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Nodding, I narrow my eyes, pondering the predicament, wondering if maybe we both need a break from our status quo. Maybe this last-minute trip is a blessing in disguise, a chance to connect with a side of ourselves we don’t get to express in our everyday lives.
I love any excuse to let my hair down and play, whether it’s running around the catering shop, pretending to be a witch with Chase, or putting on a goofy British accent with Mel while we make fish and chips. But I imagine a lawyer doesn’t get as many chances to let his hair down.
And maybe that’s just what Wes needs, a chance to be the man he is deep down inside, not the responsible guy everyone in his family counts on to be measured and reasonable all the time.
Our waiter arrives just as a plan begins to form. The tiny old woman with an apron full of pens takes our order for a bottle of the Cabernet Franc and the charcuterie board to start and departs.
Before Wes can start looking around the room and get freaked out again, I decide to apprise him of my brilliant idea. “You know what I think? I think we should do an experiment on this trip.”
He sips his water. “What kind of experiment?”
“A ‘be whoever you want to be’ experiment. I’m the only person around who knows you, and I honestly don’t know you that well. And to me, you aren’t sweet, levelheaded Wesley McGuire. You’re badass Wesley McGuire who saved my life in the woods and…” I trail off, blushing as I think of the other things he did to me in the woods, things that make me think of him as anything but “sweet.” I clear my throat and add, “So, yeah. I don’t have any preconceived notions. I’m a good travel buddy to have along if you want to feel free to be whoever you want to be.”
A light flickers in his eyes. “It’s so weird that you said that.”
“I told you I was weird,” I tease, and am rewarded by a smile.
“No, I mean…I was thinking the same thing. But I was thinking we could take it a step further. That we could pretend a little. Christian and Starling were in the middle of one of their role-playing things when I called him this morning and—”
“Role-playing?” My brows shoot up. “You mean…role-playing role-playing?”
“Well, yeah,” he says, looking unsure of himself. “Sorry. I just assumed you’d heard about their leaked sex tape, the one where she was a princess and he was a serving boy or whatever? I obviously didn’t watch it, but it was big news around town.”
“Oh, I know. I heard about it. I just didn’t realize it was an ongoing thing for them.” I bite my lip, fighting a smile. “Are they always royalty or…”
Wes laughs and lifts his hands into the air, releasing his death grip on the menu for the first time since we sat down. “I don’t know. We don’t talk about the specifics. I just know it’s something they really love. They were having a great time this morning, pretending Sterling was a sun goddess or something while they watched the sunrise.”
I grin. “Sounds nice. They’re a cute couple.”
“They are,” he agrees. “And I think they might be on to something. Sometimes it’s nice to step outside the everyday and do something different, be someone different. Even if it’s just for a little while. And I didn’t mean anything…sexual. We could role-play as something purely platonic.”
Our waiter returns at that moment, her perfect timing ensuring I have a few minutes to think about his suggestion as she pours the wine and assures us that the charcuterie board will be out in a few minutes. We place our entrée orders—the steak special for Wes and the sausage and pepper pasta for me—and she bustles off again.
When she’s gone, I ask, “So who do you think we should be? Criminals on the run from the law? Two archeologists out in the field, hunting for fossils in the Utah desert?”
He grins, clearly pleased at my willingness to play along. “Interesting options. I honestly hadn’t thought further than the suggestion. I just thought it might be a nice way for us to have a fresh start. Without any of the…regrettable stuff making the trip awkward. That way, we’d have the chance to see how we might have gotten along if—”
“If we hadn’t had an illicit night in the woods and then things got really awkward for eighteen months?” I supply, seeing what he’s up to now.
But I’m not angry about it.
In fact, I’m kind of…relieved.
I’m not good at holding grudges. Being angry with Wes and hurt by Wes, then awkward around him, once the anger and hurt faded, has sucked. And the whole Daria and Darcy thing has only made it suck more.
This is probably the only vacation I’ll be able to take until late August, when I’m planning to tackle part of the Appalachian Trail on my solo trek. Do I really want to spend that being upset about Daria and angry at Wes all over again?
“Yeah,” Wes says, his voice husky and low. “I’m sure that sounds selfish, and it is, I guess, a little. I just don’t want to cause you any more pain and I thought, this might be a way to make the trip something you can truly enjoy.”
I sip my wine, studying him over the rim of the glass. What do I have to lose? Just because Wes and I decide to let the past go for a week, doesn’t mean I’m going to forget what happened. Once we’re back home, all the history and drama and expectations from our family and friends will still be there. We’ll have no choice but to deal with reality.
But until then…
I set my glass down. “All right.”
His expression lifts. “Yeah? You want to give it a try?”
“I do,” I confirm as a food runner delivers our charcuterie, a gorgeous spread that makes me at least ten percent happier just laying eyes on it. “Let’s figure out who we want to pretend to be over meat and cheese.”
