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He looks over my shoulder and I step to my left to block his escape. My hand rises and lands on his chest. It’s only a light tap but it reveals the latest surprise from a man who seems full of them. Hidden underneath the oversized jumpsuit is a wall of muscle. My mind races to an image of him in a tight t-shirt in a gym lifting weights. “Hunter, please…”
A long beat passes between us before he blinks, a sexy smirk rising out of the corner of his mouth. “I hear the DJ is top notch.”
A strange chuckle pushes out of my mouth. He is a kind man. He won’t speak ill of his employer, at least not to a stranger. Yet he respects me enough not to blow smoke up my butt. His mention of the DJ is a classy way to let me know that it’s going to be a shit show without calling anyone out.
He’s a smooth grace under fire operator. One who has earned my respect. Hunter doesn’t deserve to be on the hot seat - that’s reserved for Frankie. “I guess we’ll keep the lights low and the music loud,” I kid, hoping to see relief wash over his face. It doesn’t. He doesn’t tip his hand; he doesn’t fall out of character. He’s good.
I step around Hunter and head up the small corridor to the man that will never be confused with being good. “I’m going to make Frankie’s life a living hell.”
It’s Hunter’s turn to laugh and I swear I hear him mumble, “About time someone did.”
* * *
Thirty minutesand forty items later, Frankie escorts me back to the lobby of Legendary Hall. “You do know we’ve given them a discount,” he mentions for the tenth time since I began to review the contract, line item by line item. Frankie was as useless as I feared. He didn’t have a clue on the status of most of the items and the ones he did answer were filled with half-truths and outright lies.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re giving it to them for free. You are running a business and have a reputation to uphold. When was the last time your dad came through here?” I twist the one point that I know will gnaw at him.
“He’s retired. I run this place.”
“It shows,” I spit back.
“Why do you care?” Frankie fires back but before I can respond, another voice calls out across the lobby.
“Because it's the closest she’s ever going to get to a wedding. She’s always living life vicariously through others.” I don’t have to turn to know who it is or the look I will find on his smug face.
Palmer Easton has arrived.
“About time you showed up Palmer, I texted you twenty minutes ago. Your girl is making my life a living hell.” Frankie’s voice holds no shame. Not even the courtesy of sounding apologetic to me. I’m just an object that needs to be handled and since he can’t control me, he’s called in reinforcements.
I brace and turn. Palmer Easton in the flesh and blood. Palmer is white, golden short curls and blue eyes that at one point in time I wanted to stare into all day. These days I look right through them, unaffected.
“Yeah. That’s kind of her specialty. Hello Catherine.” His tone is different from the years we spent together. It is now filled with bile, and venom.
The boys smack hands and swap sinister grins. The bullies celebrating. Palmer should know better. He knows my history with both Frankie and Legendary Hall.
I hold up the punch list of items I’ve scribbled down and snap a picture. I step to Frankie and push the paper into his hand. “Here are the items we’ve discussed. Ava has enough on her plate, so I suggest you get to work on it immediately. I’ll be back Saturday morning for a walkthrough, and I pray that everything will be up to standard.”
“Catherine have you not learned a thing? Do you really want Frankie to tell you what to do with that list?” Palmer winks at Frankie and nods in the direction of the office. “Frankie, I got this. Thanks for the heads up.”
Frankie gives Palmer another hand smack, and he disappears down the hall without saying farewell or any pretense that he’ll address my concerns. Customer service at its best.
I make the mistake of taking my eyes off Palmer to watch Frankie walk away. I feel him before I see him, Palmer’s scrawny finger lifting the dark hair which rests on my shoulder. He sweeps it off my shoulder, his face pushing forward, lips an inch from my ear. “You lost the privilege of giving orders when you decided to ride off into the sunset and leave us behind. How is that working out for you?”
My shoulders clench and I spin away from Palmer. His baby blues, which for years held warmth and love, now filled with disgust. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
He scoffs at me and closes the distance between us again. “Someone has to. I know for a fact that you didn’t put a name on your plus one. You’re still as single as the day is long. Just as I predicted when you left here. You’ll always be alone. And lonely. Not even good enough to be a bridesmaid. You’ll never be a bride.” He spits the venomous words at me using our history to torture me. “You had your shot at the brass ring, and you messed up. And now you’ll forever be searching for the perfect man, the right guy, that only exists only in your head. I’m as close as you’ll ever get, and it wasn’t good enough because nothing is good enough for the woman who pushes everyone away.”
His words cut. We spent years together. He knows me. He knows what brings me joy as well as my biggest fears. He has decided, for some reason, to use this information to bring me pain. This is not the man I once knew.
My silence emboldens him. He closes in like a snake in the grass, looking to strike again. I’ve been in Destiny Falls, Indiana, for three years. I’ve met some amazing people; I’ve seen love blossom all around me. Both of my good friends Mia and Candice found the loves of their lives. Yet I’m still single without a decent prospect on the horizon. It shouldn’t matter, but I won’t let Palmer feeling superior to me even for an instance take root.
“Don’t touch me again Palmer.” I put steel in my voice, forcing him to halt his approach. “And you may want to check your facts. You’re wrong again.” I catch the movement over Palmer’s shoulder. Hunter, the kind observant maintenance man. He must’ve clocked out while I was on tour with Frankie. He’s paused in the hallway now clad in a nice pair of dress slacks and a polo shirt, an outfit I would have never pegged for him. I may have misread Palmer all those years ago, but my assessment abilities have improved over the years.
I pray I’m right.
“So, are you bringing someone to the wedding?” Palmer scoffs once again at me, the challenge in his voice egging me on. “I mean someone not your sister.” He enjoys his own response with a chuckle.
I should be a better person. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, let alone Palmer Easton. But I can’t let the thought of him thinking he’s right about something concerning me take a foothold in his mind. If it does, I know him. He’ll spin this into me being wrong about everything - including dumping him. I won’t let that happen.
My gaze locks on Hunter and I raise a brow, hoping he’s heard enough of this conversation. Hoping my instinct that he is a kind and understanding soul is not broken, I lift a hand in his direction as Palmer turns to see what has drawn my attention.
My breath catches for a foolish beat as I push out the words. “There he is now. My man.” I exhale and take a leap of faith.
