Will I see her inside?
Fucking hell.Was I struck by lightning?
Feels like it.
She was more of a hurricane the way she whipped through my world, leaving nothing but questions in her wake.
Fuck me.I didn’t expect to be blindsided by a girl tonight. My breathing evens as I finally catch my breath after the whirlwind of Sosie settles around me.
I take a drag of the remaining cigarette and put my coat back on before walking toward the house again. I don’t even know where she came from, much less where she’s working tonight. It’s not catering since I know the entire crew.Bartending? Singer? Cleaning?She didn’t have a uniform on and nothing visible to change into. Maybe she’s a thief robbing the place.
I head back, knowing I’m a few minutes late. Just outside the bustle of the inside, I stab the butt on the stone wall, then drop it in the flower bed, kicking dirt over any evidence.
I don’t know where she went, but I’m not leaving tonight without seeing her again. Next time, hopefully with her number.
CHAPTER 2
KEATS
Five minutes until midnight, I’m standing on the edge of the party with my hands clasped in front of me like a damn bouncer. The kitchen is clean with only the finale left before I get to go home.
I’ll need to load the truck in a few minutes, so I use the time I do have and search the room, sifting through the guests in hopes of seeing Sosie again. I’ve done it more times than I can count. I searched the bathrooms, asked the piano player if he had seen her, talked to a kid hanging around the perimeter who said his parents dragged him there, and even found a valet to ask if he had seen her in front of the house. She’s disappeared without a trace.
It’s been frustrating. I thought I’d have that chance, but I didn’t take it when we were outside. If I weren’t already in a bad mood from being hungry and exhausted, this would tip the scales.
Sierra and Darren push the cake cart front and center. She lights a single tall candle on top of a champagne bottle-shapeddessert, then they join me in the shadows of the party. The hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Stansbury, take over, calling their daughter to come blow out the candle and rousing their guests to sing “Happy Birthday” to the star of the show.
Keeping my voice down, I ask, “I thought it was a holiday party?”
With her eyes locked on the display, Sierra replies, “They wanted to celebrate their daughter’s birthday right at midnight.”
I’m nudged on my other side. When I glance over at Darren, he waggles his eyebrows. “She’s twenty-one. Hot. Have you seen her?”
I shake my head, not willing to admit I’ve been too distracted by another girl tonight, someone who has blown me off. I’m an idiot for believing there was a spark between us when she clearly didn’t feel it.
The crowd sings off-key and parts like the Red Sea for the birthday girl as she comes through the opening.Are you fucking kidding me?Short blond hair, an electric-pink glittering dress that hits mid-thigh, and a pair of Converse that are the only thing remotely tying her back to the girl I met at the guesthouse.
Mystery solved. Right there in the center of attention I’m sure she lives for, Sosie blows at the candle. When it’s still flaming, she licks her fingers and taps the hot wick, putting out the fire.
My cheek lifts in amusement, then drops to a scowl as irritation from being conned by her wins out. I excuse myself. “Going to load the truck.”
I grab a stack of crates from the kitchen and head out to the street where the truck is parked. Too many questions and no real answers run rampant through my head.
Why would she trick me into believing we were one and the same?Yeah, we’re not.
Was she testing me? I should have clued in that she was a mole when she was standing out in the freezing weather. I’m so easily distracted by a pretty face.
Is she going to report back to catering management to get me fired? Tell them I was smoking on private property even though she bummed most of it?
A little rich girl wanting to slum it on her birthday?Boringly cliché.
“Is that how she gets her kicks?” I roll my eyes as I send the door sliding up. I slip the crates into the cargo bay and jump up to stack them in the back.
I turn around to see Sosie standing behind the truck. It’s a shock to the system when I believed we’d made a connection. And I thought I was safe out here, that I could finish this shift without having to face her again. No such luck. I eye her, barely recognizing the girl before me. “You’re missing your party.” My tone is flat, wishing she’d stayed inside and let me finish what I need to do.
“I should have told you.”
“You think?” Sarcasm infiltrates the accusation.Tread carefully, Keats. I should probably heed management's warning and keep my mouth shut. After all, she’s the client, and I’m just a mere server at her disposal. Yeah, that sarcasm isn’t going away.
