16. Sutton #2
I’ve been to my fair share of house parties, but they don’t hold a candle to this.
Almost our whole crew is here, along with some of Greer’s neighbors I recognize, but there are a lot of faces I don’t know, especially with so many wearing masks.
I’m pretty sure I recognize Navy dressed as Catwoman talking to a man in a full-on Batman costume.
In all the time I’ve known Navy, I’ve never seen her this animated when talking to someone. Happy looks good on her.
After an hour of mingling, I step outside to get air and rest my legs. Next time I let Hunter pick the costume, I need to make sure it passes the “will be able to sit down” test. I remove my dino head and breathe a sigh of relief. The breeze is a welcome comfort to my overheated body.
I’m about to take a sip of my margarita when I see Hunter through the large windows speaking to a woman dressed as a sexy nurse.
He’s lowered the costume and has his Stetson properly situated on his head.
I can’t recognize the woman from this angle, but her perfect blonde waves and the way her laugh lingers suggest she’s someone Hunter’s known for a while.
I take a sip of my drink, my stomach twisting in a way I don’t entirely understand or enjoy. It’s just a conversation. The woman’s laugh rings out, loud and clear, even through the glass, and the way Hunter leans in—close enough to hear her over the music—stirs something sour in me.
I turn back toward the yard and stand near the firepit, determined to shake off whatever this feeling is. The last thing I need is to let my imagination run wild and for those walls I’ve managed to dismantle to rebuild themselves.
It’s just Hunter being Hunter. His charismatic personality is probably why I’ve spent years trying to keep my walls up around him. Hunter’s always been effortlessly charming, and I’d be lying if I said I never wondered if I’d measure up.
I don’t know if it’s the bet we made or the way he admitted he thinks he loved me even all those years ago.
Maybe it’s the way his hands felt when he zipped me into this ridiculous costume, or the way his voice deepens when he calls me baby girl.
Whatever it is, it’s as if I’m suddenly hyperaware of him in a way I’ve never been before.
Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve been hyperaware of Hunter since I turned fifteen. But now, with all the pretense out of the way, I’m suddenly very excited to explore whatever this is with him, but also terrified. Thoughts of what if ping-pong their way around my mind.
“Taking a breather?” Navy’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I glance over to see her sliding up next to me, margarita in hand. She’s still wearing her Catwoman mask, but her smirk is unmistakable.
“Yeah,” I say, forcing a smile. “It’s a little hot in there.”
“I’m sure sitting near the fire will definitely help with that.” She tilts her head, following my gaze toward the window. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Nurse Knockout.”
I roll my eyes, though the pang in my chest says she’s not entirely wrong. “I’m not jealous,” I say, taking another sip to distract myself. “I just didn’t think anyone he’d—”
“Slept with before you would be here?”
My stomach plummets. “Okay, yes, I’m jealous.”
“You’ve got no reason to be jealous of her,” Navy says.
“Oh yeah?” I look over my shoulder just in time to see her take his hat and put it on her own head. My vision blurs red, and suddenly I understand why cartoon characters used to steam from the ears. I turn away quickly, not wishing to see any more.
“Sutton, look at me.” Navy looks me in the eyes, suddenly serious. “You’ve known that man almost your entire life. He’s charming and handsome, and it’s not like him dating was some kind of secret.”
“It’s not about that,” I mumble, knowing I sound defensive. “It’s just . . . will I even be enough for him? I’m not fun or wildly sexy like the women he’s dated. Plus, I’ve got loads of baggage.”
“We’ve all got baggage.” Navy raises an eyebrow. “And you’ve always been Sutton. Why are you suddenly worried about being more like the women he used to date? Obviously, those relationships lacked something, figuring as he never settled down with any of them.”
Her words lift the weight from my shoulders.
She swallows the last of her drink. “What were you always hollering to Greer about? Oh, right . . . communication. Talk to him.” She walks toward the house but turns back to me.
“I just want you to be sure about dating Hunter before you truly fall for him. I’d really like to not see my best friend get her heart broken. ”
Her words linger as she saunters inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts. My gaze drifts back to the window, where Hunter is still talking to the nurse.
I almost go back inside. Almost pretend none of this is bothering me. Almost rebuild the wall brick by brick.
And then he looks at me.
The easy grin he’d been wearing falters, replaced by something sharper in his gaze, like I’m the only thing worth his attention.
He takes his hat from the nurse’s head with a smoothness that leaves no room for debate, cutting off her words, and strides toward the door with purpose.
My heart skips as he weaves through the crowd, a very determined dinosaur on a mission.
He opens the back door and tries to squeeze himself through the small doorway, which proves difficult. “Goddamn it,” he yells, eventually popping through the opening. He turns and slides the door closed. “What are you doing out here, babe?”
“Just getting some fresh air.” I inhale deeply to prove my point. “You and your friend seem to be having a good time.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Sutton Joy.” He stands next to me, his dinosaur tail leaning into mine.
“Don’t you middle name me, Hunter James.” I cross my arms and erase any emotion on my face. I’m hanging by a thread, but he doesn’t need to know that.
He inhales deeply and closes his eyes. When he opens them, he looks right at me. “She’s just a friend.”
“I’m sure,” I reply, unable to soften the edge.
He sets his hat on the nearby side table and wipes wayward hair out of his face.
“Her name is Brandi. She works in dispatch. We went out a few times, but that was almost five years ago, Sutton.”