Tonight is shaping up beautifully so far. Between the mayor’s wife’s cutting glare and Mr. Howard’s stern warning, I feel as welcome as a skunk at a garden party.
Maybe I’ll trip over something and split this dress straight up to my armpit to really give the partygoers something to talk about. Or, better yet, maybe Eddie will stroll in with Romy at his side, and I can throw myself off the unfinished second-floor balcony.
Yep, I need wine and silence. I’m no good around people.
But before I get the chance, I hear my name. Again.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“What now?” I groan, burying my face in my hand.
Note to self—in the future, turn around and see who’s calling your name before you decide to bite someone’s head off. In my case, it’s none other than Nolan Montague. Aka my boss.
That second-floor balcony is looking better and better.
“Good lord,” Nolan says, amusement painting his features. “Who pissed in your cornflakes?”
I wince at my faux pas. “I’m sorry, Nolan. I just… saw a few people I was really hoping to avoid.”
He nods, unsurprised by my admission. “Come on. Let’s you and me take a walk.”
He guides us toward the front entrance and out onto the porch, where he pulls out a cigarette and lights it with practiced ease.
Well, that’s a surprise.
“I didn’t know you smoked.”
“Now you do,” he mutters, exhaling a stream of smoke. “I’m fully aware it’s terrible for me, but I like to partake now and again.”
I raise both hands in a peace offering. “Far be it from me to say a word. Back in the day, I was a smoker too.”
He holds out the pack, but I wave him off. “No, thank you.”
Nolan takes another drag, glancing toward the house. “I invited a few of the power players from the area tonight. Figured if I’m going to have a home here, I need to get to know the people. Learn the lay of the land, so to speak.”
“That’s smart. Sparkwood is small, but there’s a lot of money here.”
“There is, along with a lot of attitude.”
Talk about an understatement.
A brisk breeze cuts across the porch, and I shiver, running my hands over my bare arms in a futile attempt to warm up. “This is what I get for not wearing cozy sweats to your party.”
“Let’s fix that, shall we?” Nolan shrugs out of his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. “There. You’re a little warmer now, right?”
I pull the panels of the jacket tight around me and nod. “Thank you.”
He paces in a slow circle, the cigarette clamped between his fingers. “Look, I’m going to be honest. I’ve had a couple of enlightening conversations about you tonight.”
I stare out into the darkness, bracing for the inevitable. No matter where I go, or what I do, I can’t seem to outrun my past.
Rather, Drake’s past, but why quibble over trivialities?
It won’t matter in the end.
Case in point, it appears I’m about to get fired. Or at the very least, escorted from the premises. So much for my guest of honor title.
He takes another drag before squashing out the cigarette. “There are a lot of people around here with very strong opinions about a situation they clearly don’t understand. Sadly,that’s fairly standard in small-town America. My question is, why do you put up with it?”
