Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“If a man tells you that you’re being too dramatic—red flag,” I say. “He’s deflecting. Some call it gaslighting. The issue at hand here isn’t how big your feelings are, but why you’re feeling them in the first place. The fact that he doesn’t want to acknowledge and work through that is a huge problem for me.”
“So what do you suggest she do?” Drake asks, curiously.
Run. “My advice is that it’s time to walk away, and it has nothing to do with his family.”
He leans forward, focusing on me as if he has forgotten that a camera is aimed directly at us for the livestream. “You don’t advocate for a conversation?”
“There’s no conversation to be had. She tried. He blew her off.” I shrug. “Let’s pretend this goes the distance and they get married. The worst-case scenario is that she’s right and the parents start playing games to break them apart. Then what? Her feelings are going to get bigger. She’s going to be more panicked and in far too deep to extract herself easily. Is he still going to think she’s just being dramatic? If he’s not listening to her now, he’s not going to be more willing to answer just because she has a ring on her finger. Conversely, he’ll probably want to listen to her even less.”
“He’s not a bad guy,” Hannah says. “Really. He’s not. It’s his parents who are the problem.”
I hear it in her voice—the conundrum that is love. She thinks she fell into this mess when, in reality, she made this choice. She chose to love this guy, even though his family probably tolerates her at best. Yet she seems to forget that just because she made one choice doesn’t mean she can’t make another. It doesn’t mean that she’s given up the fundamental right to make as many choices as she needs to be happy—and I hate that for her.
But that’s also why I’m here. Lucky for her.
“That might be true. They might be the root of the problem, but if your boyfriend isn’t willing to stop that root from growing, it’s going to invade your life—and you know it,” I say, wondering why I always have to be the bad guy. “It might be time to take an axe to that proverbial tree.”
Drake holds his palms to the ceiling like he doesn’t understand how we got here, like I hooked a left when we were turning right. “I still think you try to have a conversation before you go all lumberjack on the guy.”
“Nope,” I say. “Put on a flannel shirt and get to work.”
Francine holds her head in her hands. Sorry, Francine.
“Wow. I apologize that my friend here is crushing your dreams,” Drake says to Hannah. “Just know it’s not personal. She does this to everybody.”
Drake and I exchange a smile. Warmth flickers in my chest from the twinkle in his eye and the reference to his dream crusher nickname for me. Despite being watched by hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, it feels like it’s just us for the briefest moment. There’s something great about that.
He leans back, stretching his arms overhead. His shirt rides up just above his waistband, giving me a glimpse of the obliques that don’t appear to have lost any definition from his Legends days. Not that I’m looking.
“Regardless of what you choose to do, we wish you the very best,” Drake says, sitting upright again. “Thanks for calling.”
“Good luck, Hannah,” I say.
“Thanks for having me. I love you guys,” Hannah says before Francine disconnects the call.
I motion for Francine to hold all calls for the moment. If things get awkward, we can grab a question from the Social comments because the look on Drake’s face—pure amusement—needs exploring.
“What?” I ask, curious.
“You’re just so … ruthless.”
“Ruthless?” I burst out laughing. “Why am I ruthless?”
“You’re ready to end Hannah’s relationship without even knowing the guy’s side of the story. You don’t just walk away because of something that might happen. How can that be a dealbreaker?”
I smile. “Oh, Drake. Anything can be a dealbreaker. Dating is an interview at the end of the day. You’re essentially hiring a guy for a role. If they’re not exactly what you’re looking for or don’t check all the boxes, you remove them from contention and carry on with the search.”
He starts to speak but stops. Instead, he licks his lips and analyzes me. He doesn’t try to hide that he’s doing it, and I don’t hide that I’m aware of it.
Finally, he sighs. “You really don’t try to fight for relationships?”
“Not with guys. I’ll fight to the death for my girls. But when it comes to a guy and the ship starts to go down, I’m not putting on a life vest and hoping for the best. I’m jumping overboard and looking for a nice big … yacht.”