"What?" Hunter asks, trying desperately to hide the amusement on his face.
"That brat showed up half an hour ago, banging on my door again. I wouldn't let her in, of course, but she stood on my porch and demanded that Andrea had to come out to breakfast with her."
"Wait?" Hunter exclaims, sitting up straight in his chair. "You mean she invited Andrea to the exclusive girls' club breakfast every Monday at The Sand Shark?"
I nod … painfully.
"You mean … that hallowed establishment that has seen Gabby, Casey, and Alyssa meet exclusively for breakfast every Monday morning for like a millennium?"
"They did let Savannah into the club," I mutter.
"Yeah … but like only because she had to sign some sort of blood pact or something," Hunter says, shaking his head in amazement. "This is huge, dude. You know that right?"
"Fuck yeah, it's huge," I agree and sit forward angrily. "I now have to figure out how to rain hellfire and destruction down on your fiancée without ruining our friendship."
Hunter laughs and leans back in his chair again. "Seriously, Wyatt … this is huge in another way. She's been accepted."
"To breakfast," I add on.
"No … she's been accepted into our circle. No woman you've ever dated before has been afforded that. That means they're keeping her. I suggest you figure out a way to do the same."
And that is the source of my true frustration.
Not only have I decided that Andrea needs to remain a fixture in my life, but my friends have equally done so. This is big … a huge endorsement, and on the one hand, it helps to validate that my feelings for her are strong and true. They would never accept her so easily if they didn't think she was the right one for me.
I think she is … the right one, that is.
And now, apparently, the girls do too, and of course, the men will follow right along, because fuck … every one of my bros are heart whipped.
The frustration comes from knowing that Andrea is leaving on Saturday morning, and I don't need Gabby kidnapping her from my house to know that there is something special going on between us.
I have no clue what it means for the long haul, but I do know that it won't be over when she gets on that plane to fly back to Pittsburgh.
"Listen, man," Hunter says confidently. "Long-distance relationships suck, but they are workable. Y'all will find your groove."
"Oh yeah?" I ask skeptically, because the real reason I'm here is because Hunter actually has some experience with this concept. "You chose to give up your surfing career so you could stay here with Gabby."
"That's true enough. But I didn't give up my career to stay here with Gabby because I was afraid the long-distance thing wouldn't work. I know it would have worked, because when you love someone, you simply find a way to make it work."
"So then why give up the career? If you're so sure it would have worked," I ask, and this is a really important question, so I listen raptly for his answer.
"Because I just didn't want to deal with the hurt of being away from her. And besides … I was ready to give up my career. I had already retired if you'll remember and came back home to open up Last Call. I had already walked away from surfing before I fell in love with Gabby. I just chose not to go back after."
Well, shit … that doesn't really help me at all. I'm unfortunately very tied to an active and satisfying career. I'm also very tied to this community. While Andrea isn't tied to Pittsburgh, she's tied to the FBI, and that includes a very sought-after position in Quantico, Virginia. Even if she doesn't get into the BRIU, the closest she could ever be reassigned-if she did want to be reassigned-is the Raleigh field office. That's still three hours away, which would still make this a long-distance relationship.
And shit … for all I know, feelings here are one sided. Here I am, thinking of potential ways to keep this relationship alive, and Andrea may not feel that way at all.
Sighing with more frustration, because Hunter didn't really provide me with anything helpful, I stand up from the chair. It seems to me that what I really need is a frank conversation with Andrea. I just have to figure out how to broach it with her.
"Where are you going? Want to help me do inventory and stocking?" Hunter asks as he stands up from behind his desk.
"Um … that would be a big fat, fuck no," I tell him with a grin. "Besides … I'm hungry. Going to go get some breakfast."