Chapter 3
Dalton?
I clench my teeth as recognition sets in. This is Dalton? This is the same man who reached out to me via social media to ask me to stall Lauren’s wedding? The guy who tried to hold off the security guards so Caleb could get her away?
He’s taller up close, looking like way sexier than any man has a right to be. The sunlight glints off his short black hair, and a faint breeze blows through to ruffle it a bit, showing how thick it is. Piercing green eyes bore into me from a tanned, handsome face, but I refuse to be swayed by the masculine perfection of Caleb’s friend when he’s looking so smug.
“You what?” I snap. Arguing with him is the last thing I need to do right now, but I am too peeved to let this go.
The realization that he’s staying here worsens my attitude even more. For a visit or to get a room, I don’t know. I hope it’s the former—for an extremely short visit. Knowing he’s Caleb’s friend, though, I worry I will have to see him here again. And if I do, I won’t let him think I’m some pushover he can be a prick to. I’ve had enough with men trying to screw me over and rearrange my life.
“Stop being dramatic. I didn’t almost kill you.”
“You almost ran me off the road!”
He stalks even closer, jabbing his finger in my face. “Well, what you give is what you get.”
I slap his hand away. “You cut me off!”
“So did you!”
Leaning back and propping my hand on my hip, I try and fail to reach the calmness I learned to cultivate as a teacher. That hold-up effort to simmer down and retake control of the situation. I can achieve it when dealing with eight-year-olds, but this adult? I fail. “You cut me off first.”
“Okay, okay.” Caleb pulls Dalton’s arm, urging him to leave me alone.
Still, the jerk stares at me. Something heavy waits in his gaze, but I refuse to get curious about what he sees. What I’m showing him is how mad I am, how irked I am. And that’s the only version of me he’s welcome to.
“Let’s head inside, man.” Caleb succeeds in turning Dalton around, walking him up the porch steps and heading into the BB.
My shoulders lower as the threat leaves, but I can’t let it go.
“Why do all men have to be such jerks?” I wonder aloud.
Lauren rushes off the porch steps, arms open and mouth cracked in a wide grin. “I’m so happy you made it!”
I can’t help but grin. After witnessing her tears and anxiety about her wedding and her parents’ control, seeing my friend so free and gleeful erases the remnants of my argument with Caleb.
“Barely. He seriously almost ran me off the road,” I say, determined to have the last word somehow. Just because he’s out of sight doesn’t mean it’s over.
Grabbing her up in a big hug, we giggle and cling to each other. Despite realizing Caleb’s friend is a jerk, I am happy to be here. I’m glad to see Lauren again and to finally have a chance to get out of my car.
“Long drive?” she asks as she holds me at arm’s length.
Yeah, but especially the last road up here.I sigh and nod. “Very long.”
“Then let’s get you inside where you can, uh, freshen up.”
When she winces at my muddy jeans, I glower at the house. “Yes. Let’s.”
She smiles and leads me toward the house. “I’ll help you get your bags in a minute. But how exactly did that happen?” She points at my jeans.
“Your other guest.”
Cringing slightly, she looks like she’s both snarling and holding back a smile at the same time. When we reach the porch, though, she brightens. “Aubrey, this is Marian, also known as my fairy godmother.”
“Hmm.” I shake her hand. “Maybe you can wave a wand over the jerk and make him behave.”
Marian smiles and nods as she shakes my hand. Silver tresses escape her low, loose bun, and I get stuck on the warm, gentle mirth in her eyes. Kind eyes. Knowing ones too. Her skin is cool and soft to the touch, but she’s not weak about greeting me.
“If only it were ever that easy,” she quips.
“No wand? Then how about a spell?”
“I do have a guest who reads tarot cards after dinner,” Marian says as she leads us inside.
“Okay, we’re not doing that,” Lauren argues.
“I agree.” Marian shrugs. “Too risky.”
“And I’m sure he’s just as cranky as you are for the same reasons: the long drive gets to the best of us.”
Marian arched a brow. “Us? You and Caleb jetted over on his plane!”
“But I first rode here on a bus, and that trip seemed to take forever.”
I pat Lauren’s forearm, eager to put those memories in the past. The less we speak of her first escape, the better. “I am beat from the drive. Especially in my old car.”
“Old?” Marian asks as she leads us up the stairs. “I saw the trunk open as you walked up. They didn’t make those fancy features in old cars.”
I bite back a groan. The bungees didn’t hold, then.
“At any rate, welcome, Aubrey,” Marian says formally once we reach a gorgeous bedroom on the second floor.
“Thanks, Marian,” I tell her as I step inside. The walls are painted a dark peach with white trim, and with the white comforter on the bed, I feel like I’ve stepped into an elegant dollhouse. “I’m so excited to be here.”
“I love this room. Closet’s over there, And you’ve got your own bath,” Lauren says as she reaches for a doorknob.
“Wait. Wrong one, honey,” Marian tells her with a giggle as Lauren backs up and goes to another door.
I frown, taking in the three doors. One for the closet, the second that Lauren is opening shows a small bath, but the third? “What’s that one for?”
“It’s an old connector,” Marian explains. “It leads to the…Oh.”
I furrow my brow even further when Lauren winces. “Leads to…?”
“Leads directly to another guest,” Marian says.
I narrow my eyes. “Which guest?”
Lauren cranks up the wattage on a quick smile.
“Dalton?” I guess. I roll my eyes, unamused. Just my damn luck.
“Sorry,” Marian says. “As soon as rooms open up, you can move if you’d like.”
I hold up my hand, hating this feeling that I’m being difficult. “No. No. I’ll make do. It’s fine.”
And what is fine, again?
“Once I unpack I won’t want to repack and shift around, besides, this really is a gorgeous room.” I smile at the two women and appreciate their welcome. I truly do, and I’ve got to get my head out of my ass about my arrival. So, Dalton is a jerk. Even if he’s right next door, I don’t have to pay attention to him.
Later, though, as I unpack, I realize how challenging this will be.
The shared, connecting door opens and Dalton steps into my room. I pause at the unexpected intrusion and drop my panties. Of course, I had to be unpacking those right when he burst in.
His gaze drops to the floor and his brows shoot up. I glare at him until he looks back up at me.
“Get out.”
“I was just looking—”
“Shut the door,” I order.
With a sigh, he does. But then from behind the closed door, he calls out, “Just an FYI, there’s no lock on it.”
“Of course not!” I retort. Because that’s just the way my life is now. I growl and grab the chair positioned in the corner. After dragging it over, I shove it toward the door and test that it’s secure against the knob. “There.”
His chuckle lifts through the air and I seethe. My cheeks warm and I glance in the mirror, seeing the blush spread faster. He’s already getting to me. All I wanted was some peace, and now this guy is butting in and getting in the way of anything resembling serenity.
As soon as I’m finished unpacking, Lauren returns in a hurry. I heard Dalton’s door open and close earlier, and I’m glad he’s not next door. Knowing he’s farther away helps, and I wonder how long I’ll have to play this weird game of avoiding him.
“We’re all going into town for dinner,” she announces.
“All?” I jerk my thumb in the direction of Dalton’s room, and she nods.
I exhale a long breath and shrug. “I could eat.” I refuse to let him ruin my entire time here. At the hopeful look of excitement on Lauren’s face before she takes off, I feel crummy to be so antagonistic. She doesn’t deserve the residue of my sourness.
It looks like I can’t escape him, so I’ll have to tough it out.
I put on a cute, summery dress and spend a little extra time perfecting my makeup. I prefer to go light with cosmetics, but tonight, I go bold with more color to make my blue eyes really pop against my long black hair. I look flirty, and when I realize it, I grimace at my reflection.
“I’m so not getting dressed up for him,” I whisper before I leave my room.
He is on my mind. It’s impossible to forget about him after the way he treated me thus far. But that’s no reason to try to attract him.
It’s just because I’m mad at him. He’s only on my mind because he’s a jerk. He’s nothing but a rich jerk with a chip on his shoulder.
Just when I almost convince myself I’m not putting extra effort into my outfit because of him, I get a look at the tall man at Caleb’s truck.
Yeah, a rich jerk who’s nice to look at, at least.
I sigh, wishing I could turn off the instant way I notice him so much. I try my best to ignore him, and I don’t turn and acknowledge him with a single glance as I climb into the back of Caleb’s truck. Lauren’s already seated in the front, chattering away, but once we’re all inside, I struggle to hear and pay attention to a single word she says.
Dalton has to sit right next to me back here. Although the cab is roomy, he’s larger than life. I can’t ignore his cologne, the warmth from his body. He’s just there, but I stare ahead, paying attention only to my friend.
Because if I lose my cool and react to the way his hard thigh brushes against mine when he adjusts his seatbelt, I’m not sure how I’ll survive.
Yeah, I’m fine.
Not.