I thought about it. “No, I can’t, which is why this will never go further than an occasional day out. That’s even assuming he wants to do it again.”
“What if he doesn’t?” she asked. “How do you think Jace is going to take that?”
“I’ll explain it to Jace that Nash is a busy man with a lot of work. Eventually, he’ll forget about him.”
She sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I look at the dark side of things. I know Caitlyn could benefit from a male figure in her life as well, but I’m worried about it.”
“What are you worried about?”
“That the man is going to let her down. I’m worried he’s going to break her little heart and traumatize her. That trauma might make it difficult for her to have a healthy relationship in the future.”
“That’s deep and that is definitely on the dark side. But a male figure in her life could also help her understand a positive male relationship. Don’t you think? You’re the shrink and you probably know more than me, but it seems like it would be nice for her to know that not all men are bad.”
“I’ve never said men were bad, but I have never had any luck with them.” She laughed. “I keep her from seeing it because I don’t want to completely ruin her.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said. “I’ve not had great luck. I don’t know what is going to happen with Jace and Nash, but if he is willing to be friends with Jace, I’ll take it. I want Jace to have someone to look up to.”
“I get it,” she said. “I do and I love to see him so happy. Threaten to rip Nash’s balls off if he hurts Jace.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “You better believe I will.”
“Did you guys make plans for later?” she asked.
“It was mentioned but nothing set in stone.”
“Are you still going to start your own company?”
I nodded. “That’s my goal.”
“What happens when you leave the firm?” she questioned. “Do you think you’ll be able to remain on good terms with him?”
I thought about it for a second. “I’m not sure.”
“Which means he wouldn’t be on good terms with Jace.”
“Maybe not. I don’t know. It’s confusing. Yesterday, he was so different. He was a totally different person. I think he genuinely liked Jace.”
“The guy is a sexy, eligible bachelor,” she reminded me. “When a woman manages to sink her claws into him, I can’t imagine that woman is going to be okay with her man hanging out with the woman he used to bang and her kid.”
“Maybe not, but with the way Nash is, I don’t think I have to worry about him settling down anytime soon. He’s been single this long.”
“All right,” she said and clapped her hands together. “I’ll stop trying to talk you out of it. I did my due diligence. Now, I get to be the friend that’s happy for you.”
“You were just playing devil’s advocate,” I teased.
“You know I have to,” she said with a smile. “We’ve got that stuff out of the way. Now tell me about the sex.”
“No!” I shrieked. “You’re crazy.”
“Come on. I need to live vicariously through you. In the office again?”
I nodded. “He bought me dinner. It was very sweet.”
“Are you sure you don’t like this man?” she asked. “You are warming up to him. I can see that written all over your face. You like him a lot more than you did a month ago.”
“I’m getting used to him, I guess. He is abrasive and I don’t fully agree with his way of doing things, but I can kind of see under the veil he hides behind. He puts on a front. He pretends to be a bigger douche than he really is. That’s not to say he is a nice man, because he isn’t, but he’s not as bad as I thought.”
“That’s high praise,” she said. “I’m sure he’d be happy to hear you only think he’s a regular douche.”
“He’s got some quirks, but when he lets down that guard, I get to see the man I used to know way back when.”
I didn’t want to revisit that time. It still hurt. It was one of those memories I tried to block from my mind. There were moments when I saw that younger version of Nash and got a little nostalgic. Then I remembered him crushing my heart.
“I’m happy for you,” she said. “I really am. I think you