close to me.
A few minutes later, when we were on our way home in the back of a cab, Tracy whispered, “I’m sorry I drank too much. I didn’t mean to ruin your night.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
“Yes, I did. You didn’t even get to dance.”
“There’ll be plenty of other nights for dancing.”
“I won’t come along next time, so you can have fun.”
“The whole point of tonight was to spend time with you and get to know you, Tracy.”
“You really are a nice person,” he murmured, as he tilted his head and rested it on my shoulder. “And beautiful. My god, you’re beautiful. It’s hard to be around you, because I want you so bad. Getting together would be a huge mistake, though.”
“Think so?”
“I know it. I ruin everything, and I’d ruin this, too. If we keep it as a friendship, then I’ll still get to have you in my life. At least until your gym is built and you get too busy for me.”
“You should probably stop talking,” I said gently. “You’re going to regret saying all of this in the morning.”
“It’s all true.”
“You’ll still regret it.”