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Someone touched my shoulder. I turned to see Carl, frowning at a piece of paper in his hands.
“Dylan, can you come check this inventory list? I’m not sure it’s right, and the last thing we want is to run short on the big day.”
“Sure,” I said.
I glanced back at Todd, but he was already walking across the room toward Lana.
43
LANA
I feltlike I handled it pretty well when Dylan told me Todd was coming. But watching him walk toward me, smiling, made me wonder if Dylan had made a mistake by letting him come.
Lisa wasn’t with him. And Todd didn’t know about me and Dylan.
Could we really hide it well enough that Todd wouldn’t catch on?
“Lana, can we talk?” he asked, motioning with his head for us to step aside. I went with him, guilt and conflict and confusion rising up inside me.
“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. For everything. How things ended between us, what I did, is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life, and I’m sorry. I wanted to make sure you knew that.”
He seemed sincere, so I figured the least I could do was make the same effort.
“Sure, Todd. I appreciate you saying that.”
He blushed and glanced down. “Working the steps, you know? Making amends.”
I put my hand on his arm, genuinely happy that he was still actively working at his recovery.
“I’m so glad, Todd.” I almost asked about Lisa, but I bit my lip and didn’t. If he wanted to tell me where she was, he would.
Brent cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention and started handing out tasks. I needed to get some decorations purchased specifically for the tasting and hang them in places we’d all decided on at another meeting.
As soon as Brent suggested that as my contribution, Todd volunteered to help me.
“I can hang that if you want,” Todd said about a lightweight Emberox Spirits logo sign. He put his hand on my arm as he spoke.
“That’s okay. I can get it if you want to keep the ladder from wobbling,” I said with a smile.
As I went up it, Todd put his hand on my hip. The touch pinged as something unnecessary, but I wrote it off as innocent.
On my way back down the ladder, however, he put his hand on my hip again. And it slid a little, so that his hand was partially on my ass.
It could have been innocent. Todd might have been overzealous in trying to make sure I didn’t slip or unbalance myself.
But it also could have been something else.
I had my answer when I went up the ladder a second time, and again Todd touched my hip. When I came down, he didn’t move away enough to keep our bodies from brushing. It was awkward and uncomfortable for me, so I took a few steps back.
“Todd,” Dylan said. “Come here for a minute.”
His voice was sharp, with just a hint of anger. I took the opportunity to walk away and regain my composure.
“What?” Todd snapped, not moving from the ladder.
I could hear the challenge in his voice and hoped nothing was going to happen.
Dylan had to approach him, and by the time he got there, he was pissed.
