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So he did, because otherwise I would’ve made him move, and I highly doubted that he wanted his impeccable suit possibly stained when my dirty jeans and t-shirt touched him.
“It makes sense now,” the man drawled at my back. “Why you were in prison for murder. You’re reprehensible.”
I rolled my eyes again.
Did he think that was the first time that I’d heard that?
Hell, I was at the damn grocery store this morning when a woman had seen me coming and had all but snatched the kid at her side up and threw him behind her, blocking me with her body.
At least, she thought she was blocking me.
I didn’t bother to tell her that her puny little self would be mowed down if I ever wanted to get to that kid. But her attitude was comical, nonetheless.
The people of this town were definitely not used to having a couple of felons in their midst and seemed to be handling it quite badly.
Regardless, as I stomped through the immaculately cut grass toward a man with a clipboard, I was pissed all the same.
I mean, I was a felon. But I hadn’t gone to prison for killing someone in cold blood. I’d gone to prison because I’d been protecting someone.
There was a difference.
As I got closer to the man with the clipboard, the angrier I became. Because every single person that I passed, man or woman, would back away as if a murderous rampaging maniac were on the way toward them.
By the time I got to his side, my face was likely thunderous.
“Where do you want it?” I asked as I hefted the keg higher onto my shoulder.
The damn thing wasn’t light, and the man in front of me, the apparent ‘man in charge,’ was floundering.
“Umm,” he said. “I don’t know. I mean, it needs to go in the refreshment tent, but we don’t have that up just yet, nor do I know where it’s going to be set up. Is there anyway you can come back later?”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“No,” I said. “Because if I come back later, it’ll be during the actual function, and I don’t think you’ll want the ‘likes of me’ here.”
Something that a few of the men at the entrance, already dressed in their black ties and bow ties, said when they saw me pull up in my old pickup truck five minutes earlier.
I hadn’t been surprised by their actions.
Nothing surprised me anymore.
Nothing but the actions of one single woman.
“Just put it right here,” a soft, husky voice said from behind me. “Set the tent up around them. It’s in the middle of the entire function, and would be perfect to have the drinks tent set up here.”
“It’s in the middle of the grass,” the man contradicted Swayze. “If we put it here, people will have to get off the walk.”
“Oh, dear.” Swayze sounded amused. “People will have to walk in the grass. That’ll be awful for them.”
My lips twitched as I set the kegs directly where I was standing.
I left with Swayze still talking to the man with the clipboard.
When I got back to my truck for the next keg, it was to see each man glaring at me.
“Feel free to grab one,” I suggested. “Then I can move my truck faster.”
Man number one gritted his teeth, and I gave him a taunting smile.
“If you can pick it up, that is.” I teased them both, grabbing another keg and carrying it away.
When I got back to where I’d set up the first keg, it was to find Swayze there on her own, staring at me.
“Do you need any help?” she asked, her voice hesitant, as if she was afraid to speak to me.
“No,” I grumbled as I set the next keg down and went back for another.
I was about a quarter of the way away from the truck when I saw each man struggling with a keg each.
I ignored them, walked back to the truck, and hefted yet another onto my shoulder before passing each man and setting it down next to Swayze.
Her eyes were filled with amusement when I showed up with the final keg, beating each of the men with their keg easily.
It was as I was walking back to my truck that the men finally made it to the other kegs.
When I gave her one last glance, I allowed my eyes to linger on her attire.
She was dressed in a long, flowing black gown that swirled around her toes.
Her hair was pinned up and away from her face, but small tendrils escaped the refined bun despite her best efforts to contain it. And damn, did she look good.
But as the men smiled at her, I realized that I wasn’t the only one to think so.
Getting into my truck and slamming the door, I started it up with a dull roar, and all but laughed in glee when a puff of black smoke followed behind me as I moved out of the parking lot.
