King of the Friend Zone (Power of the Matchmaker)

by Pratt, Sheralyn

  Hunter reminded himself that this was the guy who made Esme happy while prepping his big-brother speech as they walked through the swinging door to the kitchen. Earlier that afternoon, Luke had told him what to say and how to say it, but now that it was time to actually spit the words out, Hunter wasn’t sure he wouldn’t gag on them and give himself away.

  As it happened, there was no reason for him to worry at all because once they were in the kitchen Jon spoke first.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what your about,” Jon said, standing about two inches too close.

  “What I’m about?” Hunter asked, opening the wine cabinet.

  “I’m not stupid. I see how you look at her.”

  Great. So this was how the guy was going to play it? Like Esme was his territory and Hunter was encroaching? Yeah, that wasn’t going to fly.

  Hunter leaned forward, purposefully making things more uncomfortable. “I know you want to stake your claim and all that, but trust me, whatever you’re about to say is better left unsaid. So how about you back off?”

  Jon shook his head. “Nice try. But I’m not stupid.”

  “Just insecure,” Hunter returned. “And a little too comfortable standing in another man’s personal space. You want to dance or something, Jon?”

  “Not with you.”

  “Then why don’t you step back to a distance where I don’t have to smell your breath while you’re insulting me.”

  Hunter was amazed he hadn’t noticed it before, but Jon had a face that begged to be punched. If Hunter captured Jon’s current stance and facial expression and printed it out on a 3-D printer, the guys at the gym would punch it on impulse every time they walked by.

  To avoid some impulsive punching of his own, Hunter focused on finding the port he knew Audra wanted from the wine carousel.

  “I know your parents basically forced you here tonight,” Jon was saying to the back of his head—still close enough that Hunter could feel his breath. “But how about you skip the next dinner. Esme’s with me now.”

  Hunter grabbed the bottle and straightened. “Jon, if you think Esme and I have ever been a thing, you’re reading things all wrong. We’ve never dated.”

  “Not for a lack of trying on your part, I’m sure,” Jon accused.

  “Actually, no,” Hunter said, letting his bigger mass push the other guy back for the first time. “I don’t expect you to get how things work between my family and the Taylors, but we’re a pretty tight unit.”

  “How convenient for you,” Jon said with a wise smile.

  With that comment, the smaller man’s confidence became a little too much for Hunter and he physically pressed the guy away to a respectable distance. “You’re picking a fight where there doesn’t need to be one, man. I’m only a problem for you if you become a problem for Esme. Until that day, I’m just a guy you’ll see a couple times a month at gatherings like this. You don’t have to like me. I don’t have to like you. We don’t have to talk. Okay?”

  Jon shook his head and smiled. “You really think I’m stupid, don’t you? Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not in love with my fiancée.”

  “Esme,” Hunter corrected. “She has a name.”

  “And she’s my fiancée,” Jon repeated. “And I protect what’s mine.”

  Oh, man. This was about two seconds from going ugly, and if that happened everyone would blame Hunter. He knew it. Somehow he had to keep this conversation from going off the rails. For Esme.

  “Look,” Hunter said. “You may have Esme’s heart, but she and I have history. Don’t try to compete with that, okay? It’s a losing battle. The past has happened. It is what it is. Just focus on the future and keeping Esme happy.”

  “Oh, I’ll do that,” Jon sneered. “So long as it’s clear to you that the past is the past, and that’s where you belong in Esme’s life.”

  “Because that’s your call now?” Hunter challenged. “Are you going to start approving who Esme sees from here on out?”

  “Men she spends time with? You can bet on it. And you won’t be one of them.”

  “I see,” Hunter said, half-angry and half-panicked. He did his best to look bored, though. “Have you informed Esme that you’ll be auditing her friends yet?”

  “We’ll have that conversation,” Jon said, adjusting his jacket as he stepped away. “And she’ll see things my way when it comes to you.”

  Hunter shook his head and swallowed a laugh. “Good luck with that. She’s my sister.”

  “No,” Jon corrected. “She’s not. And we both know you don’t look at her like a sister, don’t we?”

  “Jon, you’re paranoid and it’s making things weird.”

  The man smirked. “I am many things, Hunter. But paranoid is not one of them.”

  “Whatever,” Hunter said, moving back toward the dining room. “If you think puffing out your chest like this is going to work in your favor, you’ve got a lot to learn about Esme. She’s not a fan of power plays. That’s a free tip from me to you.”

  “Right,” he drawled. “Because you know her so well.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. And I’m pretty sure that’s why you insist on feeling threatened by me. But I’ll repeat my previous tip: keep Esme happy, and I won’t be a problem. She and I watch each other’s backs, so keep treating her right and we’ll be fine.”

  The words burned Hunter’s mouth on the way out, but he knew those were the words he was supposed to say. And they weren’t a lie. He did have Esme’s back. He only wished that she wanted more than that from him. A whole lot more. But the fact that she didn’t was old news. Ancient history. He needed to get over it already.

  Jon snatched the bottle out of Hunter’s hand and stepped away. “I’ll take this.”

  “Whatever, man,” Hunter said, and they both headed back to the dining room where Hunter quickly said his goodbyes and left.

  Chapter 11

  “So?” Esme said, buckling her seat belt in Jon’s passenger seat after dinner. “What did you think?”

  “I think your mom could open a restaurant,” Jon said as he turned on the car.

  Esme beamed. “Did you tell her that?”

  “Not in as many words,” he said, checking his blind spot.

  “You should. She’d eat that up,” Esme said, slipping her hand into his.

  He focused on driving until they were out of the driveway and on the road. “That Hunter guy is quite a character.”

  There it was—the elephant in the room. Of course Jon wanted to talk about Hunter. Esme hadn’t dated a man in her life who didn’t want to talk about Hunter after meeting him. “That’s one way to put it.”

  “And the relationship there is—”

  “That our moms are best friends so we were basically raised as siblings,” she said before he could put a different spin on the situation.

  Jon was silent for a moment as he processed that. “Does he usually come to gatherings like tonight?”

  “No,” Esme said, keeping her smile light and breezy in hopes that Jon would follow her lead. “Like I said earlier, I’m pretty sure his mom forced him to come tonight. Hunter kind of has his own social circle he sticks to. I honestly can’t remember the last time either of us was at a dinner party like tonight. It’s more my parents’ thing.”

  Okay, maybe she had tucked the whitest of lies in there. She did remember the last dinner party she and Hunter had been to, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Jon accepted Hunter as part of her scenery and moved on to other topics of conversation.

  “Why didn’t he have a date with him tonight?”

  The laugh that escaped Esme was honest. “You’ve clearly never seen Hunter on a date.”

  “Obviously not,” Jon said, sending her a look that told her he was interested in hearing more.

  How to describe it? “Let’s just say he doesn’t have many second dates.”

  “Why not?”

  Esme let out a little sigh. “Hmm. I’ll put it this
way, he once asked a date to get him a beer. When she got annoyed but got the beer anyway, he told her things weren’t going to work out and ended the date right then.”

  Jon’s face scrunched and he glanced away from the road to look at her. “That makes no sense.”

  “I agree,” Esme said with a shrug. “But the way he puts it is that he can’t be with anyone who is a doormat. His date was clearly annoyed, but she didn’t say anything and did as asked.”

  “Which is what most people would do,” Jon argued. “I didn’t want to come tonight, but you asked me to and here I am. It’s part of being in a relationship.”

  The admission gave Esme a moment of pause. Jon hadn’t wanted to accept her parents’ invite? He would have avoided it if the choice was up to him? She was on the verge of asking him why when he spoke first.

  “He sounds like a jerk.”

  Ah, back to the topic of Hunter. Of course.

  “He can be,” Esme admitted. “Especially when he’s on a date, which is why he came alone tonight. Things are always more tame when he doesn’t have a plus-one.”

  Esme watched Jon’s jaw flex in profile. “Well, I didn’t like how he was belittling you tonight.”

  Belittling? Esme honestly had no idea what he was talking about. She and Hunter had been astonishingly tame, but it was probably best to address Jon’s concern anyway.

  “He was fine,” Esme said, stroking her thumb over the back of Jon’s hand. “I’ve known Hunter since before I could walk or speak. We banter, but it’s a two-way street. If anything, I’m meaner than him most of the time. We were both on good behavior tonight for my parents. But I’m not a victim who needs protecting when it comes to Hunter. Promise.”

  Jon did not look consoled.

  “Speaking of my parents,” she said, trying to push the conversation to safer grounds. “I think they like you.”

  A small smile curved his lips. “I was pretty charming, wasn’t I?”

  She leaned across the narrow distance between them and pressed a kiss to Jon’s cheek. “Incredibly. My mom is probably singing your praises as we speak.”

  “Then my master plan worked,” he said, finally sending a smile her way.

  Esme breathed a sigh of relief. He’d let go of the topic of Hunter. Apparently miracles were alive and well in San Francisco, and Esme couldn’t be happier for it as she gave his hand a little squeeze. She didn’t need Jon to love Hunter, just accept him. As long as that happened, everything would be right in her world.

  Chapter 12

  When Hunter walked into the boxing gym at 5:00 the next evening, Lou took one look at him and pointed to the upper level.

  “She’s already here,” he said. “Waiting for you in my office.”

  “Thanks, Lou,” Hunter said before taking the rickety stairs up to the second level that looked over the gym.

  He did a quick glance over the space, looking for a new face and finding it in the form of a surly looking teenage boy. The kid was scrawny, yet he eyed the athletes around him with contempt…like they should fear him.

  Yep. That kid had definitely arrived with Shauna.

  Hunter kept walking until he reached Lou’s office, spotting Shauna’s black locks through the office window as he gripped the doorknob. When he walked into the office, Shauna sent him a tired smile that was doing its best to look like a real smile. Her curly hair was a little less tame than usual and her perfect makeup didn’t hide the exhaustion he saw behind her eyes.

  Being a social worker took a high emotional toll on people. Hunter knew that because he had met his fair share across the years. Social workers often had a short shelf life before moving on to other careers, but Shauna was sticking it out. She had a good heart, yet the job was clearly weighing on her.

  At the moment, she was in desperate need of a win. Hunter could see that much at a glance.

  “Hey there,” he said, offering his hand for a shake. “Someone’s working overtime.”

  “Yeah, but what do you do?” she said, shaking his hand and getting right down to business. “Kenny’s here. He’s the kid standing by the punching bags.”

  “I saw him,” Hunter said.

  Shauna frowned. “He’s a mess. I really think there’s hope for him, but no one’s getting through. Not teachers, not judges, not police, not counselors…” She shrugged. “Not me. He has one more strike left before things go really south for him. Whatever he does next, he’ll be tried as an adult.”

  “And how old is he?”

  “Sixteen,” Shauna said. “I’d tell you more, but I know you don’t like to know it. Clean slate and all that.”

  “Yeah. I work better that way.”

  She nodded, defeated eyes locking on the floor and she took a slow breath. “Thanks for being willing. I know this isn’t your job and—”

  “Hey,” Hunter interrupted. “I’m not the only volunteer at the gym, and I don’t mind. Glad to help, if I can.”

  Shy eyes peeked up at him. “You always do. I’m not sure how, and I don’t want to know, since I know what you do is nothing that’s approved in any manual.”

  Hunter smiled. “Don’t ask, don’t tell and we all get along, right?”

  Shauna laughed. “Well, we both know that you and Kenny won’t get along for a while. If past is precedence, I’m going to get an earful tomorrow about how you are Satan incarnate.”

  “Only if I’m doing something right,” Hunter teased.

  Shauna started to smile, but choked up instead, tears filling her eyes. “Sorry,” she said, swiping at them. “It’s been a long day. I don’t know what’s coming over me.”

  Hunter glanced at the office window and noted no one was around, so he reached out and pulled Shauna into a hug. “Hey, it’s all good,” he said, surprised when she latched on and pressed her face into his chest.

  She didn’t sob or do anything that made him regret reaching out. She just cried quietly and held on for a bit before stepping back and putting professional distance back between them. “Thanks. I kind of needed that. It’s these kids…seeing what they deal with and what it turns them into…”

  “It’s hard,” Hunter finished for her. “That’s why the turnover rate at your office averages out to be about six months. People want to make a difference, but then when they see the reality of what it takes they bail.”

  “Yeah.” She blinked back more tears before pulling a mirror out of her purse and doing a visual inspection of her makeup.

  “But you haven’t,” Hunter said. “Maybe one day you will have to move on, for your own mental health, but in the meantime what you do really matters, Shauna. You are making a difference.”

  She didn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks. Although it’s a rare day when it feels that way.”

  “But it’s true,” Hunter said. “I’m not one of those nice people who hands out fake compliments. I call it as I see it.”

  That got a smile out of her. “I know that. It’s why I bring you the toughest kids. They can smell a lie and manipulation a mile away, and you never bring that to the table. I don’t know what you do—and, again, I don’t want to know—but if you could turn Kenny around, that would be great. He has so much potential, but he’s so screwed up.” She let out a slow exhale. “So very screwed up.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” Hunter promised, keeping his distance this time.

  Shauna nodded, getting back into professional mode. “And Tuesday and Thursday work for you this week?”

  “Yeah. But next week Tuesday will work again, but not Thursday.”

  “We’ll take it week by week,” Shauna said, then held out her hand for a shake. “Good luck to you, punk whisperer. May the force be with you on this one.”

  “Hey, thanks,” Hunter said and walked them both out to the walkway overseeing the main gym area. Kenny spotted them quickly, scowling up at Shauna and seeming to quickly deduce who Hunter was.

  “Look at that,” Shauna teased. “He already looks like he wants to punch you. I knew
this was a good fit.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Hunter replied. “He’s going to hate me.”

  “For a while,” Shauna amended.

  “We’ll see. Maybe forever.”

  Keeping her distance, she sent him a smile. “I have faith in you.”

  “Thanks,” Hunter said, motioning to the door. “Now get home. Have dinner. Relax.”

  “Sounds like a plan, but let me make introductions first.” She started down the stairs from the admin level to the gym level and Hunter followed, moving side-by-side as they approached Kenny. He watched how the kid’s eyes moved up and down Shauna’s body, defiantly objectifying her before eyeing Hunter with blatant contempt.

  “Kenny, this is Hunter,” Shauna said as they drew close. “He’s going to be your boxing coach.”

  Kenny smirked. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

  “Hunter,” Shauna continued. “This is Kenny.”

  “Hi, Kenny,” Hunter said.

  The kid flipped him off.

  Hunter saw Shauna start to say something, but she stopped when Hunter shook his head quickly. “I’ve got this.”

  “Okay, then,” Shauna said, a bit too brightly. “Have a good night, you two.”

  When she started away, the kid watched her go. “She’s a total killjoy, but at least she has a nice ass. Am I right?”

  Hunter stayed where he was. “Do you always wave your insecurities around for everyone to see, or am I special?”

  “Whatever,” Kenny smirked. “You were thinking it, too.”

  “No, I was thinking that her faith in you is the only reason I’m standing here. Apparently she sees potential in you.”

  The kid wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “You know it—”

  “Don’t finish whatever it is you think is smart to say right now,” Hunter said.

  The kid stepped forward. “Why? Jealous she likes me more?”

  “No,” Hunter said evenly. “But I have a rule about knocking teeth out on the first day. I try to avoid it.”