Compromise Me (Book Two of the Kirkland Family)

Compromise Me: Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Travis didn’t see Josie again until Friday morning, since she wasn’t back from Arkansas in time to attend the rehearsal dinner on Thursday night. Arielle’s mother stood in for Josie during the walk-through, and Arielle said it was okay -- it wasn’t like there was anything complicated about walking down an aisle on a man’s arm.

Travis wished Josie had been there. He missed her that week.

However, their Friday work day was so jam packed that he barely got to say more than two words to her all day. She seemed distracted and disorganized, not like her at all. When they did manage to get a few minutes together, her eyes stared at him oddly, as if she was trying to figure out a physics problem in her head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, gently taking her arm as she left Livie’s office that late afternoon, about to head home and then to Arielle’s bachelorette party.

“Everything,” she replied and slipped away from him. That was it. She skipped out of the studio before he could see her again.

Livie caught up with him before he left. “Hey,” she said. “You going to do something about that?”

“About what?”

Livie stared at him. “Arielle is right. You are a dumbass.” And she walked away from him, too.

Therefore, he got to his house, waiting for the guys to show up for Sam’s bachelor night, in a bad mood. He wasn’t the only one. Sam, usually so laid-back, arrived and pointed a finger at Travis.

“Trav...man, don’t ever get married.”

Travis almost gaped at him. “Okay,” he said.

Sam shook his head and made a beeline for the beer. “Arielle is driving me nuts. If she’s not fussing over the wedding, she’s fussing about Josie. I like the girl, I do. Josie’s great, the few times I’ve talked to her. But the chick must have some serious issues, from the way Ari keeps going on and on. Just sleep with her and put me out of my misery.”

Travis stared at him like he’d grown three extra heads. “I do hope you’re talking about Josie.”

And Sam looked at him like he was stupid. “Ari was right,” he said, and Travis knew what was coming out of the man’s mouth next, “You are a dumbass. I’m getting drunk tonight.”

“I’ll beat you to it,” Travis said and grabbed his own beer. Within the next ten minutes, his house was full of men complaining about their ladies, and Travis sat on his couch, going through the booze with Sam, and soon the alcohol worked its magic. The grumpiness evolved to laughter and a rather crazy night of potato chip poker.

Then the stripper showed up.

*****

Josie drove to Christy’s house for Arielle’s bacholerette party. She wasn’t in a good mood. She’d been thinking of how to talk to Travis about how she really felt about him, wanting to give him an ultimatum, but every scenario in her head turned out badly. She just wasn’t like that. She couldn’t make him love her, if he didn’t. And that made her grumpy.