Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Marcus
I couldn’t have told you the last time my little brother had gotten the best of me. From the time we were kids until now, we’d had each other’s backs.
With the exception of Hallie Cairns.
Somehow, she’d always managed to come between us in one way or another.
I was well aware I was a part of my brother’s bridal party; I’d been given my marching orders to get fitted for my suit months ago. The fact I hadn’t been asked to be Julian’s best man may or may not have chipped at my ego, but I’d risen above it.
I’m a busy guy who loves his brother, and I was happy to be a part of his day however he saw fit.
Having shown up to dinner tonight, though, only to end up seated beside Hallie was one for the books. It didn’t surprise me when she’d spent most of the evening avoiding having to speak to me or acknowledge my presence in general. The few times she’d looked at me so far made it glaringly obvious that I wasn’t worth the ground she walked on. The call I’d received from her father earlier today simply cemented it.
As she looks down at her phone, Hallie’s blond hair falls down around her face in messy waves. The younger version had kept it shoulder-length and pinned back, wary of parental disapproval. No matter the ambivalence I have toward her now, I can’t help but bait her to see her flare up in reaction. She might have her reasons to be angry, but I’m not the same boy she’d left behind.
“So, what is it you do now, Hallie?” I ask, honestly curious to know what she’d run off to do with her life.
She stills next to me as if evaluating whether or not she’s actually required to give an answer. Dropping her phone back in her bag, she moves her delicate fingers to tuck her hair behind her ear. It’s a habit I know she’s tried to break for years, and I take some pleasure in knowing she still hasn’t managed it.
She catches my gaze on her hand, eyes moving to the small, sardonic smile on my lips, before a glare sets onto her pretty face.
I get a small thrill from the reaction. The fire in her eyes aims to take me down, but I’m not going anywhere.
“I steadily avoid answering questions to men that I don’t want to give my time to. It doesn’t pay well, but the internal gratification is worth it.” Her eyes are heated on mine, her tone as sarcastic and dry as I could’ve possibly hoped for.
I don’t know where she gets off thinking she’s the only person allowed to be unhappy at this table, but I can play the game too. Especially now that we have no choice but to spend time together.
“Nice to see you haven’t lost any of your charm, Hal. Will you manage to find a date to bring along to the wedding?”
It’s a cheap shot, and I know it. From the expression on Julian’s face across the table, he caught it too. I don’t bother looking at Erica. I’ll hear about this showdown from her at some point tonight. She and Jules might not be married yet, but Erica’s been family since the day she walked through our door.
“No, actually. I find I don’t need another person to provide validation in my life. I can’t imagine that’s something you’d understand, though. How will you manage to pick just one date for the event?” Hallie asks, eyes earnestly wide with fake concern. Apparently, my comments about sleeping with all the bridesmaids hit a nerve.
I shift my chair back, relaxing into it to feign thoughtfulness. “I guess I could get them to flip coins? Maybe I could call the girls over and play a few rounds of rock, paper, scissors.”
Hallie claps her hands in mock excitement. “Maybe you could get them to draw straws? Shortest straw really does lose in this case. Please do let the unlucky lady know I’d be happy to buy her a drink and provide some intellectual relief on the night.”
My chair creaks beneath me as I pivot myself farther in her direction. “Happy to provide her some relief? I’d be eager to watch if you’re offering.”
The table is silent, and I wonder if I’ve pushed too far, but no, Hal is here for another round.
“You missed a word there, Marcus—‘intellectual.’ I know it’s bigger than the words you normally use, and it requires the one organ you don’t seem to work out as often as you should.” Hallie scoffs. “Intellectual relief. The one thing any date of yours is even less likely to get than long-term commitment.”
A nasty sting lances through me at those particular words. One point to Hallie for landing that intended blow. Without another word, she moves her chair back, grabs her handbag, and heads toward the ladies’ restroom.
I tap my beer bottle against the tabletop, unable to figure out if I’m raging mad or incredibly turned on.
“Marcus Scott. So, you are a massive asshole,” says Erica, astonishment coating each word leaving her mouth. “I’d wondered since meeting you if Hallie could actually be correct in this image she painted of you, and I honestly can’t believe she was right. The two of you might as well have just hate-fucked each other on the table.”
Honestly, I’d forgotten she and Julian were even here.
“That’s enough from you,” Julian says pointedly to Erica. “Neither of them need that particularly helpful suggestion. And as for you”—he swings his gaze to mine before gesturing toward the restrooms—“would you go fix this before she decides to leave and never come back?”
“Your wish is my command, little brother,” I reply with a small, two-fingered salute.
Standing up, I’m grateful the semi I sprouted during our banter had disappeared as soon as Hallie left the table. I make my way into the dimly lit hallway and lean up against the wall, making it my prerogative to not actually apologize because I’m not sorry. Not at all.
She might be pissed, but it’s the most fun I’ve had in ages.
Hallie opens the bathroom door, her lips once again the dark crimson they’d been when I’d first arrived.
“Is it your aim to always have your lips match your shoes?” I gesture down to the dark red boots on her feet.
“Is it your aim to always sound like an asshole each and every time you open your mouth?” she quips as if sarcastic barbs live on the very tip of her ridiculously sharp tongue.
It makes me want to bite it.
I laugh, a genuine smile finding its way to my face. “Only when I speak to you.”
Hallie doesn’t smile at me. “Finally an answer I can agree with.” She tilts her head to the side, considering me. “What are you doing back here anyway?”
She hasn’t moved from the doorframe of the restroom, leaving it safe for her to head back in and lock the door on me at any point. I don’t pose that sort of threat, but I’m glad to see she’s unwilling to risk it.
I don’t move from my position on the wall, keeping my arms crossed in front of me, right where she can see them. I might be here to antagonize, but I’m not here to be a creep in a secluded space.
“I’ve been told to come back here and make amends.”
“And how do you think you’re doing so far?”
Her question is posed in a tone of disbelief, and I love the sound of it.
“Not well, actually. I don’t have it in me to apologize for something I’m not sorry for.”
“Well, that’s something I’m more than aware of, so if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to the table to get on with this shit show of a night.”
I shrug. “Okay then. I just thought I’d make sure I hadn’t hurt your feelings too much.”
This gets me a laugh from her, but I regret it instantly as it sounds hollow.
Unlike the fire in the banter from only moments ago, this sound is ice.
“No, Marcus, I don’t think you’ll be hurting my feelings. Now, how about you lead the way outta here, and I’ll go smile at my best friends like there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with the three of you tonight?”
I eye her, taking in the bland expression falling over her features.
“What, you don’t trust me at your back?”
“No, I don’t trust you won’t put a metaphorical knife straight through it.”
“The cold climate in Scotland really did put a chill in you, didn’t it?” I turn and lead us back out into the bustling dining area.
I catch Hallie still momentarily from the corner of my eye, and I smile at the confirmation received.
“You have no idea,” she mutters as she follows behind.
Generally speaking, if I were at a meal as awkward as this, I’d already have my car keys in hand, the obvious jingling providing the worldwide signal of “I’m ready to leave.”
Instead, the four of us sit in silence. I don’t feel uncomfortable, not in the slightest, but I’m not oblivious to the tension.
Softly at first, but growing in volume, a rock song plays beside me. Hallie fumbles in the handbag on her lap. Who even has personalized ringtones anymore? Or keeps their phone on loud, for that matter. Apparently, someone who’s also looking to make a quick exit.
Pulling out her phone, Hallie doesn’t immediately silence it like I thought she would. Instead, she smiles and excuses herself, picking up the call and heading for the exit. She leaves her bag sitting on the seat beside me, passport poking out, dismissing my theory that she’d staged an emergency call to get her out of here.
Shame.
I glance at her passport again, tempted to borrow it. She wouldn’t be able to leave again without it.
“Brother-in-law-to-be, are you sure you don’t want to tell me what crawled up your ass and died tonight?” Erica’s tone is syrupy sweet as it floats across the table once Hallie is out of sight.
Julian laughs gruffly when I don’t answer straightaway.
“Nothing, Erica.”
“Then what’s with the display this evening?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking of asking you two the same question. You really thought it was a good idea to put Hallie and me together in an enclosed space?”
“Well, we had to trial it before the wedding. Couldn’t have the two of you spontaneously combust on the day,” Julian says.
“Oh no, we couldn’t have that now, could we? Not that I’m ungrateful you want me there, but shit, you had to ask Hallie to be maid of honor?”
“Yes. I had to ask Hallie. She’s our best friend.” Erica’s words land, and I can’t help but feel the bite of the admission.
I swallow, the statement leading into a small moment of silence. “Well, the least you could have done was give me a heads-up.”
This is a bullshit line, and I know it. Having the knowledge would’ve done more harm than good.
“What, you think Hallie would’ve shown up if she knew you’d be here? She would’ve rather walked across hot coals. And you, tell me—who would’ve you brought as a surprise date if you’d known in advance she was going to be here?” asks Julian, and it’s a fair question.
Setting down my drink, I run a hand through my hair. “Bringing someone else along might’ve been a godsend, you never know. It could’ve taken the heat off the actual situation.”
“And what is the actual situation?” Erica chimes in again after having been quiet for so long.
“The actual situation is Hallie can’t stand to look at my face.”
What I don’t add is that I feel much the same way, and it’s no one’s fault but my own.
“That’s more than obvious, dipshit, but I thought you broke her heart. What are you hating on Hallie for?”
“That, sweet sister, happens to be none of your business.” I take a quick breath. “Jules, tonight won’t happen again. Hallie and I will get it together, we’ll work together, party hard when it’s called for, and after the wedding, neither of us will be left with a reason to kill the other or see each other again. We’ll go our separate ways, and that’ll be that.”
“You promise?” he asks, probably already wondering if he should be adding security and upping the insurance coverage on the wedding reception venue.
“Scout’s honor.”
Jules laughs, knowing full well neither of us was a Scout. He’s still smiling ruefully when Hallie reappears with a newfound gleam in her eye. I can’t blame myself for noticing her approach. Nearly everyone in the restaurant gave her at least a glance, and I can’t blame them either. She’s hard to ignore. Her eyes are bright, her cheeks are flushed, and I’m annoyed at the sight of her very obvious glee. I don’t care who or what caused it. I’m not interested in seeing it. She takes her seat again beside me, her body language more relaxed than it’s been all night.
“Your call seemed to put a pep in your step. Anything you want to share?” Erica asks, face lit with curiosity.
“Yeah, Hallie, with your flushed cheeks, one can’t help but think you’ve just been made real happy, real quickly,” I say, wishing I were able to keep my damn mouth shut.
I’d bet hard money that Jules wants to bang his head against the table—or at least drop his head into his hands in defeat.
Hallie’s face is no longer flushed in happiness but instead with what I can only assume is immense annoyance. “Actually, yes, Marcus, I’ve just been made really happy, really quickly, not that I’m sure you have much experience in making a woman happy, quickly or otherwise,” she says, brows raised in disdain. “I can see why you’d be tempted to question it.”
Julian holds up a hand to stop me from replying, his brows raised in disappointed teacher mode. “Before the two of you start to get into a discussion I’m not going to want to be a part of, let me remind you of the good behavior you just promised me.”
There isn’t a chance for anyone else to open their mouth and respond as Julian grabs the attention of a nearby waiter. “Would you mind bringing us the check as quickly as possible?”
The waiter smiles sympathetically, taking in the mood at the table. “Family dinners always seem to go this way. I’ll be right back.”
He returns in an instant, dropping the small leather receipt holder on the table. Three hands reach for it at once.
“I’ve got it,” Julian says. “You can just transfer me your share. Prepare to tip big.”