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16
Nick
Bayfront Beanshad decked their halls, just like every other shop in town. Evergreen garland decorated the bar and paper ornaments hung from the ceiling. Jazzy Christmas music played in the background, the scent of coffee and peppermint mingling in the air, and the overall ambiance was cozy.
Jackson stood at the bar, waiting for his coffee.
“Hey, bro, what’s up?” I waved to Jackson and headed over to the counter.
“Not much, man. I’m actually off for the next few days, so this was good timing. Order your coffee, I’ll grab a table.”
I placed my order—black with room for cream—then joined Jackson at a table in the back, furthest from the counter and the door.
I doctored my coffee, blowing on it for good measure before taking a sip. Perfection. Bayfront Beans never let me down.
“Here’s the deal,” I said, clearing my throat. This conversation was gonna be awkward, on account of me having lied to my friend in the first place. Not to mention the actual feelings I had for Sydney, which I had no plans to reveal.
“Sydney and I dated before I got traded to Arizona. We broke up when I got traded, but I never told my parents. Then I was traded back to the team here. But now Sydney works for the team and we’re not supposed to date.” I unzipped my jacket, fiddling with the zipper. “And, um, well, I kind of talked her into still being my girlfriend for the holidays because I never told my mom we broke up. But it’s against HR policy for us to date because we’re co-workers. It was all supposed to be on the DL. But the Lighthouse docent took our pic last night and now we’re all over social media and HR is probably going to find out. Sydney can’t lose her job over this. So what do we do?”
Jackson exhaled, long and loud. “Whoa, man, that’s a lot. Just to recap: you are or you aren’t together?”
“Um, I guess we’re not together. Technically.”
“Okay,” Jackson said, nodding. “Tell HR that. Simple. Starlight Bay Historical Society got it wrong and there’s nothing to see here.”
“I wish it was that easy, man. See, here’s the real deal.” I folded a paper napkin into halves, then quarters. “I want to be with Sydney. Like, for real. Long-term. But now she works for the team and her career is super important to her. I can’t make her choose between me and her job. So what do I do? She thinks we need to break up—or stay broken up, I guess, if you want to get technical—but I don’t want to just give up on us. I know you and Harper had career issues. What did you do?”
Jackson leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, ours was a different situation altogether. What you guys have going is more complicated, that’s for sure. But if you think Sydney’s the girl for you, man, you can’t just quit on her. Is there anything you can do, any strings you can pull, to get out of the HR clause? When I played hockey, there were always relationships happening that weren’t officially allowed. I feel like you could go to HR and talk to them, work something out.”
I nodded, already pondering the possibilities. I didn’t want to step on Sydney’s toes and do something she didn’t agree with, but HR was most likely going to find out now anyway.
“So you think going to them and being totally aboveboard is the way to go?”
“Yeah, probably. I’m sorry, dude, that’s tough.”
I took a drink of coffee, stared down at the black granite table. “It is, but she’s worth it. If she’ll give me the green light, I’ll do anything for her.”
Jackson grinned. “Sounds like you have your answer. And maybe your future wife, too.”
I spluttered on my drink. “Let’s not get carried away here, Romeo. I’m just trying to keep dating. One play at a time.”
Jackson chuckled. “Okay, man. But I know you and this is the most amped I’ve ever seen you about a girl. And Sydney’s great. I think she’s definitely worth not playing it safe.”
“Agreed. Thanks, Jackson. I’m going to grab Sydney a coffee and then try to save her job.”
