Chapter 40: Chapter 5: The Interruption

Jamie

Brent had finally shown his face, but a part of me wished that he hadn’t. Either way, the night would end with Carmen upset because of him.

He always managed to put her down in some way, but of course, she just laughed it off and acted like it didn’t bother her.

~He’s not a good guy!~

Brent was not right for her. I didn’t think he cared about her, at least not in the way he should as a future husband.

Carmen was my best friend, and I wanted to protect her, but I didn’t think she’d see it like that if I expressed my true feelings.

“I’ll have the steak and a whiskey, neat.” Brent closed his menu and handed it back to the waiter.

“I’ll have—” Carmen started, looking down at her menu.

“She will have the Caesar salad.” Brent looked at Carmen. “You have a wedding dress to fit into. We don’t want you piling on the pounds before the big day, now do we?”

“You’re so right. I love how you take care of me.” She smiled lightly. “A Caesar salad would be great.”

We all knew that the Caesar salad was not what she preferred, but what she felt like she had to have.

Brent was smiling, acting like he didn’t know that his comment had hurt her feelings, but of course, it had.

“So, babe,” Carmen looked at Brent adoringly, “we were just chatting about the wedding. Did you make the final decision on the guest list from your side?”

“You know I didn’t get time to do that. My days are long and tiring. The last thing I want to do is a guest list.” Brent chuckled. “I’ll leave it up to you and my mother.”

Carmen shrugged it off. “Okay. I need to spend more time with your mom anyway. We can handle it without you.”

“At least this way, you know that it’s done right. You’re better at this than I am.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and began tapping his screen and scrolling.

~Asshole.~

I sat back in my chair, trying to ignore the situation.

I understood that when it came to planning a wedding, a man may not be interested in the details like a woman would. But come on. He could at least try to act like he cared.

Our drinks came to the table. Thank God for that because I needed it to get through the next hour. We could have all done without Brent eyeing up the waitress though.

It only took until midway through our meal before Brent brought up his bachelor party.

I knew the topic would come up at some point, seeing as it seemed to be the only thing he was looking forward to about this wedding.

“We could do a joint bachelor and bachelorette,” Carmen said.

“No!” Brent and I replied at the same time, then both looked at each other.

I was sure his reasons were different from mine.

Carmen furrowed her brows.

“Why not? Why’s it such a bad idea?”

~Why is it such a bad idea? Maybe because your future husband can’t keep his eyes to himself. I’m afraid that he might not be able to keep his hands to himself either.~

It could only end in disaster.

“It’ll be my last night out as a single man, no offense, babe, but I’d rather just spend it with the guys. You know, cigars and whiskey, that sort of thing.”

Brent turned in his chair toward her. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, of course not. It was just a thought, that’s all.” She closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“You better be on your best behavior at this bachelor party I’m not invited to.”

“You know me. I only have eyes for you.” He winked at her before they shared another kiss.

~Gag!~

I’d always liked the idea of my best friend being happy and in love, yet I couldn’t stand seeing it with him. It felt fake. Well, it was. On his side, at least.

“Jamie.” His voice caught my attention, and I turned my head.

Mason Knight. Of all the restaurants for him to end up in tonight, it just had to be this one.

“Mason.” I stood up from my chair. I don’t exactly know why. Maybe it could be the fact that he was towering over me and making me feel small.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m in a business meeting.” He turned his head and looked toward the table full of men. They didn’t look like the quietest bunch in the room. “I saw you from across the room.”

He stopped his sentence at that. He saw me from across the room and…what? He thought he would come over and strike up a conversation?

I’m not sure where we would even start. We’re not exactly close.

“Mason.” Brent stood up and shook Mason’s hand. “It’s been a long time. It’s good to see you again, man.”

“Yeah. You too.” He glanced at Carmen in the chair beside Brent’s, trying to figure out what he was doing here.

“I haven’t seen you around the building since I’ve been back. Have you moved on?”

“Moved up, more like. I was promoted a couple of months back, so I have someone else to do the less important stuff for me.” Brent chuckled. “But you already know what that’s like.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Mason’s eyes wandered around the table again. “I’m sorry for disturbing your meal. It’s nice to see you all.”

My friends at the table remained quiet. After all, they knew all about what Mason Knight had put me through. They weren’t thrilled about him being back in New York, let alone in front of our table.

“Can I have a word in private?” he asked.

“Um.” I looked down at the four other people at my table before looking back at him. “Can it wait? I’m in the middle of dinner.”

“Not really. I’ll make it quick.” He placed a hand on my arm but then removed it quickly when he noticed the expression on my face.

“I’ll be back in a second,” I turned to walk away, feeling a little anxious about having a one-on-one with him again.

It was an awkward situation, and I wasn’t ready to have another conversation with him just yet.

“Mason,” Brent called just as Mason was about to walk away. “We should catch up properly. Let’s do drinks or something.”

“I’ll call you.”

We walked through the restaurant with him leading the way toward the bar area. It was a little more crowded now that it was later in the evening.

We stopped at the bar and both turned to each other, feeling uncomfortable.

“Do you want a drink?”

“No, thanks. I should get back. What do you want to talk about?” I wanted him to get straight to the point. The small talk wouldn’t make things any less awkward.

“I want to see Penelope.” Mason looked away.

I got the feeling that saying her name was hurting him a little.

“I’ve been trying to call you. I’ve even been asking for you at the hotel. I want to see my daughter, Jamie.”

~I knew this was coming.~

Yes, he’d been calling. And yes, I’d been avoiding him at all costs. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I felt like everything had been pushed on us so fast.

I wasn’t ready to share my daughter. I didn’t trust him. Penelope didn’t know him, and he didn’t know her.

~What if he just up and leaves again? If she did get attached, she would be left heartbroken.~

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy.”

~Lie, lie, lie.~

“Too busy to answer a call? Or a text?” He sighed again. “Look, when can I see her?”

“You can’t,” I replied with guilt. A part of me knew that I was wrong for trying to keep her from him. I wasn’t trying to be malicious. I was being protective.

He furrowed his brows. “What do you mean I can’t? She’s my kid. You can’t just keep her from me.”

“You don’t know her. She doesn’t know you.” I folded my arms across my chest. “How do I know that you won’t just up and leave again? I don’t want to put her through that.”

“I won’t,” he snapped in frustration.

He turned toward the bar and released an audible sigh. “You don’t trust me, I understand. But now that I know about her, I can’t just walk away.”

He turned to face me. “I’m going to be in her life whether you like it or not.”