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I wanted to kiss her and simultaneously throttle any man who got a smile from her. Which was ridiculous. This was becoming a real damn problem.
A minute later, Mason pointed to a table full of food, and the group, who had all been holding various containers, walked over to set them down with the other dishes. Eryn placed what looked like a bowl of potato salad down and stuck a large spoon in it. Enzo whispered something in her ear and she laughed again. It came easy to her, laughing. Seemed like it was something she did a lot.
He elbowed her gently and she looked up to the tree line, her eyes scanning it for a second and then landing on me. I didn’t do a damn thing to hide the fact I’d been watching her. Just took a sip of my beer and kept watching.
“Looks like the party can start now,” Walker joked, nodding toward the newcomers. Eryn and her friends started walking in our direction.
“Or end in disaster,” I muttered under my breath, watching Eryn's approach with a mixture of anticipation and dread. She glided across the yard and before I had a chance to prepare, she was standing right in front of me, her sundress blowing around her knees in the breeze. It was white with little blue flowers on it. I didn’t think I’d ever seen a prettier dress.
I wanted to rip it off her.
The tension between us sparked instantly, alive and crackling in the space that separated us.
“Hey there, Gray,” she greeted, her voice smooth and sweet as honey.
“Miz Blake,” I acknowledged with a nod, my attempt at nonchalance failing miserably.
“It’s a beautiful day. I’m glad you made it out after all.”
At this, my idiot brother laughed, which made him choke on his beer. I thought it was too bad the beer didn’t finish the job.
“You must be Walker, right? I’m Eryn.” Eryn politely offered her hand.
Walker stood and took his hat off, fucking show pony.
“Sure am. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eryn.”
She introduced him to the others, and they made small talk but I wasn’t listening, I was watching that damn dress floating around her like it was trying to hypnotize me.
“Meat’s ready!” Mason called, and the yard became abuzz with movement.
“I’m gonna go get myself a plate. Care to join me?” Walker asked. The others agreed, but I was holding off until some of the crowd dispersed. Eryn seemed to have the same idea and that delighted me more than it should have.
Eryn smiled graciously at Walker and the rest of the group as they headed to the grill.
“Have a seat.”
“Thank you. I always like to let others go ahead. I’m not big on crowds.”
“That seems contradictory to your work.”
She tilted her head. “I guess maybe it could seem that way. I don’t know. Most of my work is done online. I don’t do a lot of big events like some people. I prefer smaller scale things, connecting with people, you know?”
I didn’t know, but I could understand what she was saying and it was a pleasant surprise.
“Not that this is a big event or anything,” she said with a laugh. “I just prefer to stay away from crowded spaces.”
“Guess we have something in common after all.”
She laughed again, and the sound was a balm.
After a few minutes, some locals came up and said hi to her. She gave each one attention and even took some selfies. I found it interesting that she couldn’t even sit at a barbecue without being bothered, but I guess that was just part of the job. She didn’t seem upset by it. In fact, she was kind and gracious to each person.
I watched her for a moment longer, the way the sun caught the golden tones in her hair and the easy way she interacted with everyone. It was infuriating how effortlessly she seemed to fit into any situation, how her presence seemed to light up the entire backyard.
But when would she have time for herself? The line for food had dissipated and she was stuck playing nice with Billy Myers and his asshole friends for a solid ten minutes.
Suddenly, I was angry on her behalf and wasn’t about to keep quiet. I rose up from the table and rounded it to stand behind her.
