“Can you honestly tell me you gave it your best shot with him?” He looks at me with squinty looking eyes, and I have a sneaking suspicion he doesn't believe that I did.
“Over the years, I've seen the many ways you can wrap a guy around your finger.” He rolls his eyes at me, “I should know. Phillip is not immune to you. I think that if you had really tried with Phillip, he'd probably have married you last night.”
I sigh.
“Did you try, Jay?”
“Yes. No. Oh, I don't know. I know he expected things to progress, but I was very clear that I wanted to take things slow. That I didn't want to be pushed. I hate being pushed.”
“It doesn't sound like he was pushing you at all, it sounds to me like you were pushing him away.”
I take off my sunglasses, so Danny can see just how miserable I am. “Look. I did try. I told you, I had big plans for last night and now I'm miserable. And not because I drank too much, but because I think I am in love with him. And I've probably already lost him. I want things to work out so much, but at the same time I find myself holding back. I'm so afraid I'll screw things up.”
“And I think that's exactly what you need to do. Screw things up.”
“What?” I ask, completely missing the double entendre.
Give me a break! I'm having a rough morning here.
“Sleep with him, Jay,” Danny says very seriously, “Get it over with, before you lose him.”
Somehow I manage to get through the day. I do yoga with Lori without throwing up, although my instructor makes some snide comment about me looking a little green.
I make it through the massage, which normally is really relaxing, but it made me nauseous. After the massage, we break for lunch and they bring us some healthy and crappy looking spa food. I beg them for a cheeseburger and fries and, yay, they bring me some. Lori and I have champagne with lunch, and I'm starting to feel almost normal.
After lunch, we're both getting pedicures and manicures, and then I'm scheduled for a detoxifying body wrap.
Now that is something I need.
Suck all the alcohol out.
How much do you want to bet the yoga instructor set that one up?
During our pedicures, Lori finally breeches the subject of Phillip. She doesn't know about the disaster last night, and I have no intention of telling her.
“I saw you at breakfast the other morning,” she says, like she knows some big secret. “When Phillip whispered in your ear, you just melted. Your eyes got all dreamy looking. You know, I have NEVER seen you react to any guy like that.” She does an imitation of how my eyes looked. She looks ridiculous, and I'm sure she over exaggerates.
“You're a smart girl. You always amaze me with your ability to see the world as your great big playground. You can see miles into the future, so why can't you see a good thing when it's right in front of your face?”
“Phillip.” I state, knowing full well what she means.
“Yeah, Phillip. You know, Danny thinks so too.”
“I know, he told me once after he dumped me.”
“He didn't dump you.”
“Oh, I know,” I say with a wave of my hand, “but it bugs him when I say he did. Sorry, it's an old habit.”
“You know, I know all about the flag bikini, Jade. I've even seen that sad, tattered little picture.”
“He still has it?” I'm surprised. “You know, I love it that it doesn't bother you. A lot of girls would have a problem with it.”
“Well, I think Danny has kind of a been there, done that attitude towards you.”
“Been there, maybe,” I say, “but never done that.” I grin at her and then frown and say, “Unfortunately.”
“No. Fortunately. Because if you had, he's right, you probably wouldn't have stayed such good friends.”
“Why? Is he that bad at it?”
“Well, I think you could expect that he approaches it, the same way he does everything else in his life,” she says cryptically.
But I understand completely. “100 percent focus and full out energy.” I sigh and shake my head.
Figures.
“Jadyn, end result is, I'm not jealous. Whatever works. He signed a six year, $48 million dollar contract. I don't care if he visualizes himself playing football with a donkey and a naked clown. Hell, I'd blow the picture up and hang it on the living room wall if I thought it would help his game.”
I squint my eyes at her.
“Okay, maybe not, but my point is that I understand your friendship with Danny, and we both value it.”
“So brilliant wife-to-be, why do you think I should risk my friendship with Phillip by dating him?”
“Because you're perfect together.” She pauses for effect, “Jade, it's like you were made for each other.”
“That's all great, Lori, but I think it may be too late. But you don't need to hear about my problems, this is your wedding day,” I smile. “We're only going to talk about happy things.”
“Did something happen between you two last night?”
“No.”
“Oh,” she says understanding, “is that the problem?”
“Evidently,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
Lori and Danny's wedding is held on the beach at sundown.
We stand beneath a beautiful white archway that's laden with tropical flowers and smells heavenly. The hotel's wedding planner must have weddings down to an art, because they say I do and kiss, just as the big orange sun is sneaking below the horizon. It is the most simple, yet most beautiful and romantic wedding I've ever seen.
It's intimate and personal.
I think if I ever find a man crazy enough to marry me, it needs to be on a beach just like this.
I recovered from my massive hangover and because I had been pampered all day, I have to say I looked pretty darn good at the wedding. Unfortunately Phillip, who was looking damn fine himself, didn't seem to even notice. He was cordial and overly polite to me at the reception dinner with everyone.
And as maid of honor and best man, we did have to dance together and toast the happy couple. But the whole time, he was stiff, and I just wanted to cry and beg him not to be mad at me. I even thought about telling him I was sorry, although I'm still not convinced I did anything wrong. I also thought about telling him that he might be right about me being a little in love with him, but I couldn't. I wasn't sure he'd believe me.
Before we came here, I had pictured in my mind how much fun Phillip and I would have at our two best friends' wedding. Needless to say, my picture didn't happen.
As soon as Danny and Lori left, Phillip said, “Good night,” and walked away.
I thought about going dancing to try to make myself feel better, but I couldn't.
I thought about going to his room, but I didn't know what I'd say.
So I went straight to my room and kept hoping he would knock at my door.
Of course, he never did.
I know it's over between us. It got completely screwed up.
What am I going to do without my best friend?
Phillip basically ignored me for the final day of the trip, so I was pleasantly surprised when we got back home, and he was true to his word.
He acted like it never happened.
I guess what happens in Mexico, really does stay in Mexico.
We still talk every night on the phone. It felt a little forced at first, but we slowly worked our way back to normal.
I moved to Omaha, where I have a job with an engineering firm. Phillip is living at his parent's house, for now, and working at his dad's company.
My romantic life is, well, not exactly going the way I'd like it to, mostly because I haven't figured out what to do about Phillip.