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“It’s just one shot, Emmers. You’ll be fine.” Alex replies but Cami isn’t having any of that.
“We’ll have one more please!” she says raising her hand to get the attention of the bartender.
“Cami! No way! I have to work tomorrow!”
While waiting on the bartender she turns to me and says, “So tell us about it.” I just look at her confused. “Come on, Em. Talk to us about Jonathan. He told me at Mick’s the other day that he wanted to try again but you weren’t interested. Why?”
“Why does he always talk to you?” I don’t know why it surprises me that they seem to be teaming up again after the plan they concocted back in San Clemente…but it does.
“Honey, you broke his heart that day. He’s still crazy in love with you and he wants to get to know Ireland. He’s such a good guy. You said you still loved him after seeing him at Kells and he’s hella hot, so what’s wrong with him? Do you not have feelings for him anymore?”
I can feel the Fireball warming my insides up and I’m already feeling tipsy, this must be why I suddenly become so free with my words.
“What is it, Em? Talk to us.” Alex pleads ever so gently.
“There’s nothing wrong with him, you guys. He’s perfect and yes, I still have feelings for him. That stupid Badge Bunny, Courtney, just ruined it by throwing it in my face that she had been with him. It scared me and I instantly put my walls back up. I know it’s been over five years and I don’t expect him to have been celibate the entire time, but it just made me sick to think of him with her and I pushed him away.”
“And friend-zoned him.” Cami adds.
“Yep, I sure did,” I say as I slam my hand down on the bar. “I just reacted and didn’t think it through. But Cami, I do have a lot on my plate with raising a child, work and classes. Do I have time for more?”
“Do you still love him?”
Where is that next shot? I cannot have this conversation even a little bit sober.
“Here you go, ladies,” the hipster bartender with a full beard, flannel shirt and suspenders say as he puts another shot of Fireball in front of us, but this time I can’t slam it down fast enough.
“I’ll take that as a yes, then?”
“Oh God, it burns Cami. No more!”
“That’s why it’s called Fireball, chica. Now, do you still love him?”
At that moment Kings of Leon starts playing in the background and one of my favorite memories of our time in California comes back to me….
It’s Thursday evening and we’d spent the day at Universal Studios. Jonathan has built a fire for us on the beach, and we’re listening to what is now ‘our’ album while we make s’mores. It is the perfect way to end a perfect day. As I’m trying to lick all the sticky marshmallow goodness off of my fingers, Jonathan comes over to assist. He puts each of my fingers in his mouth and makes sure that all the sticky goodness is now gone.
“You have a little something…right here. Looks like chocolate, don’t mind if I do.” He uses that amazing tongue of his to get the chocolate off of the corner of my mouth and then gives me a sexy, little smile. Everything he does makes my heart nearly flutter out of my chest.
“Come Around Sundown” is the perfect music for tonight. I’ve always loved Kings of Leon but this new album is…well, it’s just perfect. It’s set the mood for our week and we haven’t stopped playing it. At this particular moment “The Face” comes on and Jonathan takes my hand and leads me a few feet from the fire. He holds me in his arms and we slow dance to ‘our’ music, on the beach, in the dark, in front of the fire. I think this might just be the most romantic moment of my life. There’s no talking, no kissing—just my head on his chest as we sway to the music. The song ends and when “The Immortals” starts, and is a little peppier, he swings me out from him and then back into his chest. He starts trying to do some sort of funny swing dancing thing, but it doesn’t work, and we both start to laugh. Before we know it, we’re both just being the dorks that we are and acting a fool. We do every random dance we know and not very well. Jonathan does do a mean sprinkler and my running man is usually pretty epic, but not in the sand. I fail miserably.
We’re both out of breath from dancing and laughing our asses off when the next song comes on. It’s a mellow tune that causes Jonathan to pull me back into his arms and we start swaying again. This time though there are words and kisses.
“This has been the best week of my life, Gracie.”
“Mine too, Georgia.”
“I wish we could just freeze time. I could stay here on this beach with you forever.”
There are no words that would say it better than he just did, so I just kiss him to let him know how I feel.
“God, I do. I still love him. He’s it for me. I know it now and I knew it then. Cami, you are so right…he’s such a good man. You should see him on the streets at work. He’s so respectful and kind to everyone he comes in contact with. There was this homeless man, named Willy, that he has a full on friendship with. He checks on him to make sure he doesn’t need for anything. Do you think Mick is doing any of that?”
Alex surprisingly comes to my brother’s aide. “I wouldn’t imagine he is, but you never know. People are different at work than they are in their real life. Besides, you know better than anybody that Mick’s frat boy image is just an act. Your brother is a good man, Em. It’s nice to hear how great Jonathan is at work though.” I just shrug, not wanting to talk about my big brother right now.
“Then there’s Ireland. the two of them just clicked! She took to him so easily. Watching her in his lap was almost too much for me. It was like all my dreams coming true. She doesn’t take to most men easily and she just took to him. He’s all I think about! I can’t believe he lives here and works with my brother and knows my mom! How did that happen?”
“Sweetie, it’s loud in here but you don’t have to shout. We can hear you just fine,” she says with a grin.
