I pushed through the crowd, talking over people to get them to quiet down, but none of it was working. “Hey!” I shouted over the crowd. Slowly, people turned to me and shut their mouths. I wasn’t sure where to go from there. I hadn’t planned anything else to say.
“Uh…you should all go home. Kat and Eric will decide what they’re doing for their wedding.”
“But I’ve made all this cake,” Mrs. Cranston cried. “So far, the chocolate with raspberry filling is in the lead.”
“Is this about the chili?” John asked. “Because I can make something else. It’s just that my chili is world famous.”
“Your chili couldn’t win a chili cook-off if it was the only thing entered,” someone shouted.
“Your family has been a part of this town for years,” the mayor said. “We’ve all watched you grow up and helped you along the way. None of us want to miss out on Katherine and Eric’s wedding.”
I glanced around the room at the hopeful faces. They were all nodding and way too eager to be involved. Screw what Eric wanted. The people wanted a wedding from what appeared to be the town’s most beloved couple, and by God, I wasn’t going to be the one to stand in the way.
I looked around the room some more, trying to find someone that had the knowledge and skills to handle this. I caught sight of someone in the other room and stepped closer to see who was there. It was a couple, laughing as they ate their dinner. My nostrils flared and my anger spiked. What the fuck was Anna doing with Carter Roy? Were they on a date? She was too good for someone like him. She was sweet and thoughtful while he was a pompous jackass that used his charm and good looks to lead women on. He was actually a lot like me….
I grinned as an idea struck. It was the perfect way to get her away from Carter and get this crowd under control. “Uh…everybody just sit tight for a moment. I need a word with the person that’s running the event planning.”
I walked into the other room and strode right up to their table. I grinned at Anna as she looked up at me with hatred in her eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
I grinned down at her, noticing how beautiful she looked tonight. Her dark brown hair was pulled up out of her face and those baby blues were shining bright. Although, it was in anger and not out of lust. I had imagined what her eyes would look like if I fucked her now, years later when we were more experienced than fumbling teenagers. Sadly, I wouldn’t be getting that tonight.
“I have a room full of people that are here to plan the wedding for Kat and Eric.”
“So?”
“So, as Eric’s secretary, I need you to organize everyone.”
She smiled sweetly at me. “And as Eric’s secretary, I only answer to him. Now, I’m on a date, so you can leave.”
My eyes flicked to Carter’s, brimming with challenge. “Hey, Corduroy.”
He smiled at me, obviously not irritated with the old nickname. “Nice to see you too, Robert. That’s a nice suit. What did that cost? Your morals?”
I laughed, not caring about the jab because I knew what it took to earn the right to wear this suit. Once upon a time, Carter and I were rivals in school, always trying to outdo each other. Both of us had decided to go into law, but Carter ended up becoming a cop, whereas I became a blood-sucking lawyer. I wasn’t sure what was worse, having a respectable job that made no money, or making a shit-ton of money, but have nobody respect you because of your job.
“Get lost, Corduroy. Nobody likes you anyway.”
“Robert!” Anna gasped. “Stop being such a dick.”
I glanced back at her and leaned down so only she could hear me. “I got you that job with my brother, and I didn’t have to. There were other candidates that were more qualified, but I chose you. Now, Eric needs help with this, so please put aside your hatred for me and help out your boss.”
She glared at me, but stood up from her chair. “Carter, give me a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
She tossed down her napkin on the table and stormed into the other room. I turned to Carter with a smirk. “I would just head out now if I were you. After she’s done, I’ll need to go over a few details with her. It could take all night.”
He leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. “I’ve got all night, Bob. Oh, sorry, does that sound too hillbilly for a big city lawyer?”
“Why are you here with her anyway? She’s not your type.”
“You mean beautiful, smart, witty…I happen to like everything about Anna, including the way her ass fills out those jeans.”
I clenched my jaw and my fists to keep from pummeling the guy. She wasn’t mine. She hadn’t been for thirteen years. And it didn’t matter that I never wanted to let her go. I had. And now she wasn’t mine anymore. We lived in different worlds, and like it or not, this asshole was right. She was more likely to be with a guy like him than a guy like me.
“You’d better treat her right, Corduroy.”
“Or what? You’ll come beat me up?”
“You bet your ass I will.”
He leaned forward on the table and grinned. “Why do you care so much? You left her when she was seventeen. Are you still in love with her?”
As a lawyer, I knew never to answer a question that might come back to bite you in the ass. “If you treat her the same way you treat all your other hookups, I’ll come down here and make sure that you never take another breath.”
“Threatening a cop. Nice. I like your style. Idol threats aren’t really my thing, but it was a nice effort.”
“It’s not an idol threat.”
“Yeah,” he nodded after a moment. “We’ll see about that.” There was something off. He was smirking at me, like he knew something I didn’t. It made me itch. Surprises were never a good thing, and I had the feel that Carter was full of surprises.
“I took care of it for you,” Anna huffed, sitting back down in her chair. “Are you happy now?”
“What did you do?”
“I told them to email me with their credentials and to set up a time when we could meet to go over their ideas.”
“See?” Corduroy smiled up at me. “That didn’t take long. I guess you can go now, you know, since the crisis is averted. I’m sure you have lots of lawyerly things to do in the city. Maybe some criminal to put away or something. Oh, wait,” he said, snapping his fingers. “You’re a divorce lawyer. Never mind, here I thought you saved innocent lives or something. I guess that’s me.” He slid his hand across the table and grabbed Anna’s hand. She let him and even smiled at him. She liked him. I turned to leave.
“Oh, and Robert, Eric invited us for Thanksgiving dinner. It’ll be good to see you there.”
My jaw clenched in anger as I stared at the crowded room in front of me, but there was nothing more I could say. I was pissed, but making a scene in the bar wouldn’t do me any favors. I would just add to the gossip. Taking a deep breath, I walked away from them and refused to look back.
Anna
“Why did you do that?” I hissed as Robert stormed out of the bar.
Carter looked at me in confusion as he drank his beer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. Why would you tell him that we’re going to his brother’s house for Thanksgiving? I didn’t agree to go, and now you’ve invited yourself along. Are you trying to start a fight?”
He smirked at me, a sexy little dimple peeking out of his right cheek. “It’s cute that you don’t know what’s going on.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about? I know what’s going on here. You’re pushing his buttons. You’ve always had a rivalry with Robert. Is that what this is all about? You’re trying to one up him?”
He shook his head slightly. “Anna, do you think I would go out with you because I’m trying to prove that I can have you?”
Well, when he put it like that, it did sound ridiculous. “It just seemed like you were trying to make him jealous.”
“Maybe I am, but not for the reasons you think.”
Again, he was talking in riddles. “I don’t understand men. I haven’t seen Robert in thirteen years, and now he’s suddenly around when he’s always avoided me. And you! You’ve never shown interest in me until today, and now suddenly you’re challenging Robert like you’re going to fight a duel.”
“I’d win,” he grinned. “I have the bigger gun.”
I shook my head and took a bite of my burger. “Wow, that’s real original.”
“Hey, he started it with his whole lawyer thing.”
“What is this about? Really?”
He leaned forward and took my hand in his. “This is about me liking you and nothing else. I know you have history with Robert, and I’m not trying to step on any toes, but if he’s not what you’re looking for, I’m taking my shot with you.”
I was so confused. “Why would you think that I would be interested in Robert? Or that he would be interested in me? We haven’t been together in thirteen years. That was…” I glanced out the window. “That was two horny teenagers that thought they were in love.”
He watched me for a moment. It was almost like he was calculating what he should or shouldn’t say. His eyes dipped and then he looked back at me. “Are you sure about that? He came over here and picked a fight.”
“That wasn’t picking a fight,” I argued.
He smirked, chuckling slightly. “Anna, that was him pissing all over you to mark what’s his.”
I took a deep breath and digested that. I didn’t want anything to do with Robert. He was being territorial because of what we once had. But that time of our lives was over. The damage was done, and there was no going back.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Why me?”
“Why not you? Anna, I’ve had a crush on you since high school.”
My eyes widened in shock. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why now?”
He shrugged. “You were with him, and then you disappeared after high school. When you came back, you were different. You just…you were dealing with all that stuff with your mom, and you didn’t seem to want any attention. Frankly, today was the first day that you actually talked to me or showed any interest in me. So, I took my shot.”
Wow, I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered that he still liked me after all these years or embarrassed that I seemed to be so damn clueless.
“So, if I hadn’t flirted with you today, would you have ever approached me?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. You’re the woman that’s unattainable.”
“I’m not unattainable.”
He snorted. “Anna, didn’t you ever notice that guys look at you, but they don’t approach you? That’s because they think you’re out of their league.”
I stared at him in shock. “I worked at a gas station for the last ten years. What part of that makes me too good for someone?”
“Your job is just a job. You’re a good person, sexy as hell, and you’ve always been smart. And you want to know what the real killer is?” I nodded in a roundabout way. He smirked. “You’re the most beautiful woman in town and you don’t even know it. That is what makes you unattainable.”
“So why do I get the feeling that this is going to be our last date?”
“I never said it would be. That’s completely up to you.”
“If you want to date me, why would you invite yourself along to Thanksgiving at my ex-boyfriend’s house, after I refused the invitation?”
“The truth is, he never knew what he had when he was with you. On the outside, you guys seemed like a solid couple, but then he up and disappeared. There’s nothing I would love more than to rub it in his face that I have you now.”
“He’s not going to care. That was thirteen years ago. And frankly, it’s not worth the effort. I don’t think about Robert and neither should you.”
Okay, that was slightly a lie. Over the years, I had thought about Robert a great deal. I wondered where we would be if we were together. I wondered if he was married or if he was seeing anyone. But mostly I thought about how he just left me behind, and that killed me. I eventually got over it, but it took years to come to terms with the fact that the life I once thought I was going to have was over, and it would never come back. Now that Robert was suddenly showing up around town more often, I had to be careful not to think about old times. That would only get me into trouble.
I started up my computer at work the next day. Thanks to Robert, I was now doing double duty, planning a wedding and running the office. I was definitely going to have a thing or two to tell Eric when he got into the office. The office phone rang and I picked it up, irritated that I was getting a call before I even had a chance to have my morning coffee.
“What?” I snapped testily.
“It’s Mrs. Cranston, dear. I have-“
“Another leaky pipe,” I cut her off.
“Why, how did you know?”
“Mrs. Cranston, you’ve had a leaky pipe or a rusty pipe every few months since I started working here.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize that it happened so often.”
“Yes, well, maybe you need to come up with different excuses to have Eric go over. Maybe make it something more realistic next time.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. Do you have any ideas?”
“You could break a window.”
“It’s a little chilly for that.”
“You need some light bulbs changed.”
“Do you think he would come over for that?” she asked hopefully.
“No.”
She sighed. “Well, I suppose I could ask him to move the kitchen light over. I’ve been meaning to do it for thirty years.”
“Great,” I said with fake cheer. “I’ll put him on the books for today.” I quickly scrolled through his calendar and grinned. “He has time on his lunch break.”
“Oh, that’s perfect. I’ll make sure to have lunch ready for him.”
“And take lots of pictures,” I reminded her.
She chuckled deviously. “Like I could forget.”
I smiled and hung up the phone, only for it to ring just a few seconds later. “Did you forget something?”
“Yes, I forgot to set up a time with you to go over all the wedding information,” Robert’s deep voice came over the phone. I gritted my teeth and growled.
“I don’t need you to help me with this. You shoved this off on me last night, remember?”
“I do, and I felt bad about that. I thought I should come down and help you with the planning. I could be there by seven tonight. I’ll bring dinner.”
“Excuse me? I never said that I wanted your help on this, and I didn’t ask you to bring dinner. I don’t need you to feed me.”
“Well, that’s too bad. When Eric finds out just what he and Kat are getting, he’s going to be pissed. He’ll expect me to be involved, so I’m coming down there tonight so we can get a jump start on this.”
“I have plans,” I replied sweetly.
“Cancel them.”
“Sorry, I can’t. I was planning on sharpening my knives for the next time I ran into you.”
“You know, you’re a lot different than the last time we were together.”
“Of course I’m different, and we’re not together.”
“You never used to be violent.”
“Well, what can I say, you never made me want to kill you until you strolled into my life and acted like you had a say in it.”
“Do you still like Chinese?”
“You’re not coming.”
“I’ll see you at your place at seven.”
He hung up and I tossed the phone back down, only to pick it up and call him back. It went straight to voicemail. I screamed in frustration and slammed the phone back down just as Eric walked in the office. His eyes were wide as he slowly moved forward.
“Okay, I can see that you’re upset, but I don’t have any donuts wi
th me. I can call in an order,” he said quickly. “I practically have Mary Anne on standby these days.”
I stood and walked around the desk slowly, my anger reaching a boiling point. “Your brother shoved this whole wedding off on me last night. He interrupted my date!”
“Uh…I’m sorry?”
“You’re sorry?”
“Look, he was supposed to stop all that from continuing. I’m not sure what happened.”
“What happened is he came over and started acting all tough and in charge in front of my date.”
His brows furrowed. “Who were you on a date with?”
“Carter Roy.”
“Corduroy?” he snorted and then covered his mouth. “Sorry, old habits die hard.”
“His name is Carter and he’s very nice.”
“I know he is. I just never pictured you ending up with a guy like him.”
“And who exactly did you see me ending up with?”
He smiled at me sheepishly.
“That ship has sailed. Your brother and I are nothing.”
“Yeah, that’s why he interrupted your date at the restaurant.”
“Bar.”
“Whatever. I know my brother. He wouldn’t have gone up to you if he didn’t have unresolved issues.”
“Well, those issues are his. Now, what am I supposed to do about this whole wedding thing? Half the town has already decided what they’re going to do for the wedding.”
“Tell them to fuck off. I don’t want the town taking over my wedding.”
“You do realize that they’re excited for you because you’re the town golden boy, right? I mean, after that whole #GetKatBack thing, they think they’re part of your lives. I don’t think you’ll be able to get them to back off.”
“Just tell them I don’t want or need their services. This is private. Kat doesn’t want everyone in town at the wedding.”
Collateral Damage: A Small Town Romance Page 5