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Bailey
“I need you and Hunter to load drinks into those big coolers from the shed, then fill them up with ice. While you’re at it, have him help you bring out the long table and move it into the livin’ room. And the extra chairs.”
Getting ready for the party meant I’d spend the next hour, minimally, with Hunter. Five minutes at a time was difficult enough. I swallowed, butterflies doing somersaults in my belly at the memory of our earlier kiss. I’d slipped and got caught up in him, his sexy smile and rock hard stomach. A renewed craving for his touch overwhelmed me. I ached for him now more than ever.
He wouldn’t get another chance to be close enough to kiss me again. If I had to be over-the-top bitchy to accomplish that, so be it. “Sure, mom.”
After storming into the living room, I stood in front of the TV. “Mom is requestin’ you help me get the drinks and tables and everything ready. Even though I could probably do it by myself,” I muttered, slamming my fists onto my hip and letting my bottom lip jut. He probably thought I was acting like a spoiled five-year-old. But so what? I wasn’t trying to impress him.
Unless I had a date. Then he needed to know what he was missing, regret trying to dump me so soon after our night in Vegas. But wishing for remorse from Hunter was like trying to get affection from the freezer folk. Wasn’t going to happen, ever.
Hunter leaped off the couch and I wished he wasn’t so eager to help. It made me remember so many things I loved about him. Like when he’d taught me how to ride a horse. I’d been a big chicken and he was so patient. Or when I’d lost my favorite teddy bear and he’d searched the house until he found it—under the sofa. I would rather believe he was a prick but his distress over my anger and his efforts to put things to right made it harder for me to hate him.
But I needed to hold onto some semblance of hostility, because otherwise my hideous and grotesquely inconvenient infatuation for him was impossible to tamp down. And the more time I spent with him, the more difficult for me to control my emotions. Breaks from Hunter were vital to my emotional state of mind. This task for my mom needed to be done quickly.
I tilted my head toward the back door, then hiked out to the shed, knowing he’d follow. Just because I had to work with him didn’t mean we had to talk. Talking and other interaction was bad, as we’d proved all evening. Talking also opened us up to feelings, the very thing I wanted to avoid.
In silence, I directed him to the table. He gripped one end and I got the other. We hauled it into the living room and set it along the side by the front door, then I made my way to the shed to locate the coolers. Hunter shadowed me, of course.
“How long are you going to keep this going, Bails?” He gripped the handle of the cooler and waited for me to get the other end.
“Keep what going?” I asked, my eyes wide and innocent.
“Really?” He cocked his head, casting me a doubtful glance. When I didn’t volunteer anything else, he stopped, then lowered the ice chest which compelled me to do the same. “We’ve been practically family forever and now you’re throwing it all away.”
“Practically family, huh? Seemed more like a dictatorship to me,” I hissed. “Let’s see...You bullied any boys who dared to look at me. You teased me mercilessly. Ruined my love life. And then acted like I had some kind of disease in Vegas. Tell me again how close we were?”
He stomped toward me and I took a step back, bumping into a wall. He hulked over me, his eyes dark. “I’m not going to let you do this.”
“Wow,” I said sarcastically, keeping my voice monotone. “Proving my point by actin’ like a bully. Next thing I know, you’re going to try to whitewash everything by tellin’ me you care.”
“Damn it, Bails, I do care. But I’m not a mind reader so unless you tell me what I did wrong, I can’t change anything. And don’t blame the Vegas thing. You know I had to get the annulment quickly so Blake wouldn’t find out. I may have rushed it, but I wasn’t rude. So that’s not your problem or this would’ve already resolved.”
Part of me wanted to yell at him, inform him how much he’d hurt me. But lashing out wouldn’t help. His only crime was not loving me. If I even attempted to give him a story, he’d sense I wasn’t being truthful and he’d press for more. Our talk would probably end with me in tears confessing my undying love for him. And as ragey as I was, I didn’t actually want to hurt him.
I just wanted to stop feeling.
“I’m sorry.” I sighed, wilting against the wall. “I promise to make an effort to be nicer.”
“I don’t want you to try to be nicer. I want you to want to be nicer.” He growled. “Like things used to be.”
“We’ve both changed, Hunter. We’re not kids anymore and it’ll never be like that again.”
He rocked back on the balls of his feet. “You’re deflecting.”
“No, I want to get this little chat done so I can get on with the preparations, and be presentable before guests arrive.” I raised my chin. “Are you finished?”
“Not even close. We’ll talk later.” He mumbled something else, then grabbed the handle of the chest.
An hour and a half later, I descended the stairs dressed and ready for the party. I’d opted for a silky short-sleeved top with a plunging neckline, a mini skirt and a pair of strappy sandals. I’d spent so much time helping my mom prepare for the party that I didn’t have a chance to curl my hair. Instead, I pinned my long bangs in a clip and did full makeup. Staying in or not, it was still a party. I had to look good.
As I reached the last step, the doorbell rang. Our first guest. Anxious to focus on hosting and ignoring Hunter, I made a beeline for the door. And... Noelle. Knowing her, she’d monopolize Hunter all night and I cringed at the thought. On the upside, she’d keep him occupied and away from me.
“Welcome.” I reminded myself she wasn’t at fault for liking Hunter and she wasn’t a bad person. I offered a friendly smile and waved her in, noting her fabulous outfit. “Love the dress.”
I guided her to the drink table, then busied myself putting final touches on the snack platters. As I was setting the playlist on Blake’s phone and raising the speaker volume, the doorbell rang again. I pulled it open to see Trevor, and grinned. “Hey.”
He leaned in to brush my cheek, whispering, “Your mom invited me when I saw her at the bank. Thought it would be fun to come and irritate Hunter.”
I laughed, grabbing his hand and yanking him inside. “You’re the best.”
“I know. I’ve been here a matter of seconds and already making progress.”
I felt my brows crinkling. “What do you mean?”
“Hunter’s glaring,” he said softly, slinging an arm around my waist. “Why don’t you give me a tour of the house?”
As Trevor and I swung in a circle through the living room and into the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Hunter. Yep, a scowl creased his forehead. But if I were anything more to him than a friend, he wouldn’t have been so desperate for the annulment. I could allow that he found me attractive, like Trevor hinted. But any feelings Hunter may have had for me weren’t serious. I’d turned eighteen six years ago and was free to date whomever I chose. Except for one night in Vegas, Hunter hadn’t wanted to date me since then. Why would anything change now?
I wouldn’t allow Trevor to make me believe the impossible.
“I was right about last night,” Trevor said, snagging a beer from the cooler.
The doorbell rang again and Blake hobbled to the door and let several people in. Returning my attention to Trevor, I steered him to the dining area and to the snack spread. “Which part?”
“Bein’ seen with a beautiful woman ups your market value.”
The living room was getting cramped and someone had raised the volume on the music. We didn’t have to be quiet anymore because the noise was muffling our conversation. I bumped hips with him as I dipped a tortilla chip into the salsa. “Did you get a date?”
“No. But only because I didn’t want word to get to Hunter.” He popped an olive into his mouth. “She was all over me though. Extremely pretty.”
I chuckled. “I’m happy for you.”
“Man, look at that guy. No, don’t look. Take my word for it though, he’s got it bad for you.”
My pulse jackrabbited. I didn’t want to know who he was talking about, not if the guy was Hunter. “If you’re talking about him, please don’t.”
He glanced at Hunter on the sly. “Yeah, I could be reading him wrong anyway. Could have nothing to do with you at all. Maybe he just really dislikes me.”
I ribbed him with my elbow. “That must be it. Besides, I think he still likes Noelle.”
“That would be a shame.” Trevor snorted.
“Why?” I dipped another chip into the salsa and bit it in half.
“Because she’s had a thing for Blake since high school.”
I choked on my chip and scooped up a glass of punch to wash the shards of chip down. “Why would you think she likes him?”
“Not think.” He flashed me a smug grin. “Know.”
“What makes you so sure?” I shifted to scan the living room, and located her. Following the path of her eyes took me to Blake. Interesting.
“I wasn’t properly socialized in school, due to being such a nerd. So I spent most of my time observing other kids, learning about them. And because I was considered innocuous, half the time people passed by, not even realizing I was there. You wouldn’t believe some of the crap I overheard.”
I blinked, stunned and intrigued. “Tell me more.”
“Like the reason she broke up with Hunter. She—”
My fingers clamped onto his wrist. “Wait. I thought he was the one who dumped her. At least twice.”
“Wrong.” He shook his head. “Remember Heather? Noelle told her that she wasn’t interested in college or a career. She wanted to get married and start a family, be a stay-at-home mom. And Hunter wasn’t a good candidate to father her children.”
“The Evermond fortune and social standing wasn’t good enough for her?”
“Being with someone who could truly love her was priority number one.” He lifted one shoulder and gulped from the beer bottle. “She refused to invest in him emotionally because he couldn’t give back. And because of those inadequacies, she felt he shouldn’t reproduce.”
“Wow. Good memory.” In a way, Noelle was correct about Hunter. But saying he shouldn’t reproduce? Harsh. I wasn’t sure I agreed with her. Sometimes having a child changed a person. Another glance at Noelle revealed she was still watching Blake, but on the sly. “I wonder why Blake doesn’t go for it. She’s freakin’ gorgeous and smart too.”
He shook his head. “It’s like you don’t know your brother at all.” When I stared blankly, he took mercy on me. “Blake is incredibly loyal. He’s never gone out with any girls Hunter dated seriously—or as serious as Hunter was capable of. That goes double for an on-again off-again girl who dumped him at least twice.”
I pursed my lips, studying Trevor. “You’re quite insightful.”
“I had to be. Being at the bottom of the food chain inspired me to work harder to get to the top and I did that by paying attention. Which came in handy learning law. I’m like a human lie detector.” He shot me a lopsided grin. “You have stupid love for Hunter.”
Should I deny it? “Whatever my feelings, I’m fighting them. I’ll win, I swear.”
“Hunter’s not the marrying kind and you’re smart to dodge him. But he cares much more for you than you give him credit for.”
I clucked my tongue. “We’ve already established he’s incapable of giving back.”
Trevor shrugged. “People change. I did.”
Pondering his assessment on Hunter, I bit my lip. Hunter’s feelings were irrelevant. Only his capacity to love and to commit mattered. In that area, he was an epic failure. Not the guy for me. I’d have to get over it and move on.
I spent the majority of the evening with Trevor and as much as I tried to ignore Hunter, I couldn’t. While I didn’t have to worry about him reconciling with Noelle, he was always with some gooey-eyed girl who was sidling up to him and batting her lashes. Gag. I’d never seen anything like it. As if he held some magical command over anyone with a vagina. Sadly, I was included in that group.
Chapter Ten
Hunter
In school, I was king. Literally, crown and everything. I may have seemed good on the outside, but I had no real value. But like tractor beams, Noelle and nearly every other girl couldn’t resist the initial pull. For my sake, I let them go before they saw through the façade and discovered how worthless I was. Except in Noelle’s case. She’d dumped me multiple times—but she’d kept coming back for more.
As a kindness to the other girls I’d dated, I always dumped them before they fell too hard. Some of them fell for me anyway, completely blind to my flaws, with no encouragement or participation on my part. Not much I could do about that.
I used to think Bailey was one of them, the forever devoted. She’d proved me right in Vegas—or so I’d thought. Or maybe she’d just learned the hard way that loving me was pointless. Since I was unlovable, as my parents demonstrated daily, this didn’t surprise me. Bailey would probably never care about me again. She could do way better than me anyway, a guy who would never give her his whole heart.
Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I wanted to punch Trevor in his holier-than-thou face. What happened to him anyway? I liked him better when he was a lanky geeky invisible dork. Now he was formidable competition. No wonder Bailey wanted nothing to do with me.
Through the entire night, one girl or another dogged me practically every second. I’d shake one and another would appear. Some were older who’d been off to college while I’d been in high school. And others who’d been in middle school when I graduated. They all seemed to think they might have their day with me. Flattering, but none of them interested me.
While I dodged girls, I was forced to watch the guy who was better than me in every way flirt with the girl I could never have.
But I was home again in Bride, with the people I cared for most, in the town I’d missed. I’d done well while studying at Texas A & M, and I’d been too busy to get into much trouble. When your parents come from old money, and tons of it, and they threaten to cut you off if your grades fall below 4.0, you somehow find the will to keep your priorities straight. After college, I’d gone directly to L.A. and thrown myself into a completely different world where people passed you on the street without even so much as a glance.
Everyone knew me here, some judged me for my past and some didn’t. But these people were real and they were mine. I would stay in Bride permanently, have my own practice here. I’d eventually get over my weird thing with Bailey and play uncle to Blake or Bailey’s future children.
This revelation, realizing Bride was my forever home, made me kind of dizzy, but in a good way. Sure, my parents were frustrating and maybe they would never love me like they should. But at the very least, if I visited often enough, they’d see I didn’t only want them when I needed a favor.
I’d probably always be a bachelor. And that was okay because I had never set my expectations higher.
At that moment, Trevor and Bailey laughed at something he said. They’d hung out by the snack table, but had left for a while. And now they were back, picking at the chips and dip, poking at the crackers and cheese. The way she looked at him between bites, so free and easy, set my teeth on edge. Trevor ogled Bailey like she was one of the snacks. And by her frequent smiles, he was pouring on the charm.
So he thought he could come into our home and flirt with my wife?
“I have to visit the ladies’ room,” said the girl hanging on my arm.
“Good. I have someone I need to talk to.” I waved off whatever-her-name-was, possibly Adele. Suddenly, I had an urge for food. Careful not to make eye contact with Trevor or Bailey—didn’t want to give the impression they were being targeted—I waltzed to the snack spread. Making a show of examining the goodies, I rounded the table. Just as I was about to butt into their conversation, Bailey whirled past me into the kitchen.
“So... Hunter.”
I hated his smug grin. I smothered the urge to wipe it off his face. “Trevor. Good to see you. Heard you passed the bar.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Heard you finished a vet internship.”
Raising my chin, I crossed my arms over my chest too. “Yep.”
A ghost of a smile played on his mouth. “Staying a while or going back to Cali?”
“Staying. Longer than a while.” Maybe that would discourage him from putting the moves on my wife.
After a slow, thoughtful nod, he said, “Does Bailey know?”
“Nope.”
Trevor pressed his lips together in amusement and I wondered what the hell was so funny. “Well...” He plucked his beer off the table and took a chug. “Good luck with that.”
As if he knew Bailey better than I did. He didn’t own her and he didn’t have inside information into her head. He was an outsider who was way out of her league. My hands balled into fists with the need to punch him. If Trevor knew what was good for him, he’d back off.
“There you are.” Silky fingers curled around my biceps and flowery perfume wafted up my nose. Had to be Adele, finished in the restroom way too soon. Young, pretty bottle-blonde—exactly the type of girl I usually liked. Not tonight.
I could feel Bailey’s gaze on me from wherever she was. I wanted her to see I wasn’t interested in Adele, not even a little bit. But what good would it do? Bailey would still be distant and she’d still choose Trevor.
For the first time in my life, I wanted someone who didn’t want me. I wasn’t going to get the girl. Not because wooing Bailey would be impossible but because once I’d gotten my curiosity satisfied, I’d lose interest. Or I’d stumble on another way to screw up, like I always did. An imaginary weight bore down on me and my lungs stretched and shrunk like a sponge. I needed to get out and away from the crowd, go someplace I could breathe again. “I have to go.”
After disengaging from the blonde, I weaved through guests and hit the steps. Upstairs in my room, I rummaged for a paper bag. No luck. I slid the window open and stuck my head outside, then slowly exhaled.
What the hell was wrong with me? So many girls to choose from and I couldn’t control the impulse to pursue the one girl who wanted nothing to do with me. What an idiot. This infatuation with her would pass though. It always did. I just had to be patient.
A few more deep inhales, slow exhales and my pulse steadied.
I didn’t love Bailey in the normal way. I was just going mental at the idea of losing her friendship. Once we squared things away and returned to the way things used to be, I’d get over this strange... whatever it was.
One thing I knew for sure, I couldn’t let Bailey go. I couldn’t. To ensure she stayed in my life, I’d keep my cool and not get weird on her. I’d stay focused, think of anything but the fact that I could never have her. I would not obsess.
I could do this.
Sprinting out of my room and down the stairs, I spotted Bailey beyond the landing.
Stay cool. Act normal.
She stomped toward me, her eyes on fire. “You told Trevor you were staying in Bride, that you weren’t leaving.”
The rat bastard couldn’t keep his mouth shut. I wanted to pummel him. But not yet. Right now, I had to find out why my staying would make her go ballistic. “Bails, I grew up here. This is my home.”
“Your plan was to come back and stand in for Blake. And then leave.” Bailey’s gray eyes grew charcoal as she closed the distance. “Once Blake can do the work, you need to go.”
Closer was better, so we could keep our voices low and not make a scene. “You’re telling me where I can and can’t live?”
Bailey smirked. “Don’t pretend like Bride is big enough for you and your ego. It can never give you the excitement you need.”
I gritted my teeth while I mustered up calm. “Don’t pretend to know anything about me or what I need.”
Her cheeks flamed, her ramrod-straight spine lengthening her body. “You’ll stay in this house over my dead body.”
I shrugged, trying to appear casual even though I felt as if my foot had slipped from the stirrup. “Fine. I’ll leave as soon as Mrs. Thayer asks me to.”
Her gray eyes blazed, her nostrils flaring. “Then I’ll demand she make you leave.”
I raised one brow in defiance. “And what reason will you give her? Will you tell her about our adventure and how we’re still married?”
Her chin tilted up. “You’re not staying, Hunter. You can’t.”
And... splat. I’d metaphorically fallen from the horse. Because although I didn’t want to go anywhere, I was getting further and further from ever fixing things with Bailey. “Why are you freaking out about where I live?”
“You’ve spent all your life pushing everyone away and now you’re surprised it worked?” She edged closer. “I’ve watched you from afar since I was eight, Hunter. Aside from my parents and Blake, you care about you. The rest of us get scraps. So ask me again why I mind if you stay in Bride.”
“You’ve never gotten scraps.” My jaw muscle cramped from clenching. “You’re going to be annoyed at me no matter how hard I try to mend things between us.”
Her mouth hardened. “Looks like it.”
“Well...” If whatever I did made no difference... “You should know I bought into the B & B. For all intents and purposes, we’re business partners now.”