Read Online One Last Night by Lynne Jaymes - Free Book Online

Ty’s Last Night
     
    “Surprise!”
    The entire back room at Oceana erupts as soon
as we turn the corner.
    Shit is all I can think, once my heart
stops pounding. It looks like everyone I’ve ever met is here and I
know that not only did Hailey plan this whole thing, but I’d bet
anything on the fact that her parents are putting up the money for
it. So not what I planned for tonight. But I don’t have a
choice—Hailey is standing next to me practically vibrating with
happiness as she holds my hand. I have to plaster a smile on my
face and somehow get through the next several hours.“Are you
surprised, Ty?” Hailey asks, her dark eyes shining.
    “Completely,” I say, and give her a kiss. I’m
sure it was a lot of work to put this whole thing together, and I
can’t be an asshole just because I’d hoped for a quiet dinner on my
last night in town, just the two of us.
    She waves at a couple of the guests. “Well I
couldn’t have you take off for the middle of nowhere without a huge
send off.”
    I take in the red and white balloons, the
tasteful, color-coordinated flower arrangements on every table, the
giant Garvin State banner hanging on the back wall and the pile of
gifts set up on a table by the door. Not to mention the entire room
reserved at one of the nicest restaurants in all of San Francisco.
Most people in this city can’t get a table at Oceana. Leave it to
Hailey to take over the whole place.
    “It’s great,” I say. “You really outdid
yourself.”
    “Come on in,” she says, pulling me further
into the room. A waiter walks by carrying a tray of champagne
flutes so Hailey grabs two and hands one to me. I’m about to say
something to her, but quickly change my mind because anything I say
is guaranteed to start another ugly fight, something we’re almost
famous for these days. After the last time, Hailey promised she’d
take it easy. I have to trust her—at least that’s what she keeps
telling me.She clinks her glass with mine, her eyes shining with
anticipation like they always do at the beginning of a party and
then drains half the glass. As the cold bubbles hit my nose like an
explosion of pinpricks, I remember why I actually hate champagne. I
look around for a waiter, wondering if I can grab a beer anytime
soon.
    Even though we’ve just arrived, the party’s
already in full swing. High school friends mix with some of the
guys from my junior college baseball team, along with a bunch of
Hailey’s girlfriends who are probably just happy to be at a party
with so many single guys for a change. There’s a group in a corner
booth I don’t recognize right away—a little older, in their
late-twenties I’d guess. And then I recognize the guy in the middle
with the short black hair and neatly trimmed goatee.
    “That’s not Carlos Mendez is it?”It feels
ridiculous saying it. Why would the new star closer for the SF
Giants be sitting at my going-away party?
    “Yep.” Hailey snuggles against my shoulder and
looks at the booth. “He’s friends with my boss at work so I pulled
a few strings. I thought you could get some pointers. You know, for
getting into the majors.”
    “You got Carlos Hill to come here?” I stare at
her in amazement.
    “Of course I did.” She gets up on her toes and
kisses me, her lips tasting of gloss and champagne. “Nothing but
the best. I love you.”
    “I love you too.” These days I say it out of
habit, but despite everything, I still mean it. We’ve been together
for three years—how could I not? With her smooth amber skin and
dark curly hair that falls in waves down her back, she’s one of the
most beautiful girls I’ve ever met. I still remember the first time
I laid eyes on her at that party senior year—she had a body that
looked like it belonged on the cover of a swimsuit issue but she
was drinking beer and shooting pool like one of the guys. I think I
fell in love with her the moment she sunk the eight ball, beating
some poor sucker out of his gas