I turned to see him standing next to the wet bar with an Old Fashioned in his hand while he talked to a man that I’d never seen before. He looked to be around forty, and I knew enough about clothing to recognize that his suit was expensive and probably made for him.
I made my way over to them, weaving through the crowd. My dad loved to introduce me to important people. It was half the reason he threw these parties, to show off his family and home.
“This is my daughter, Sabrina,” he said, and I couldn’t miss the pride in his voice. It made my heart leap, and I kind of hated that. That feeling, the one that came from earning his approval, was exactly why I was engaged to someone I didn’t love. I was always chasing after this high, but it was never really worth my sacrifices.
Still, I painted a wide smile on my face and held out my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Olson,” I said. He gave my hand a quick squeeze and firm shake.
“Please call me Jerry.”
“Okay, Jerry,” I said. “I’ve never seen you at these parties before. Are you new to La Playa?”
“New to California, actually. I’ve recently moved to Verde Hills.”
That explained the high-priced clothing and Rolex on his wrist. Verde Hills was not far from La Playa, but it was the playground of the rich. The city was small, but the cost of living was outrageous. We lived well here, in the best part of La Playa, but Verde Hills was a different universe. This nice manor hardly compared to the mansions that were there.
“And what brings you here?”
“I’ve taken a job in government relations.”
I kept my reaction off my face, just barely. I’d been around politicians my whole life, so I knew very well that “government relations” was code for lobbyist. There was a lot of stigma around that word, and for good reason in many cases, so the people that went into that sort of work had taken to using different terms for it. But that didn’t really change anything. He was a man that was paid by some organization or special interest group to influence political decision-making.
I stood there, trying to act interested in the conversation as my dad and Jerry went off on a tangent about the FDA, giving me an idea of what industry he worked for. I’d lay down money on his being employed by a pharmaceutical company.
The waitress arrived with my drink, which I accepted happily. Taking a sip, I allowed my eyes to wander around the room, catching Hunter’s gaze. He must have seen something in my face that told him how bored I was because he smirked and headed my way. He was going to save me. My dad’s face lit up at the sight of him.
“Hunter, my boy.” He patted Hunter’s shoulder. “How have you been?”
“Really good, Mr. Barnett. Do you mind if I steal Sabrina for a bit?”
“Of course not, go ahead.” He made a shooing motion with his hands. As Hunter and I walked away, I heard him speaking to Jerry. “Young love, you know how it is.”
I rolled my eyes and took another sip of my drink. I’d never said a thing about being in love with him. Hunter led me out onto the front porch, and I sucked in a deep breath of fresh air, smelling the flowers planted in neat rows in front of the house. The sun would be setting soon, so the sky was a brilliant array of colors, and Hunter took a seat on the front porch swing while I leaned against the railing.
“Thanks for that,” I said, giving him a small smile.
“You looked like you needed saving.”
I sighed. “You know I hate these things. Everyone has an agenda.”
“Not me,” he said, using his feet to get the swing moving and relaxing back into the seat. A grin tugged at my lips.
“No, not you,” I agreed.
Hunter looked out on the street, his eyes distant. I finished off my drink, my mind straying to the last time I’d drunk, the night I met Butch.
That interaction had beenreal. Not like the polite conversations taking place inside. There was nothing fake about Butch.
“You know that our parents think it’s time to make this engagement thing official?” Hunter asked, taking me by surprise. We didn’t really talk about it much, the agreement we’d both made with our parents. I knew that he didn’t love me any more than I loved him. We just didn’t have that kind of relationship, so I wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to this.
“Yeah. My mom even bought a ring.”
“Is it nice?”
“It’s beautiful. Perfect.”
“So you hate it?”
