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“Crap, I need to go,” I mumbled, grabbing the drink the bartender handed me and looking for somewhere to hide. This was the third suitor my sister had tried to introduce me to, and I’d been to the party for less than an hour.
I spotted a very large tree at the corner of the deck and made a dash for it.
“Excuse me, coming through,” I said, pushing through the crowd of people to get to my sweet spot.
“Anna! I have someone I want you to meet,” my sister’s voice called out from behind me, but I didn’t dare look back.
I slipped behind the tree and rested against it, taking a deep breath. I heard Grace and my mother talking.
“I lost her. She just took off!”
“You didn’t see where she went?”
“No, not at all…”
I smiled and sipped my drink, feeling the weight lift off my shoulders. Music from the party drowned out the sounds of the people, and I let myself enjoy my drink in peace.
A rustling on my left caught my attention.
And then I was no longer alone.
A man slipped behind the tree, his eyes on the engagement party instead of where he was going. His body was massive, too massive for us both to be behind the tree trunk.
“Hey! This is my tree! Find your own!”
He turned to face me, and my heart leapt into my throat. A familiar face stared back at me, all grown up and more handsome than I remembered.
“Levi Callaghan?” I muttered.
He cocked his head to the side and gave me a crooked smile.
“Anna Berkshire, right?”
“Yes.” I bit my lip and stared up into his emerald eyes. He had a sweet smile, but his jawline… Jesus Christ, those angles should be illegal.
I remembered I was hiding, and with someone his size - with his arms the size of the tree trunk itself - Levi was making it harder.
Clearing my throat, I repeated what I’d said moments before. “This is my tree… I would appreciate it if you found your own, so you don’t draw attention to me.”
Levi looked around quickly and laughed. “I’m pretty sure this tree doesn’t belong to anyone in particular.”
“Yeah, but I was here first.”
Levi crossed his arms over his hard chest and stared down at me. Thankfully, he was big enough to block me from any prying eyes. If either of my sisters were looking for me, I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to see past Levi’s large frame.
“Why are you hiding? Isn’t Emily your sister?”
“Yes, she is, but, well, it’s complicated,” I said, biting my lower lip. “And besides, I could ask you the same question. Why are you hiding?”
“It’s not my sister’s party.”
“So you make it a habit to hide behind trees at engagement parties?”
“Who said I’m hiding? Maybe I’m admiring the view.”
I looked behind me, unsure what he was talking about. “The bar next door really isn’t much to look at.”
“I wasn’t talking about that view.”
