hold this over you for a long time to come.”
Jamie groaned but couldn’t help smiling at the same time. He didn’t care if Danny brought this up every day from now until doomsday—so long as they were friends again. “And if anyone can hold a grudge, you can. But I deserve it.”
“You said something about a wedding rehearsal and bachelor party. Don’t tell me you’re finally getting married.”
He didn’t miss the hurt tone in Danny’s voice. “No—see, I don’t have a grandmother who insists on hiring a matchmaker the way yours did.” He slipped easily into the neutral topic of Bobby Patterson’s wedding.
He was trying to figuring out how to work his layoff into the conversation when a very familiar-looking woman entered. Quite petite with long brown hair, she came directly over to them. He and Danny both stood.
“Danny, Chae, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting. And Jamie, I didn’t expect to see you again before the wedding tonight.”
Wedding—right. She was one of the bridesmaids—the one engaged to Bobby’s best man, Patrick. He reached over the coffee table to shake her hand. “Good morning, Stacy. I didn’t know you were a real estate agent.”
Almost before the words were out of his mouth, she whipped out a business card from her trousers pocket. “Yep. Helped Zarah buy her house, and Bobby his condo—which I’ll now be helping him sell. Call me if you’re ever in the market.”
Jamie tucked the card into the outer pocket of his netbook sleeve. Might come in handy if he did end up needing to sell the townhouse. Sometimes agents connected with mutual friends were more willing to negotiate for a lower commission. That way, he could keep more of the money from selling…if things got that bad.
Chae walked over to the counter with Stacy. Jamie took advantage of the moment alone with Danny.
“I’d really like to get together with you soon—just us—so we can talk. Are your e-mail and phone number still the same?” Jamie pulled out his phone, just in case he needed to change one or the other in his contact list.
“Still the same. Yeah, we need to get together to talk. I’m working evenings for the next two weeks, but then once I start the new job, I’ll be on the day shift. Just let me know what works for you.” Danny extended his right hand.
Jamie shook it, resisting the urge to clasp it with both of his. “Will do.”
Chae called his name, and Danny picked up his cup to dispose of it. “Oh, and if you’re interested, a couple of other guys and I have started a gaming group. You’d be more than welcome to join us, if you’re still into that kind of thing.” Danny explained the concept behind the fantasy-world war game.
Jamie’s heart leaped at the idea, but his professional persona tamped down the enthusiasm. “I’ll have to let you know about that.” He’d buried that part of his past so deep, he wasn’t certain it could—or should—be resurrected. At least not publicly.
Danny, Chae, and Stacy departed, and Jamie sat and picked up the computer again. Before getting back into what he’d been reading, he opened up a new browser window and wrote an e-mail that was five years late. This time, he wasn’t going to let his career, his delusions of grandeur, come in between him and the best friend he’d ever had.
After sending the missive—with a few suggested dates to get together—he switched back to the other website. He read a few more sentences…and then stopped.
He’d read this kind of stuff privately, in a way no one else would know about it, but he wouldn’t join his best friend in gaming because he was afraid of letting other enthusiasts know he was one of them? What a hypocrite.
Frankly, the more he thought about it, the more Jamie didn’t like the person he’d become, the person who thought that having a hobby and being enthusiastic about it was something wrong, something bad.
Yes, he needed to make changes in his life. And the first step
Jamie groaned but couldn’t help smiling at the same time. He didn’t care if Danny brought this up every day from now until doomsday—so long as they were friends again. “And if anyone can hold a grudge, you can. But I deserve it.”
“You said something about a wedding rehearsal and bachelor party. Don’t tell me you’re finally getting married.”
He didn’t miss the hurt tone in Danny’s voice. “No—see, I don’t have a grandmother who insists on hiring a matchmaker the way yours did.” He slipped easily into the neutral topic of Bobby Patterson’s wedding.
He was trying to figuring out how to work his layoff into the conversation when a very familiar-looking woman entered. Quite petite with long brown hair, she came directly over to them. He and Danny both stood.
“Danny, Chae, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting. And Jamie, I didn’t expect to see you again before the wedding tonight.”
Wedding—right. She was one of the bridesmaids—the one engaged to Bobby’s best man, Patrick. He reached over the coffee table to shake her hand. “Good morning, Stacy. I didn’t know you were a real estate agent.”
Almost before the words were out of his mouth, she whipped out a business card from her trousers pocket. “Yep. Helped Zarah buy her house, and Bobby his condo—which I’ll now be helping him sell. Call me if you’re ever in the market.”
Jamie tucked the card into the outer pocket of his netbook sleeve. Might come in handy if he did end up needing to sell the townhouse. Sometimes agents connected with mutual friends were more willing to negotiate for a lower commission. That way, he could keep more of the money from selling…if things got that bad.
Chae walked over to the counter with Stacy. Jamie took advantage of the moment alone with Danny.
“I’d really like to get together with you soon—just us—so we can talk. Are your e-mail and phone number still the same?” Jamie pulled out his phone, just in case he needed to change one or the other in his contact list.
“Still the same. Yeah, we need to get together to talk. I’m working evenings for the next two weeks, but then once I start the new job, I’ll be on the day shift. Just let me know what works for you.” Danny extended his right hand.
Jamie shook it, resisting the urge to clasp it with both of his. “Will do.”
Chae called his name, and Danny picked up his cup to dispose of it. “Oh, and if you’re interested, a couple of other guys and I have started a gaming group. You’d be more than welcome to join us, if you’re still into that kind of thing.” Danny explained the concept behind the fantasy-world war game.
Jamie’s heart leaped at the idea, but his professional persona tamped down the enthusiasm. “I’ll have to let you know about that.” He’d buried that part of his past so deep, he wasn’t certain it could—or should—be resurrected. At least not publicly.
Danny, Chae, and Stacy departed, and Jamie sat and picked up the computer again. Before getting back into what he’d been reading, he opened up a new browser window and wrote an e-mail that was five years late. This time, he wasn’t going to let his career, his delusions of grandeur, come in between him and the best friend he’d ever had.
After sending the missive—with a few suggested dates to get together—he switched back to the other website. He read a few more sentences…and then stopped.
He’d read this kind of stuff privately, in a way no one else would know about it, but he wouldn’t join his best friend in gaming because he was afraid of letting other enthusiasts know he was one of them? What a hypocrite.
Frankly, the more he thought about it, the more Jamie didn’t like the person he’d become, the person who thought that having a hobby and being enthusiastic about it was something wrong, something bad.
Yes, he needed to make changes in his life. And the first step
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