I booked it inside and down the hall. I heard Knox calling my name, but I didn’t turn around. Moving faster, I sprinted into the kitchen, figuring I could hide in the walk-in pantry for a few minutes until Knox gave up his search.
I opened the pantry door and jumped back in shock. I had found Sam: She was locked in an embrace with Mel, her hand up Mel’s shirt as they made out, neither one noticing me.
“Birdie?” Knox’s voice came from right outside the kitchen.
Fuck it.I stepped into the pantry and closed the door.
“Birdie!” Mel started. “Um, this isn’t what it looks like.”
Sam’s eyes were wide. “I was just asking Mel if she knew about the article and then…uh…”
“Shh!” I hissed. “I don’t care. I mean, I do care. This…” I waved my hand between the two of them. “...is amazing. Love this for you two. And I want all the details later, but right now I’m hiding from Knox, so just be quiet until he passes.”
“Birdie, you have to talk to him,” Sam whispered.
“No, I don’t. Not right now, anyway.”
I put my ear to the door and waited a few minutes, the breathing of my two friends the only sound I heard. Once I felt certain Knox was gone, I turned around to Sam and Mel.
“I think the coast is clear. I’ll leave you two to get back to what you were doing.” I winked at them both. “And seriously, this is the only good thing to happen so far today. I wantdetails about this later. Especially from you.” I pointed to Mellie. “I mean, if you’re okay with talking about it. If not, that’s totally cool.”
I slipped out of the pantry with a wave. I turned into the hallway to head back to the billiards room and was met with a large frame leaning against the wall just outside the kitchen.
Shit.
“Are you ready to stop avoiding me and talk, or do you want to keep doing this whole cat and mouse thing all night?”
Well, I guess if he’s offering?
Knox gave me a hard stare, not breaking eye contact, waiting for me to answer.
“I’m not avoiding you,” I lied.
“Birdie, you literally ran out of the room after I offered to help you find Sam.”
I grabbed the hem of my sweater and started fiddling with a loose thread on the bottom.
“Knox, I don’t think we should be alone.” I darted into a side sitting room, hoping to find an alternate route back to the party. Spotting only closed doors, I turned back to the doorway where Knox was now standing. He held up an arm to block the door frame.
“Birdie, we have to talk about last night.”
“No, we don’t. What happened, happened. We just got wrapped up in the moment. No need to talk about it further.”
“Is that what you want to go with?”
“Am I wrong?”
Knox watched me for a moment. “You tell me. Last night meant nothing to you?”
“All of this was just supposed to be a fun adventure.”
He took a step further into the room. “Did last night mean nothing to you?”
“I’m supposed to be courting your best friend, yourbrother. I’m supposed to be deciding if I can accept a proposal from him in a week.” My voice cracked.
“Answer the question, Birdie. Did last night mean something to you?”
“No!” I yelled.
