by Eileen Green
“Great. I can deliver it after I get off work, on my way home,” she said after thinking a moment.
Trent moved his hand and covered her left hand with his. “Then you’re invited also. You can be my date.”
Brown eyes widened with his words, her blonde brows moving upward. That gasp he loved from her escaped her luscious lips. “Date?” she asked in a whisper.
“I’m sorry,” he said remorsefully. “Let me rephrase that. Augusta, will you honor me with being my date Saturday night for Hunter’s party?”
Chapter Two
“This is ridiculous,” muttered Augusta as she looked in the mirror. “I don’t know why I even agreed to go out on a date with that man.”
“Because that man is gorgeous. He has a fine body. Besides,” Margo gushed, “you deserve this, especially after your ex.”
Margo was looking at Augusta, a smile on her face. She took the eyeshadow application brush from her boss and began to apply the shadow that gave Augusta a smoky eye effect. By the time Margo was finished, Augusta almost didn’t recognize herself.
Augusta had changed from her usual work outfit into a pair of blue jeans and a gray low-cut tunic tee. The outer part of the sleeves from the neckline on down was open with bands of material holding the sleeves together with a strip down the middle. It was still chilly outside at night and this shirt would prove to make her even colder, but she was taking a leather jacket along with her. A pair of suede boots rounded off the ensemble.
It had been a long time since she had been on a date. It had been before she and Josh had married. Working the multiple wedding back in December, and then being invited to the party last month, Augusta had to buy some new clothes. Yes, she had put on weight since opening the bakery. Her old clothes didn’t fit anymore, but she had found that a plus-size girl could buy some nice clothing online.
“What about his friend? Is he as dreamy?” Margo asked.
Augusta couldn’t understand why Margo’s question bothered her. Jealousy was streaking through her.
At Gina’s party, both men had paid attention to her. They tried to talk to her, which made her feel special but also caused her to feel uncomfortable. No one had ever paid her attention as these two. Not even Josh.
Hunter and Trent ate, but they had made sure she was eating also. Their attentiveness made her feel so special.
There was a thought that had crossed her mind when Trent had asked her out. What would Hunter think when he saw her with his friend? Would he mind?
“Oh, he’s really good-looking too,” she finally responded to Margo’s question.
“Hmm,” Margo seemed to hum as if she was thinking.
“Well, I need to get going. Is the cake in the van?” Augusta asked as she grabbed her purse. She also picked up the crate that had extra icing, piping colors, and the tools she might need to take care of any touch-ups.
“Yes. It’s big enough that it shouldn’t slide around back there. Are you sure you don’t need any help with it?” Margo seemed to be trying to finagle an invitation to the party.
Augusta didn’t want to be selfish, but she was. She was jealous that Margo was interested in Hunter although she had never set eyes on the man.
Thinking quick on her feet, she said, “You know this is at the police station. They want to make sure everyone is kosher, and since they haven’t cleared you, tonight wouldn’t be a good time for you to go.”
Margo’s face turned serious. “Oh, my gawd! I am so sorry. I was kidding,” she professed. “I can see that you are interested in him also.”
“Margo!” Augusta exclaimed. She wasn’t sure if she should admit that or not.
The younger woman sat on the stool at the counter where they iced cakes. Her black apron was dirty, and flour smudged her cheeks. It was good that they were getting ready to close for Margo needed to go home and get cleaned up. If she knew what she looked like, she wouldn’t be joking about going to the party.
“You don’t think I see the poly relationships that are going on around here? There are so many of them now.”
“How do you even know what to call them?” Augusta was really interested in what Margo had to say now.
“I read books, you know,” the woman sassed. “In fact, I read somewhere that an erotic author lives right here in Kalispell and is living in a ménage. Do you know who it might be?”
Augusta knew it was Lily Dempsey-Campbell-Burton even though she used a pseudonym, but she wasn’t going to divulge someone’s information. That would be outing them. If Lily wanted her identity to be revealed, she would have done it herself.
Shaking her head, Augusta answered, “No. No one has said anything.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall and noticed she had ten minutes before the party was supposed to start. “I need to get going. Thanks for helping out with everything.”
“No problem. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Thanks, Margo. Call me if you need anything tomorrow,” she called out as she was walking out the door.
* * * *
“We did all the paperwork for the week. I don’t understand why we’re here,” Hunter complained. He was supposed to visit with Hillary the next day, so he wanted an early night.
“Sorry, dude. Brian is the one who said we had to come in.”
No matter how many times Trent said the word “dude,” it sounded strange coming from the New Yorker’s mouth. Hunter had to hide his amusement.
“Well, let’s get this over with. I’m heading out before dawn to have breakfast in Missoula with my daughter.”
“Okay,” Trent said with a small smile.
Usually Hunter could read Trent, but the past few days it was as if his friend had a secret. Also, for the past few weeks, Hunter had a woman on his mind.
A beauty with blonde hair and brown eyes that had flecks of gold in them was giving him sleepless nights. She haunted his dreams, and he thought about her during the day. He hadn’t talked to Trent about her. Oh, Trent had been interested in the woman also, but neither one of them was smart enough to have gotten any personal information on her at the party they kinda crashed. They didn’t even ask for her last name.
For weeks, they had both been kicking themselves over the woman.
They were parked on the street since the parking lot seemed to be full, which was odd for a weekend. Perhaps the cars belonged to the business next door.
Climbing out of the SUV, Hunter waited for Trent. The two of them had gotten close since they had been paired up. They ate dinner out or had drinks late at night when they didn’t have to work the next day. They had a movie night at least every other week.
Kalispell was no New York City, and it was a helluva lot smaller than Odessa, Texas, but the two men made it work. Hunter’s saving grace was going to visit his daughter two Sundays a month.
He didn’t want to cramp her style by going down to Missoula too much, but they had been very close since she was five. He had found out his wife had been going out while he was working, and she would leave Hillary alone or with the seventy-year-old neighbor who had mobility issues.
Leaving the Marines had been hard since he really enjoyed working, but he wasn’t about to let Hillary be raised by strangers. He had moved them back to Odessa, so he had the support of his parents. Hunter and Hillary had been very close, so when she announced she had gotten a scholarship to the University of Montana in anthropology, he had decided to move to be close to her. The Montana State Patrol was hiring, but only in Kalispell. It was still close enough for him to visit, but not close enough to just drop in whenever he was in the area.
They pushed through the front doors and were met with silence. The place usually had several officers doing reports, or the commanding officer in his office dishing out orders.
Well, this is strange.
“I need a cup of coffee before we start,” Trent announced as he moved toward the breakroom.
Hunter followed him. Trent opened the door, and Hunter could tell the room w
as dark. Sometimes that happened when the sensor light had been left on and no one had been in the room for a while.
Once Hunter was in the room, the lights came on and the room was filled with shouts of “Surprise!” from quite a few people.
Taken back by what he was seeing, Hunter tried to look for an explanation.
A green banner hung on the wall declaring “Happy Birthday, Hunter!” Now it was all starting to make sense. There was a lovely cake covered in blue icing that looked like a river between tall trees. In the river was a figure that looked like he was fly fishing.
“Happy Birthday, Dad,” a sweet voice said, coming up behind him. As he turned, his daughter slipped her arms around his waist, hugging him as she laid her head on his shoulder.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised as he held his beloved daughter. His eyes scanned the room, checking out all the party-goers.
Another surprise came as his eyes lit on one person. Behind the cake, he saw the one woman who had dominated his thoughts for weeks. Her blonde hair was feathered back, and her brown eyes sparkled with merriment. Makeup enhanced her eyes, which he loved.
The shirt she was wearing showed a lot of skin in the front, offering up a vision of cleavage, while her arms were playing peek-a-boo with the material. She looked more beautiful than she had at the birthday party.
Their eyes locked on each other briefly before she lowered them, a blush highlighting her cheeks. Brian stepped up to her and said something to her, taking her attention off Hunter.
Hillary pulled back and looked up at him. “Did you really think that I would miss your surprise party, Daddy? Trent called and told me what was happening, so here I am.”
No. She wouldn’t have missed this if Trent called her. He looked over at Trent, who was inching his way over to Augusta. Hunter knew his friend liked her as much as he did. They had discussed sharing her if they could convince her to go out with them. Perhaps tonight they could talk her into a date.
Of course, having Hillary around might put a damper on that idea.
“No. I know you wouldn’t have, baby girl.” He smiled down at her. She looked like her mother, who was a pretty woman. Unfortunately, the woman had made bad choices. Their daughter had proven that she had a good head on her shoulders.
Ever since Hillary had watched the Mummy movies with Brendan Frasier, she had been interested in anthropology. She wanted to discover the remains of ancient civilizations.
“Come with me. I have someone I want to introduce you to,” he said as he began to lead her over to Augusta, his arm around her waist.
They moved around the table, and Trent moved around to Augusta’s other side.
“Hi, Augusta. How are you doing?” he asked nervously.
He couldn’t understand why he was nervous. But then again, he hadn’t been on a date in years.
Augusta shrugged as she looked up at him. “I’m okay. And you?”
“Good.” He looked down at his daughter. “I’m doing good. My friends threw me a party, and my little girl came too. Augusta, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Hillary. Hillary, this is Augusta. If I’m correct in assuming, she made the cake.”
Another blush lit up Augusta’s cheeks. “I did,” she admitted softly.
“It’s beautiful,” Hillary complimented. “You’re so talented.”
“Thank you.” Augusta looked down at the cake, then looked back up at Hillary. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hillary. You have a great dad. Is your mother here too?”
Hunter felt Hillary tighten against him. Her mother was always a touchy subject. Hillary knew what had taken place when she was young. His mother had been talking to a neighbor one day, and Hillary had heard her.
Twice a year, Amy, his ex, came to visit their daughter. She would stay for a week each time, so Hillary didn’t have a great relationship with her mother.
“Um, no,” Hillary answered. “My parents are divorced. My mother lives in San Diego.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Augusta turned away.
“It’s all right, darlin’,” Hunter quickly said hoping to divert any bad feelings. Augusta kept her back to him. “Augusta? Are you okay?”
Turning back, she tried to avoid looking him in the eye. “Why would you ask that?”
He looked down at Hillary. “Baby, why don’t you go get a plate for yourself? I’m sure you must be hungry after your drive up here.”
Augusta looked at them, confusion written on her face.
“Sure, Daddy. I’ll save you and Miss Augusta a place to sit,” Hillary said with a smirk on her lips. “Oh, and one for Trent.”
Hillary walked away toward the tables that had the dinner that had been catered from one of the local restaurants.
Hunter stepped up to Augusta. “Darlin’, it’s all right. I’ve been divorced since Hillary was five. Both of us have gotten used to the ideas, and the talk, a long time ago.” He noticed she relaxed a bit. He put his hand out, “Come. Let’s get something to eat.”
“I can’t interrupt your time with your daughter.”
“Augusta, she said she was going to save you a seat also. She obviously doesn’t have a problem with you joining us. So, please, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”
He smiled at the beauty before him. She seemed to be debating in her head for her eyes darted this way and that several times, and she even shrugged at one point. Finally, she reached out and put her hand in his. “Good girl.” He began to lead her away, but he stopped and looked at the cake. “It is a wonderful cake. I take it Trent told you my hobbies?”
Her smile was bright when she looked up at him. “Yes. He did. I knew as soon as he said you like to fly fish I had to do that. With all the rivers around here where people do it, I just needed some pictures to go by to do the decorating.”
Continuing toward the food table, Hunter asked, “Do you fish?”
“I’ve been a few times when I was a kid. My father would take me camping when he was able to, but he was on the road a lot. I didn’t mind it too much, until I became a teenager, and then ungirly stuff wasn’t cool anymore. I had other interests.”
* * * *
His laugh was loud and boisterous, something she didn’t mind hearing. It also did funny things to her insides. Just as Trent had the other day.
Augusta couldn’t figure out how both men could start a riot in her girly parts just by being near her. Glancing down, she could see that her hard nipples were pressing out against her bra and her shirt.
Damn! I need thicker bras if I’m going to be around these two!
Holding her head up with confidence, she let Hunter lead her to get their dinners.
At the table loaded with the catered meal that was brought in, she reached for a plate, but Hunter took it from her. When she began to protest, he looked at her, his right brow rising in what she thought was irritation. She closed her mouth.
“Now, what would you like to eat?”
Looking at the spread, she tried to decide what she wanted and told him. When there wasn’t very much on her plate, Hunter tsked at her. “This isn’t enough to keep a bird alive, darlin’. I bet you haven’t eaten since breakfast, have you?”
How could he possibly have known that?
He loaded her plate up with food and then walked her over to where Hillary was sitting. When she went to pull her chair out, he quickly did it for her.
I should have known he’d be a gentleman.
Once seated, she looked over at Hilary who was sitting across from her. Augusta wanted the girl to know that she was sorry about her earlier comment. Before she could open her mouth, Hillary spoke.
“There was really nothing to apologize about your comment. My mother did some bad things once they were living in San Diego. It was like she realized that the big city had so much more to offer than a much smaller one. She liked to party, and she would leave me alone when Dad wasn’t home. He wasn’t happy about it, so he moved us back to Texas.�
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Augusta smiled. “He seems like he cherishes you.”
“Yeah, sometimes it can be embarrassing, but, he cares so much.” Hillary took a drink of her soda. “I can tell he likes you.”
“He’s a nice man, but I only met him once before. I don’t know what his intentions are.”
“Whose intentions?” Trent asked as he sat to the left of Augusta, his plate piled high.
Before she could speak, Hillary said smugly, “Why, yours and Dad’s, of course.”
Chapter Three
“What do you mean you said something to her?” Trent asked in disbelief. He hadn’t meant to sound harsh. “I’m sorry, Hillary. I didn’t…”
“It’s no problem, Trent,” Hillary interrupted him. “She seemed a bit confused about what was going on.”
He, Hunter, and Hillary were sitting in the Tipsy Tavern later that evening. Hillary was going to stay the night at Hunter’s, so she didn’t have to drive all the way back to Missoula so late.
“I like her a lot,” Hillary added.
Trent looked over at Hunter. He could tell that his friend was glad his daughter liked Augusta. If they were going to pursue her, it was best that Hillary liked her too.
Glancing around the tavern, Trent looked at all the people who were spending a Saturday night. People were dancing besides eating and drinking, a live band playing on the stage.
This was an uncommon event for them. It had been a long time since he and Hunter had spent a Saturday night out on the town. Usually, they would stay at home, have a couple of beers, and watch a movie.
Hillary was nursing a virgin piña colada since she wasn’t twenty-one yet. Hunter had a mug of draft, while Trent had a bottle of beer. He preferred microbrews, and this was the only place he could get one and enjoy live music when he wanted too.
It had taken Trent a long time to get used to country music. He still liked pop and heavy metal music. When he was in New York, he would go to concerts at Madison Square Garden and smaller venues. He missed that part of his life, but now that he enjoyed the music that was played the most around here, he could enjoy the live music here.