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I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose. “You’re right.”
“You sure you want to do this tonight? We could just go back to the apartment, drink wine, and watch a movie.”
“No. I want to see everyone. Come on, and if it’s lame, then we can leave,” I assured her, and we both stepped out of her car.
We followed the walkway that led around to the pool where people were swimming. Each of us grabbed a beer from one of the coolers that was scattered around before heading down to the bonfires set up along the shore. Jackson’s property had a curtain of dense trees on either side, giving him privacy, but a large open area between the pool and the shore gave him a postcard view of the lake.
We spotted a small cluster of our friends and joined the fray. I glanced over at the other two gathering groups, seeking out Rhett’s tall, muscular body. He was standing in front of the fire closest to the water with his back to me. My eyes skimmed his dark jeans hanging low on his hips, up to his dark gray tee that fit snugly over his wide shoulders.
A tall, skinny blonde I didn’t recognize sidled up next to him, and my heart plummeted into my stomach when he put his arm around her shoulders. Images of my ex, Brad, openly flirting with other girls when I was around played like a movie across my mind. I downed the rest of my beer and forced my eyes away from Rhett. It had never occurred to me he could be that kind of guy.
“Oh shit, Caden’s heading our way,” Ashley whispered, oblivious to her brother.
“Bella, damn, look at you! More beautiful every time I see you.”
I internally rolled my eyes at his over-the-top flirting.
“Hey, Caden. How’s your dad?”
I had heard he was in the hospital. Rumor was his liver was failing after the many years of alcohol abuse.
“Doing better, and you know my dad; he’s tough as nails.” He turned and walked a few feet away, returning with two beers. “Here,” he said, handing me one.
“Thanks.” I glanced back over to Rhett. Our eyes locked, and all the air left my lungs. He raised his beer to his mouth, a cocksure smile appearing behind the lip of the bottle. He whispered something to the guy standing next to him, and they both headed in our direction.
“Ashley Williams, I’m surprised you came, knowing how much you despise me,” Jackson said with a wink.
Ashley crossed her arms and looked at Jackson with a disgusted look. “Don’t flatter yourself. I only came because Bella dragged me.”
“Bella.” Jackson leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. “It’s good to see you.”
Did Rhett just growl? Seriously? Didn’t he just have his arm around another girl?
Jackson rolled his eyes and shot Rhett a knowing smirk. Caden mumbled something under his breath and slipped away from our group to join another.
“Good to see you too, Jackson.” I took another sip of my beer. “Is your sister here?”
He glanced around. “She’s here somewhere.” His eyes locked on something down by the water and nodded toward a commotion. “Rhett, give me a hand.”
I followed his eyes to where two large figures were rolling around in the grass. I shuddered when one leaned up and landed a right hook to the other’s jaw. Rhett and Jackson were on them within seconds, pulling the two guys apart.
“Well, that’s entertaining at least,” Ashley mumbled next to me.
We made our rounds chatting with friends. I could feel Rhett’s eyes on me, but even though it had been like an hour, he still hadn’t come over to talk to me. Not that I wanted him to anymore since I didn’t really want an audience watching us when we hashed everything out.
Although I had a few, Ashley drove, so she was only halfway through her second beer when her phone rung.
“Barbara, everything okay?” she asked Jackson’s mom, who owned the catering company Ashley worked for.
“Oh no! Um—”
She eyed me with an apologetic look. “Yeah, I can be there in thirty minutes.” Ashley ended the call and turned to me. “Bella, I’m so sorry. I need to go to work. One of our employees got sick and needs to go home. I need to help break everything down and load up the van.”
“Okay. I can ask Rhett for a ride home.”Thatwould be a perfect opportunity to talk without so many eyes on us. “Maybe we can fool around in the back seat of his truck.” I slapped my hand over my mouth and giggled.
“Ew—stop.” She froze and studied me. “How many drinks have you had? Should I take you home?”
I shook the can in my hand between us. “Umm, four? And no, I’m good. Seriously, Rhett will bring me back to the apartment.”
