I hoped Emma’s aunt Ethel didn’t run into my second-cousin Bill at this wedding. He could easily supply her with a new cat, or ten. Or some goats. He had animals to spare, and an order from the county to cut their numbers down or the animal control folks would do it for him. Weddings had a wonderful way of bringing all the really fun relatives out the woodwork.
“Groom and groom’s parents, please,” the photographer requested just then, unintentionally proving me right.
My mom and dad hadn’t been pleasant to one another in years, but they were being civil today for Ward’s sake. I was half shocked that Ward had even wanted our dad to come to his wedding, but he was getting sentimental in his old age. Either that, or he’d just caved to Emma’s request to meet him. My mom and dad stood on either side of Ward and smiled, and they looked pretty convincingly like a happy family.
“Groom’s whole family, please,” the photographer called, and I grinned at Emma before obediently stepping forward to be posed. I ended up standing next to my mom with my dad at my right shoulder.
“I hear things are going well for you, Katie,” my dad said cheerfully in between snaps of the camera. I resisted the urge to cringe and kept smiling for the pictures. I still couldn’t stand when he called me Katie.
“Mhmm,” I said without turning my head. I smiled toward the camera and hoped he wouldn’t insist on talking to me. I really had nothing to say to him. Other than supplying the sperm for my conception, he hadn’t done much in my life but cause pain and suffering. This was actually the first time I’d seen my dad in several years. He’d made parole just in time to attend the wedding.
“You opened a store here in town, didn’t you?” he asked, and I could feel my mom and Ward shifting at my side. My dad was taking an interest in me? That could only mean one thing.
“Mhmm,” I answered. I kept smiling at the camera.
“And you’re doing well? Your store, I mean?” His voice had taken on a warm, friendly tone that I knew better than to trust. I saw my mom roll her eyes.
“Yes,” I told my dad simply. Business couldn’t be better, actually. In the few months I’d been open, I could barely keep my inventory in stock long enough to meet demand. It was insanity what women would do—and in some cases had to do—to get the right lingerie. I frequently had customers that drove all the way from San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, only to cry when they put on their first properly fitted bra. Some of them had been wearing the wrong size for decades. It felt good to know I was helping people, in addition to making mad cash.
“And you’re dating one of Ward’s friends, too? Cole Rylander? I bet he’s doing well financially, too.”
Ward and I made eye contact. Our communication was wordless, but clear: here it comes.
I turned to my dad, unwilling to make this painless for him. “Yes, I’m dating Cole Rylander. He is doing well financially, too.” His dealerships were thriving, although they kept him busier than I’d like. Getting enough of Cole was a constant struggle for me. I was addicted to his humor, his mind, his body, his personality, his everything. Everything except his money. I didn’t really care about that. I wished my dad could say the same.
“Do you think you could spare your old man a few thousand dollars, Katie? I want to start a scrapping business and need a little seed capital if you know what I mean. I’m thinking no more than five grand ought to start me up.”
The fact that he was asking this of me at his son’s wedding, while we were taking pictures, and in front of all the rest of our immediate family, was not surprising. It was annoying, however. And sad. It was especially sad because I knew he’d spend the entire thing on whatever his most pressing addiction was at the moment. In between the alcohol, the gambling, and the small-time con jobs he liked to run, he had no shortage of expensive vices.
I didn’t reply, and after about thirty seconds or so he eventually figured out my answer. The photographer moved on to the next group and we dispersed. My mom and I headed over to the nearest champagne. We’d earned it. Being this close to my dad was physically exhausting for us both.
“You know sweetie, in his highly unique way, your dad just paid you the greatest complement on your achievements that he possibly could,” she told me.
I rolled my eyes. “How?”
She smirked at me. “He’s never asked you for money before, has he?”
I frowned. “No.” I shrugged. “I’d never had any money to give him before. He’d asked me to ask Ward for money and then give it to him, though.”
My mom’s smirk widened into a real smile. “Exactly.”
“I don’t get it. How is begging for money a compliment to me?”
She brushed my hair back behind my ear affectionately. “He thinks you’ve got your life under control. You’ve got your successful business, you’ve got your boyfriend, and you’re living a completely independent, adult life. I mean, not that he would know what that is except to mooch off of it. But still. He now sees you as an adult.”
My mom was right, although it was bittersweet to admit it. The clearest indicator that my dad thought I had my shit together was that he thought I might be an easy mark. I found myself giggling. “Hooray for me!” I told my mom, lifting my glass in self-salute. “I’m mooch-able!”
She hugged me, and I hugged her back happily. My life wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty damn close. I may not have the world’s best father, but I had the world’s best mom, the world’s best boyfriend, and the world’s best brother (but don’t tell him that).
“Hooray for you,” my mom repeated. Real joy lit up her eyes as she smiled. “I really am so proud of you, Kate.”
Epilogue - Cole
Kate looked like a million bucks in her pink bridesmaid dress. She’d been nervous about it, but it hugged every curve of her in pink satin. It fit her perfect body in such a way that she had every male eye in the house following her around longingly. It was even worse than usual. I was actually a bit surprised that Emma let Kate look so hot at her wedding. If I were her, I’d be worried about the competition. Actually, I was the one who was worried about the competition. The many men that were ogling my fiancée were welcome enough to look, but only I was allowed to touch.
And I couldn’t seem to keep my hands off her (not that I was really trying). I’d never danced so much in my life as I did at Ward and Emma’s wedding reception, and it was all because I never wanted to stop touching Kate.
“I love you,” Kate said blissfully, kissing me when we took a short break from the dance floor at our table. Other women sweated, Kate glowed. I however, was sweating. Apparently being a professional athlete had not been adequate physical conditioning for dancing in a tuxedo.
“I love you too,” I told her feelingly, “more than you know. But do you think we could take a song or two off?”
Unexpectedly, she nodded. “Sure,” she answered. “I’ve got to go powder my nose anyway.” She sashayed away, and I savored my few moments of idleness with a deep sigh of relief.
“You two make me sick,” Lucas joked from my left. “I mean, I’m happy for you. And I’m happy for Ward and Emma, but still. Could you maybe try not to be so revoltingly cute, in love, and happy all the time?”
“Get out there and find someone to fall in love with,” I suggested, pointing at the crowded dance floor. There were lovely single women out there. Probably. Lucas had told me once himself that this town was full of them. In fact, I was fairly certain that he’d brought a date, but she was now nowhere to be found.
“I have,” Lucas said unexpectedly. My attention snapped from the dance floor to his face in surprise. “Her name is Victoria,” he continued to my annoyance, “and I’ve got a plan. I’m going to win her back.”
I resisted the urge to dissuade him, roll my eyes, or display any emotion that might get my head bit off. Instead, I just asked, “how?”
Lucas nodded his head toward an elegant redhead who was approaching our table from across the room.
“
See her?”
“Yeah.”
“Her name is Rae. She’s my date.”
“Ok.” I failed to see the point of Lucas taking this attractive woman to a wedding when hung up on Victoria. I’m sure my confusion showed on my face. Lucas smirked at me and leaned forward conspiratorially.
“She’s not really my date. She’s part of the valuation team that’s performing due diligence on my app.”
“You brought her to the wedding?” I was confused. “What does that have to do with your app?”
“Nothing. But Rae is the key to winning back Victoria. Step one was establishing that we’re in a relationship to mutual friends.”
Oh no. A sinking feeling started in my stomach. Maybe I was wrong.
“And step two?” I barely even wanted to ask.
Lucas smiled. “Jealousy. Step two is jealousy.”
“Step three?”
“I let Victoria destroy Rae and I’s ‘relationship’ and get back with her.”
This plan was not good. This plan was going to backfire. I looked at Rae, who was still trying to fight her way through the crowded dance floor and over to our table and winced. Lucas was off his rocker. Somebody was gonna get hurt.
“You’re an idiot.” I told him. I could already see there was no way to slow this train down, but I felt obligated to at least try to talk sense into Lucas.
“Actually, I’m a genius,” Lucas replied. He took a sip of his champagne. “This is my plan. Therefore, it’s a genius plan.”
Rae was looking annoyed. She’d attracted several men who clearly wanted to dance with her, but she obviously wanted none of it. She said something to a man who’d placed a hand on her arm. It was inaudible to me, but it caused the entire group to step back and then scatter. The one who touched her ran off faster than a one-legged man in a butt kicking competition.
“You know,” I told Lucas seriously, “my uncle Jimmy has a saying about geniuses.”
“Oh yeah?” Lucas wasn’t really listening to me. He was watching Rae cut through the rest of the crowd like a knife through butter.
“Yeah. He told me one time that he’d met a few geniuses in his life. The problem, according to him, was that outside of their realm of expertise, most geniuses were so dumb that they couldn’t pour piss out a boot with the instructions written on the heel.”
Lucas smirked. “Thanks, but I’m not sure your uncle Jimmy’s hillbilly wisdom applies here. Don’t worry about me, Cole. I’ve got this all figured out.”
Sure you do, Lucas. Sure you do.
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Coming Soon: Lie With Me
Special Teaser
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Special Teaser - Lie With Me
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“I don’t feel so good.”
Cliff didn’t look good, either. In fact, he looked awful. My boss’ round face was always ruddy, but right now he was puffy, beet red, and his ordinarily beady eyes were bulging out of his swollen eye sockets. Throughout the short drive downtown from the Austin airport, he’d only been getting puffier, itchier, redder, and grumpier. I was starting to get genuinely worried about him.
“I think you’re having an allergic reaction to that bee sting,” Annie said from the backseat. This was the third time she’d said it, and I was fairly sure she was right.
Cliff dug his thick fingers beneath his collar, scratching at the hives that were spreading over every inch of visible skin. He loosened the tie that had grown too tight around his neck.
“I wonder if I might be having an allergic reaction,” he mumbled as if he’d just had some kind of spontaneous insight. “What kind of rental car company lets their cars be infested with fucking bees?”
Infested was probably a stretch. There was a bee. One. It probably flew in the open window looking for a sugary taste of Cliff’s soda. Cliff just happened to be unlucky enough to swallow it—or attempt to swallow and then spit it out—getting stung on the inside of his mouth in the process.
I made eye contact with Annie through the rearview mirror. Her expression was more uncertain than offended by Cliff’s blatant, casual misogyny. For once, I was willing to excuse it, too. Although the joke in the office among my female coworkers was that Cliff was so named because his mother took one look at him when he was born and wanted to jump off one, I’d never seen him like this. He was often obnoxious, and generally dismissive of women’s ideas, but not usually totally unreasonable when we were obviously right.
“I think we should get you to an emergency room just to rule out anything serious,” I said, attempting a reasonable tone.
Cliff harrumphed. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped at me. “I’ll be fine in a second. We can’t be late to this meeting. But why is it so hot in here? You girls always want it to be so damn hot.”
“I’m not hot,” Kyle volunteered from the backseat. That earned him a glare from Cliff.
It wasn’t hot. If anything, the car was cooler than comfortable. Cliff cranked up the air conditioner anyway. He was sweating profusely, and he’d begun wheezing a bit with every breath.
I was driving us to a preliminary meeting with a new target company. This was a crucial meeting, and the first of many in which would try to convince our target that he wanted to sell his business to us after letting us investigate every square inch of it. Since I was the second most senior person here, Kyle and Annie, the technical members of our evaluation team, were looking to me to do something about Cliff.
In my three years working for the Azure Group, I’d never led an onsite acquisition team before. I’d worked my way up to second in command, however, and I was well aware that my only chance of moving up further was by replacing Cliff or someone like him. As hard as Cliff was to work with, however, and despite my boundless ambition, I had no desire to take his place because he’d died from a simple bee sting. Still, I sensed that a battlefield promotion might be near.
And that wasn’t the only thing near. “We’re here,” I told the group. I put the car in park in front of The Lone Star Lounge and turned to Cliff. “You need to go to emergency room,” I ordered him. “You’re not well. You can’t meet with the client like this.”
Cliff, who was fighting a coughing spell, shook his head furiously. His mouth framed an obvious “no” but no sound escaped, even after his coughing sputtered to an end. When he finally did manage to make a noise, it was a small panicked wheeze. He clutched at his throat in a panic.
Shit.
I’d seen “My Girl”. I knew how this ended. Not willing to waste another second, I threw my door open and prepared to sprint across the parking lot.
God dammit Cliff. Don’t you fucking die you pompous, chauvinistic pig. Not before you recommend me for a promotion.
“Annie call 911!” I hollered over my shoulder. “Kyle get his jacket and tie off.”
“On it,” came the in unison reply.
I’d run track in high school. Even in the three-inch heels and pencil skirt I was wearing, I was fast. I dashed across the asphalt, garnering stares from other patrons who were making their way to happy hour. I threw open the door to the bar and marched into the middle of the room.
“Does anyone have an EpiPen? There’s a man in the parking lot going into anaphylactic shock. He was stung by a bee. It’s an emergency.”
I wasn’t using my inside voice, and when I want to be loud, I am loud. It comes from being a born New Yorker, telling off catcallers in a big city, and working in a heavily male-dominated business. I was no shy, retiring flower at the best of times. When
I need to be scary and pushy, I’m terrifying. As expected, the room fell instantly silent. People stared at me like I’d just announced the rapture.
Lucas Stevenson was somewhere in this bar, but I couldn’t spare more than a passing thought about this possibly being our first interaction. The tech wunderkind had created what was probably another brilliant innovation, one that the Azure Group desperately wanted to acquire. I would focus on that later. Right now, my annoying boss was potentially going to die if I didn’t make a scene. So, I would make a scene.
“Please! Anyone! I need an EpiPen!” I repeated. I stared around me at the faces of strangers, entreating them to listen. In New York, people are good at ignoring strangers, but when there’s a crisis, a real emergency, strangers will help. I prayed it was the same here in Austin, Texas.
“I have one.” The bartender, an extremely petite blonde, extended the slim injector to me.
My breath slid out in a relieved rush and I flew over to grasp it. “Thank you,” I managed.
“I can show you how to administer it, if you need me to. Did you call 911?”
“Yes, and yes. Follow me.”
The blonde and I ran back outside to where Kyle and Annie were desperately trying to assist Cliff. My trip back to the Four Runner was a lot slower than my trip from it. My new, tiny blonde friend had very short legs.
“I’m Rae Lewis,” I told her as we ran. “Thanks for your help.”
“Emma—” she panted, “Emma Greene.”
“Ok, what do I do?” I asked when we got near to Cliff. He was still in the passenger seat, clutching at his throat and obviously struggling to get enough air. His reddish color had turned a deep, ugly purple.
“Pull off the blue cap and then hold the orange end against his thigh,” Emma explained as I unwrapped the injector. “Keep it there until it clicks and then count to five.”
Kiss Me Like You Missed Me Page 23
