“Kat?” Ford called from the other side. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
She grabbed her clutch as Ford said, “I’ll meet you in the hall then.”
She double-checked that she had her room key and lipstick plus some cash just in case before smoothing her hand over the fabric of her dress and walking to the door.
Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she walked closer to the door that would reveal Ford on the other side.
He was handsome most days, but she was certain that seeing him in a tuxedo would wreck her in the best of ways.
She paused with her hand on the doorknob, sucking in a fortifying breath before turning it and opening the door, revealing Ford leaning casually against the wall across from her room.
She stood there staring at him, drinking in his ink black hair that he’d put some kind of product in to brush it back and the smooth jaw he was sporting. He’d always had a bit of scruff, so it was jarring to see him without it. He looked good, though she might prefer him with the scruff as opposed to without.
She quickly flicked her eyes over his body, which was encased in a very nice looking tuxedo. She had a feeling that unlike her prom date in high school, he hadn’t rented this one. This was most likely one that had been tailored to fit him.
She looked at his face and saw that his eyes were roaming her body and his lip was curled into a smirk.
She felt hot as she watched him look at her. The lust written on his face was heady and Kat was suddenly glad she’d agreed to come. Even if nothing came of their going out together, she was glad she’d done this if for no other reason than to know that Ford was attracted to her, which meant other men would be attracted to her as well.
“You look nice,” she said, pulling her door closed behind her.
“So do you,” Ford said hoarsely, pushing away from the wall. “Shall we?”
She walked ahead of him and heard him suck a breath in, so she knew he’d seen the back of her dress. She’d been worried that was too much, but knowing that she’d surprised him and he was most likely enjoying it, if his perusal of her front was anything to go by, helped her know that it was just right.
Ford pressed a hand on her back and her skin pebbled under his touch. She swallowed thickly, surprised to feel the desire coursing through her veins. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time.
Ford was barely touching her, only lightly pressing against her back, but here she was a ball of need and desire and he had done nothing. She needed to get herself together.
He pressed the button to call the elevator, and she watched as the numbers counted down on the digital display above the doors.
A ping heralded the elevator’s arrival, and they both stepped inside. Ford dropped his hand and Kat wished he’d kept it on her back. She wanted that physical connection with him.
She was pleased when he touched her again once they arrived on the ground floor, guiding her through the throngs of people standing outside the ballroom where the dinner was being held.
“Wow,” she breathed as they stepped inside.
Everything sparkled. The room was aglow with blue lighting and there seemed to be a large amount of crystal or even ice scattered throughout the room that made everything seem to sparkle.
Several Christmas trees were scattered around the room as well. All the décor coupled with the holiday music playing made her feel like she’d stepped onto the set of a Christmas movie.
“Impressive, no?” Ford asked as he pressed against her back and guided her further into the room.
“That’s an understatement,” she muttered under her breath.
He guided her to the bar and looked at her expectantly when the bartender came over. “Can I get a white wine?” she asked.
He nodded and looked at Ford who ordered a Scotch on the rocks. A few moments later, they had their drinks and Ford was guiding her into the main part of the ballroom.
He stopped every so often to speak to someone and Kat used those moments to look around the room. She’d never been to anything this lavish and even though she knew no one could tell, she felt like a party-crasher and an imposter.
Ford’s hand on her back pulled her from her thoughts and they continued into the room.
“Ford!” a man said from behind them and Kat stiffened. There was no way she recognized the voice coming from behind her. She knew two vets: Ford and David.
“Scott, how are you?”
Kat’s heart started beating quickly and her stomach rolled. She was certain she was going to be sick.
Yet, somehow, she kept herself from losing it completely as she turned to look at the man that had haunted her dreams for many years.
Scott looked no different than he had the last time that she’d seen him across the courtroom at his sentencing. He still had his all-American good looks, and he still filled out a tuxedo well. And apparently he’d finished veterinary school if his presence at this dinner was any indication.
His eyes came to rest on her and his face paled.
Good. She was glad that seeing her was just as bad for him as it was for her.
“Scott, this is my date for the evening, Kat Phelps. Kat, this is one of my old work colleagues, Scott West.”
Kat knew that Ford expected Kat to greet Scott, but there was no way that she was touching or talking to that man after what happened between them ten years prior.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said in a strong voice. She was proud of herself for not losing it in front of Scott and Ford and whoever the woman that was hanging on Scott’s arm was. She’d fully expected her voice to crack and tell them how upset she was.
She quickly worked her way through the crowd and toward where she’d seen the bathrooms earlier.
She needed a few moments to herself and that was the best place to make it happen. A part of her wanted to just be done with the night after that encounter, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Ford downstairs. She’d figure out what to do once she was calmer.
When she reached the bathroom and realized that no one else was in there, she released the breath she’d been holding. Hopefully, it would stay that way while she had her mini-meltdown.
She gripped the edge of the vanity and looked at the sparkling white sink below her, forcing herself to breathe slowly and calm herself down.
She wanted nothing more than to flee and forget that she’d come face to face with Scott once more. She needed to explain what was going on to Ford when she got the chance. She didn’t know if she’d tell him everything, but she knew she needed to tell him something.
Then her mind flashed to her brother, and she paled. Was David already here and seen Scott with Ford? David was friends with Scott, they’d roomed together their freshmen year in college, so when everything went down, David had been caught in the middle.
Scott had transferred after, so she didn’t know if the two of them had ever run into each other since.
She needed to get back out there.
She looked up and saw herself in the mirror. She studied her face and saw the slight irritation around her eyes, but other than that, there was no way to tell that she’d been on the brink of a breakdown.
She grabbed a paper towel and wet it before dabbing around her eyes, hoping it would help some with the redness.
Besides that, she still looked put together.
She owed it to herself to march back out there and show Scott that she had moved on from him and everything that had happened between them.
She blew out a breath and gave herself a small pep talk before turning and striding to the door. She opened it and drew up short when she saw Ford leaning against the wall outside.
“Uh…” she said, stumbling slightly when the door smacked her in the ass.
Ford reached out and steadied her. “You okay?” he asked, searching her face.
She nodded. “As okay as can be.”
Ford’s jaw worked back and forth for a moment before asking, “You know Scott?”
<
br /> Kat nodded. She didn’t trust her voice to say anything.
“How?”
She tried to swallow, but her mouth was suddenly dry. She coughed and said, “I’d rather not get into that right now.”
Ford’s eyes narrowed as he studied her, but he eventually nodded. “Are you okay to stay? You looked upset earlier.”
Kat pasted a smile on. “Yes, I’m fine. If it gets to be too much, I’ll just head up to my room.”
Ford looked like he wanted to say something else, but a group of women entered the hall they were standing in and broke them up.
Ford led her back into the ballroom and asked, “Want another glass of wine?”
“Can you get me something stronger?”
Ford arched a brow as he nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
While Kat waited for him to return, she scanned the area immediately around her. If Scott was near her, she didn’t want to be caught unawares like earlier. She planned to avoid him as much as possible and would love it if she didn’t have to see him ever again.
She relaxed when she saw him standing across the room talking to an older gentleman while his date talked to the older man’s wife.
Kat quickly looked Scott over, trying to take in the differences she hadn’t noticed earlier. While he did still have his good looks, he didn’t stand as tall as he used to and he’d gained weight. Both of those could be attributed to age, but she hoped that it was because he was weighted down by the memory of what he’d done to her.
That was probably wishful thinking on her part, but a woman could dream.
“Here you go,” Ford said, handing her a frozen drink. “What’s this?” she asked, taking a sip.
“A Piña Colada. I wasn’t sure what you liked, and I saw they had a blender. I thought you might enjoy it.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
She took another sip and was happy Ford had gone for something like this instead of a straight shot of liquor.
“Dinner will start soon. Want to find our seats?”
She nodded and let Ford guide her through the room toward their table.
“I should warn you,” he said as they paused to let a big group walk by. “Scott is also seated at our table.”
Her back stiffened at his words. Panic clawed its way up her throat and she had to physically force herself to not completely lose it. “If you want to leave, I’ll take you upstairs,” Ford said as they started moving again.
Kat nodded. The drink she’d been enjoying just moments before now sat heavy in her stomach. She would have to see Scott again if she stayed. She could only hope that he wasn’t seated next to her, otherwise she might stab him with a fork or a knife.
There was no way she could stomach sitting next to her ex.
They reached the table, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that David was seated on her right side with Ford on her left. At least she would have a buffer.
Fifteen
Ford
Something was up and Ford wanted to know what it was. Ever since Kat saw Scott earlier, she’d been on edge, though he had gotten her to relax. At least she had relaxed until he told her that Scott was at their table.
He was surprised she’d even moved she was so rigid. He wondered what the story between them was.
He idly watched Scott from the corner of his eye as he and his date walked up to the table. Kat was sitting ramrod straight next to him and staring down at her plate. He was surprised she hadn’t left the event earlier based on her reaction.
Based on Scott’s paleness when he saw her, Ford was shocked Scott was sticking around as well. There was a story there, and he wanted to know what it was, but he didn’t want to force it either.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw David winding through the tables with a tall blonde on his arm. David nodded toward him when they made eye contact, but stopped walking when his eyes slid past Ford.
Ford didn’t have to turn around to know that David had seen Scott. A thundercloud of anger descended over David’s face.
Curiouser and curiouser.
He looked at Kat and saw that she’d relaxed a little.
Ford stood and shook David’s hand before sitting again. He kept his eye on David, who was now seated, but was glaring across the table at Scott.
Ford slid his gaze to where Scott was sitting and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man. He was even paler now than he was earlier and he was sweating. While the room was warm, it wasn’t hot enough to cause anyone to break out in a sweat.
Questions clambered in Ford’s mind about what the issue was, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice any of them. He’d have to wait until later to hopefully find out what the issue was.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the first course.
Ford usually liked the smaller tables they often had at events like this as it made it easier for people to talk to each other.
But he was cursing it this year. Because of the small table size, there were only eight seats at the table, two of which were vacant. That meant there was very little talking, and the tension was thick.
He glanced at Kat and David, noticing that they seemed to be having a serious discussion, albeit quietly, before looking at David’s date who just looked bored. He then looked at Scott and noticed that he was staring at David and Kat.
What the fuck was the problem?
“Scott,” he said, pulling the man’s attention to him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How are things at the university?”
Scott shrugged and stabbed at the salad on his plate. “Same as it usually is, you know? It surprised me you left so quickly. I didn’t think you’d find a place that wanted a partner so soon.”
It was Ford’s turn to shrug. “What can I say? I lucked out with David’s clinic. It’s been the perfect fit for me.”
Scott nodded and glanced at David. “How long has your clinic been open, David?”
“Don’t talk to me, dickwad.”
Everyone at the table froze. Ford glanced at David and saw that he was clenching his fork so tightly that Ford was surprised it hadn’t snapped in half. Kat had a hand on David’s forearm trying to soothe him, but it didn’t seem to do very much to help.
“David, look—“ Scott started.
“What about ‘don’t talk to me’ didn’t you understand?”
Ford looked at Scott and saw him swallow visibly. Ford had to hand it to him, Scott didn’t back down.
“I wanted to—“
“To what?” David said, his tone biting as he interrupted Scott yet again. “What can you possibly have to say to me or my sister that’ll change anything?”
Ford’s brows furrowed. It seemed he was right with his thought that there was some bad blood between the trio. He glanced at Kat and saw that she was looking at her plate, pushing her food around while David and Scott started arguing.
“You good?” he asked, nudging her.
She gave a sharp nod. He wasn’t sure he believed her, but he tuned back into the conversation when David and Scott’s voices rose.
“Will you just listen to me?” Scott said, his voice loud enough to be heard clearly over the music.
Scott must have realized that because he glanced around before smoothing a hand over his shirt and jacket before turning his head from side to side.
“Why should I listen?” David asked.
“Because I want to make amends. We were best friends.”
Ford glanced at Kat when he felt her stiffen next to him. She was still staring at her plate, but she was gripping her fork tightly. Without giving it much thought, he reached over and placed his hand over hers, prying the fork from her fingers and setting it down before intertwining their fingers.
“You want to make amends?” David asked. Ford looked at him and was surprised at the anger he saw there. “What can you possibly have to say that would make what you did okay?”
“I’ve changed.”
“Have you?” Kat asked, surpris
ing Ford, David, and Scott with her voice.
“What?” Scott asked stupidly.
“Have you changed? From where I’m sitting, you’re acting the same way you did ten years ago.” She cocked her head to the side and stared at Scott, who was looking at her dumbfounded.
“I’m sorry?”
Kat snorted and drained the last of her Piña Colada. “No, you’re not. You’re sorry you got caught, but you’re not sorry for what you did.”
She snapped her mouth shut and looked at Ford. “I think I want to return to my room.”
Ford nodded and stood, helping Kat stand.
As they walked away from the table, Ford heard David start in on Scott again. He’d have to ask his partner what the issue was on Monday when they opened back up.
As they walked toward the double doors, Ford noticed quite a few people looking their way, a few of them looking like they had pity in their eyes. He didn’t understand why that was. There was nothing going on with the situation that required pity.
He and Kat remained silent as they waited for the elevator and as it took them up to their floor.
As they walked toward her room, Ford hesitantly asked, “Do you want to talk about what happened downstairs?”
Kat sighed. “Not really, no. But I think I owe you some kind of explanation.”
“You don’t have to…” Ford said, reading the anger in her tone.
“I know I don’t,” she said flatly. “But I should.”
She looked at him and he was taken aback by the sadness in her eyes.
“Do you mind if I change and then you come over in about five minutes?”
Ford nodded. He made sure she was in her room before quickly unlocking his own, already stripping down before the door closed fully.
He knew he should probably head back downstairs to schmooze a few more people, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about the people he was missing out on talking to. None of them seemed nearly as important as the woman in the other room.
He quickly pulled on sweatpants and a t-shirt and knocked on the adjoining door. A few moments later, it swung open. Kat was already walking toward her bed, where she sat on the edge, her gaze on the floor.
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