“Everything is perfect. I just needed a little escape. It’s getting crowded in there.”
She smiles. “Well, you planned a good party. Don’t be so surprised.”
“Yeah. A little too good for some people,” I mindlessly say.
Her brow furrows, but she doesn’t question it. “Well, I need to get back to work. I’ll catch up with you later?”
I smile and nod, watching her walking away and trying to figure out where I can hide next.
Hours pass, and I move from one spot to the next. I keep my eyes open for Shepard though, and when he’s at one end of the room, I’m at the other. He’s working the crowd, which was the whole point of this event. He’s chatting up everyone who will listen. I noticed several times that even when he’s engaged in conversation, his eyes are still scanning the crowd. For a moment, I wonder if he’s searching for me. Then I figure he’s probably looking for his date. How dare he bring a date here? To the party I planned? After he seduced me? My anger is getting the best of me, and I need a quiet moment to cool down.
I push out the door and head for the back patio we had set up. It’s empty like I figured it would be, and it’s quiet, with only a little noise from the inside filtering out. I rest my arms against the deck railing and look out over the lake and mountain range. The moon is high in the sky and there isn’t a cloud in sight. Millions of stars are shining on the lake. Any other night, this view would be breathtaking. Tonight, though, it’s falling a little flat.
It reminds me so much of the evening that Shepard and I spent by Lover’s Lake. The air is warm, the sky is big and bright, and everything is reflecting off the smooth water like it’s a sheet of glass. I regret so much about that night. Going, for one. Sleeping with an ass is number two. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him. I fell for his every word, hook, line, and sinker. I believed when he said he wanted me. Like, what’s so special about me? Why would a guy that looks like Shepard and lives a life like his wantme? A normal girl in a small town? I believed him when he said he was buying a place here. I believed him when he kissed me and touched me.
God, I’m an idiot.
I guess every girl has fallen for it a time or two, but I’ve never been that girl before. I’ve always been smart about my love life, which is probably why I’m still single – but why did I have to fall forhim?
I lift my glass of champagne to my lips and finish it off. I check the time on my watch and see that the party still has several hours to go, and I have to stay to the end to make sure everyone gets paid. This game of hide and seek will be going on for a while, and I’m out of champagne. That means going back in there and risking getting caught.
With a sigh, I turn to head back inside, planning on grabbing the booze and hiding back out here until the party is over and I can leave.
Chapter Fourteen
SHEPARD
The party is going smoothly and my guests are keeping me busy with all their questions and comments about the hotel. I’ve somehow been talked into doing a test run and letting everyone in town stay one night for free just to try out the employees. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m wondering why the hell I fell for it. All the employees will be brought here from other locations. They’ve been doing their jobs for years. They don’t need a test run, but it’s already been promised, and I can’t back out now.
I’ve become friends with the town mayor and several people from the board. I’ve met local business owners and had my ear talked off by politicians. I excuse myself to get a drink and see Destiny heading for the exit out of the corner of my eye. I’ve only been able to catch a glimpse of her here and there, and I wonder why she hasn’t come up to me and pulled me away from everyone demanding my attention. She looks beautiful in that dress, and the only thing I’ve been able to think about is ripping it off her.
I stop by the bar with plans of getting a drink and chasing after Destiny, but I get trapped in another conversation before I can even get my drink. I listen to whoever this is and comment when I feel it’s appropriate, but the words are going in one ear and out the other.
The rest of the night goes in about the same fashion. I get away from one person only to be caught by another. By the end of the party, I’ve all but given up on talking to Destiny and figure I’ll see her afterward. The room is a mess as everyone files out, and Destiny is on the other side of the room, handing out checks and paying everyone for their time. I see her hand off the last one and then head for the door.
“Excuse me,” I tell the man I’m talking to as I go chasing after her. By the time I squeeze through the throng of people, she’s already made it to her car.
“Destiny!” I shout, chasing after her.
She stops, looks at me, then turns to climb into her car. What the hell? Is she mad that I had to leave town? That wasn’t my fault. I had shit falling apart in New York. Is she mad I didn’t call? I thought about it, but I was so busy that I didn’t have time until it was too late, and I knew she’d be asleep.
I make it to her car just as she starts it and puts it in drive, but I’m standing in front of it so she can’t go anywhere. I hold my hands up in the air. “What the hell is going on?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes and then her window goes down. “Get out of the way, Shepard.”
“No, not until you tell me what’s going on.”
She shuts off the car and climbs out, slamming the door behind her. “Seriously?”
“Seriously, what? What’s going on? I left here and things were great. Didn’t you get my flowers?”
“Yes, I got the flowers. They were beautiful. Thank you.”
I nod. “You’re welcome. Why are you avoiding me? Why are you pissed? What did I do?”
“What did you do? You showed up here with a date after you slept with me! What do you think?”
I freeze and then the laughter takes over.
