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I hesitated for a split second, wondering if I should even answer. But knowing Jourdan, he would just call back in a few seconds anyways. Or worse, he’d call my secretary, who would tell him I was sitting in my office as expected, and then he’d know for sure that I had ignored him.
With a sigh I picked up the phone and pressed it to my ear.
“Hey Jourdan,” I said, trying to keep the exhaustion from rising into my voice.
His voice was chipper when he responded. “Hey, B. How’s everything going in the office?”
“Good, just getting through a few of my emails,” I lied. “What’s going on?”
“I wanted to talk about the gala,” he said quickly, and I had to fight the urge not to groan.
I didn’t want to have this conversation with him.
Not now.
Not when I was running on what felt like exactly zero sleep, and my head was all twisted up with thoughts of his sister. But since Nell and I were supposed to be blissfully engaged, I couldn’t exactly tell him that.
“Listen,” I blew out a breath. “I know finding out about me and Nell might have been a bit of a shock for you and Justine….”
Jourdan cut me off. “No, not that.” He paused. “Well, actually, yeah. We were shocked. But I’ve had a couple days to process, and honestly, I think I’m fine with it.”
Confusion flashed through me. “You are?”
“I had my doubts at first,” he admitted. “But seeing you two together? You seem to really make each other happy, which is all I’ve ever wanted for either of you. So yeah, I’m fine with it.”
I paused, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Jourdan didn’t seem to notice as he barreled on.
“And since I’m fine with it,” he continued. “And since you’re going to be a member of the family soon, I thought what better time than for me and you to discuss what you’re going to do or say to Nell to get her to speak to Mom and me more.”
I sighed, my head bowing as I realized what he was expecting.
“Jourdan, man, I love you,” I began hesitantly. “But I am not going to bridge the gap between you and your sister.”
“Why the hell not?”
“First of all, this is exactly why I didn’t tell you about us in the first place.”
The lie fell from my lips so easily that it shocked even me, but I continued anyway. “Second, it is not a good idea for me to get into the middle of it all. You’re my best friend, and she’s my fiancé. Do I want you to be on good terms? Hell, yes, I do. But I don’t want to do it at the expense of her feelings and boundaries. You know how to contact her now. And if how unexpectedly well the other night went was any indication, I don’t think she’s gonna run again. Because frankly, if she does, I have a lot bigger problems than if she’s speaking to you or not.”
Jourdan gave a short, terse laugh, but I could hear the worry in it. “I don’t know her anymore, Blake. You do. It might be easier if the request came from you.”
I wanted to tell him that I only wished I knew her better, but that wouldn’t exactly feed into the narrative she and I were trying to sell.
So, instead, I just said, “I know it would. But I also don’t want your relationship with your sister to be dependent on my relationship with your sister. What would happen if it did, and then she and I broke up? No, man, you have to do this on your own.”
There was a loaded pause on the other end of the line, and I could have sworn I could hear the gears turning in Jourdan’s mind.
Finally, he huffed out a breath.
“You’re right,” he admitted.
I put on the best smile I could muster and let it bleed into my words. “That’s what I like to hear.”
There was the sound of honking on the other end of the line and a flurry of cursing and insults being thrown about.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jourdan said, distracted by whatever was happening in the background. “I gotta go, Blake. Thanks for the advice. I’ll reach out to her soon.”
Jourdan didn’t wait for me to respond before he hung up the phone.
