Arrogant Bastard - Julie Capulet Page 0,5
West and get them. And have fun with me for the weekend while you do. It’s a win-win.”
A win-win. “Just have them couriered to me.”
She giggles again. “Nope. You have to come get them.”
“Look—”
“Gage, I’m lonely. And it’s a long weekend. Don’t tell me you’ve got meetings over Thanksgiving. That’s a lame excuse. I’ve got a room with a view and I’m all alone. Pretty please?”
Goddamn it. I really don’t want to lose those cuff links. And now that I think about it, my cousin Travis emailed me a few days ago, saying he and his brothers are going to be in Key West this weekend. Their band is doing a tour and they have a private gig. They’ve been playing together since we were kids, but over the past two years they’ve skyrocketed to the big time. They’ve got the look. And their country-rock sound is distinctive. They sell out stadiums but every now and then they play smaller venues because they like the vibe, Travis said. He mentioned they’ve booked some off-the-beaten-track bar in Old Town and are closing it down for the night. When I got his email I didn’t think much of it since I wasn’t planning on being anywhere near Key West. But we’ve been talking about getting together for ages and this could be a good opportunity to catch up with them.
My phone pings with an incoming text. “I just sent you a photo,” Crystal says. “Take a look.”
Jesus. But I do it. I look. It’s her, and she wasn’t lying. Her bikini is skimpy as fuck. Showing off her fake tits in all their questionable glory. Which isn’t doing anything for me. My martini goggles are long gone.
Another text comes through, with the name of the hotel and a room number. “So I’ll see you tonight?” she asks.
“I don’t appreciate being blackmailed, honey.”
She laughs, as if this is some kind of fucking joke. “I’m not blackmailing you, Gage. I’m inviting you on a fun little getaway. Did you really have plans for this weekend?”
As a matter of fact, I don’t. My brothers are both busy and so is everyone else I know. I can’t stand the annoyingly ritualistic family get-togethers that go along with holidays, so I generally avoid them. I prefer spontaneity. That way, I don’t have to be reminded of my own family’s horrific tragedies, which always feel more raw around this time of year. My mother died the day after Thanksgiving and my father killed himself a few weeks later. But I’m not about to tell any of that to Crystal. “Yes.”
She ignores this. “It’s eighty-three degrees, the water’s warm, the sun is shining and there’s rum on tap. Take a break from frigid Chicago. I hear a cold front is moving in.”
I glance out the expansive windows of my top-floor office. The sky is a dark, moody gray and the windows are flecked with icy rain.
Fuck it. I’ll retrieve my cuff links then catch up with my cousins. “Fine. I’ll see you tonight.”
The second my private jet touches down on the tarmac in Florida, I realize this is exactly what I need. A break from Chicago, the shitty weather and the non-stop drama. Three women are currently threatening to kill me, two are stalking me because they think they’re in love with me and one might actually have taken out a hit on me because all week I’ve had the feeling someone has been following me.
Whatever.
These things are a side effect of my lifestyle, which I don’t plan on changing any time soon.
They accuse me of being an asshole, a player, a commitment-phobe, a prick.
I don’t deny any of these charges.
At least they can’t accuse me of being a liar. I am what I am and I’m straight-up with them from the get-go. I tell them point blank I’m incapable of commitment. The mere thought of a long-term relationship practically gives me hives. Being with someone for more than a week makes me insanely restless and borderline insane, like a rabid caged animal. I tried it once.
This is possibly because I witnessed true love in its purest form in the relationship of my parents. They adored each other. To the point where it now seems like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of scenario. A star-crossed lucky score. They were careful and kind and thoughtful with each other. They laughed a lot. They had fun together. They respected each other’s eccentricities lovingly, almost worshipfully. Like they loved each other’s uniqueness far more