“I don’t want to date anyone, and I certainly don’t want to marry someone,” I huff and go back to lifting.
Logan says something to Quinn, which makes her pout and shake her head, but she goes and gets on the treadmill without another word.
“You know she’s just looking out for you,” Archer says, adjusting weights on the bar before starting squats. “And there’s no harm in going out with someone. If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work.”
Owen steps over. “What he’s not saying, is just let her fucking set you up so she’ll stop.”
“It’ll buy you some time at least,” Archer agrees. “And I’ll give the final stamp of approval on who she sets you up with. Though lately, her thing is getting you and Hilary out together.”
“Hot Nurse Hilary?” Logan and Owen ask at the same time.
“That would be the one,” Archer laughs. “She keeps going back to an old boyfriend, so I don’t think you have to worry about her hoping for a second date.”
“I’ll consider it,” I huff, gritting my teeth as I push through my final rep. My nutrition sucked ass yesterday and then again today, and I vow to get back on track. I was in decent shape before but threw myself hardcore into working out and eating right after Kara and I split up. It kept me busy, gave me something to focus on, and proved that revenge bodies aren’t just for women.
Though I’ve moved on from wanting revenge to just feeling sorry for Kara. I had a hard time after, as expected, of course. We were together for years before we got married, and the split sent me into an existential crisis questioning if anything I felt was actually real.
I thought it was.
Even when I knew we were spiraling out of love at a dizzying rate, I still believed we could fix things.
Maybe I’ll let Quinn set me up on a date just to appease her…or to prove that it doesn’t matter who she sets me up with. It’s not going to work. My heart’s been ripped in two and smashed to a bloody pulp.
It’s beyond revival. Hell, it’s not even beating anymore.
Why put it back together only so it can get broken again?
Along with feeling betrayed, it made me feel really fucking stupid. Yeah, I’d been busy with work. We had a record number of projects going on, including the renovation of the historic courthouse in downtown Eastwood. Dad’s been slowly stepping back, giving me more free rein over the company as he prepares to officially retire.
But I was still there. Bringing her dinner. Asking how her day went. I knew most of her students’ names. I listened to her vent about difficult parents, about the lack of state funding for the school. No, I wasn’t perfect, but I cared.
I tried.
And it was all for nothing.“It’s going to be tight on this budget.” I slide the house plan in front of me and tap the curved staircase. “This alone is going to eat up more than you’d think.”
I quickly scan over the “must-have” list and see a lot of expensive items as well, including the Wolf oven range. “But I think we can get something really similar and work with what you’re able to afford.”
“Really?” Katie, the client I’m meeting with this morning, squeals.
“Yes. We’ll have to go over this list in more detail once I get a plan from our architect.” I tap at the floor plan she printed from an out-of-state builder’s website. “This is a copyrighted plan, so we’ll have to change it enough to make it legal.”
“Oh. I didn’t even think about that. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
I nod. “We do everything right here at Dawson Construction. We have clients bring in floor plans like this all the time and we’re able to make it work.”
She claps her hands together. “Devon will be so happy to hear this! I went to your niece’s birthday party last year and fell in love with your sister’s house. I knew you guys built nice houses, but wow.”
I smile. “Her house was fun to design and build.” Quinn and Archer’s house is a fucking mansion, but it’s been good for business. The photos of their double curved staircase in their two-story foyer we posted on our Facebook page went viral, which got us a spot in a popular home-and-garden magazine.
Business has been booming ever since.
“My daughter and Emma are in the same preschool class,” she explains. “You were at the party. I think.”
I was there—physically—but not so much mentally. Quinn went into labor at my wedding. She started having contractions before the ceremony even started and toughed it out until the end.
And Kara was bitching about it the whole time, saying Quinn was stealing all the attention from her. She kicked her out of the bridal party just for being pregnant and got pissed when I hung out with Archer—like he and Quinn planned to get pregnant just to fuck with us. Though really, Quinn was pregnant before we picked our wedding date. Archer brought that up to her once and she wouldn’t talk to me for the rest of the night.