A tiny flutter of nerves took over, and I tried to convince myself that it had nothing to do with Jamison.
Zach’s eyes widened as he looked past me. “This is not going to be good,” he said quietly.
I twisted around. The horrid older brother, Reeve, was standing in the food line with the same squishy faced girl tucked beneath his arm. People were making fools of themselves trying to be nonchalant and all the while being anything except nonchalant. Then the younger brother walked in dragging a girl by the hand and cussing out his brother for parking in a mud hole. The onlooker’s feigned looks of indifference turned to shock.
As annoyed as I was that they’d shown up uninvited, I still caught myself looking toward the front gate to see if Jamison had come with them. But he wasn’t there. He seemed to want little to do with his brothers. Or maybe I was just hoping that was true.
Someone must have alerted Gertie that unwanted guests had arrived. She came scurrying out on her sandals with a pineapple shaped cup in one hand and the other hand pressed against her chest with concern. Gertie saw me and rushed over to where Zach and I were sitting.
“Oh my, I surely didn’t expect them to show up here,” Gertie said. “Should we be worried?”
I glanced over to the condiment table where the jerk was dousing his hamburger with ketchup. Then he swiped his finger through it and wiped it across the girl’s skin along the low cut line of her tank top. She laughed loudly, and he bent over to lick it off.
“Oh my,” Gerite said again. “What should we do?”
“Hide the ketchup?” Zach suggested.
I smiled. “I think if we ignore them, they’ll get bored and leave.” Of course I had no idea if it was possible to ignore them. Their whole purpose in coming here was to be noticed, and they would probably put on a good show to make sure it happened.
Poor Gertie looked pale with stress. I placed my hand on hers. “Relax, Gertie. Why don’t you go back inside and find Mimi.”
“That’s a good idea. She always knows how to calm me when my nerves are frazzled.” Gertie left just as the Freely gang decided to take a seat at our table. The bench creaked as Reeve sat down next to me. He smirked down at me.
“You’re not going to scare me away, if that was your intent.” I took a chip from my plate and ate it.
He laughed and then tossed a piece of lettuce at Zach. “Scram, leprechaun boy.”
I could see Zach clench his jaw, and I worried that he might tear up but he didn’t.
I glared up at the ass. “It’s better to be small than a giant bag of useless shit like you.” Zach stood and left. My instincts told me he was pissed that I’d spoken up to defend him.
“Why don’t you follow your little pal? We’re using the table now.”
“Why don’t you go to hell,” I said. One shove with his massive arm and I flew off the end of the bench but managed not to fall. The girls at the table laughed. I glanced around and saw looks of concern. For Gertie’s sake, I decided not to make a scene. It took all of my will to walk away.
“Hey, barbecue man, this hamburger tastes like crap,” Reeve called from the table. I turned back just as he threw his entire plate on the ground. Mike slammed down his spatula, but several of the other men stopped him from confronting Reeve.
I walked up to Mike. “Your hamburgers are perfect. He’s trying to cause a stir. Just ignore him.” I glanced up to the sky wishing that a giant storm cloud would blow through to put an end to the night, but it was crystal clear.
Loud laughter erupted from the table. Gertie had apparently seen the plate being thrown to the ground. She pushed out of the auditorium door and raced over to pick up the trash. As she dropped it into the trash can, he threw another plate on the ground then turned back to the table. Gertie looked as if she might break into sobs.
I’d had enough. I picked up the giant ketchup bottle and stomped toward the table, but five steps into my assault, large fingers took hold of my arm and swung me around. I looked up into Jamison’s face. He took the ketchup from my hand and returned it to the table.
“Why are you always stopping me?”
“Because for some reason, you have deluded yourself into thinking that you can take on my brother.”
I wrenched my arm free. Mike and several other men walked over to us. “Echo, is everything all right?”
Jamison put out his hand. “Sir, how’s it going? I’m Jamison Freely.”
Mike shook his hand but with suspicion. “This is a town party, Mr. Freely. We don’t want any trouble.”
“Yes, Sir, I understand.”
I walked away but Jamison followed closely at my heels. “Dance with me.”
I opened the door and he followed me inside. The sound system was impressively loud. Mimi looked up from the bingo table. She flashed me a smile and went back to her game card.
“I don’t dance. Especially with Freelys.” I stopped and turned to him not realizing that his gaze would have any effect on me. It took me a second to find my words. “Shouldn’t you be outside making sure that your brothers don’t set fire to something?”
“Probably.” Unexpectedly, he took my hand, and even though my first instinct was to grab it from him, I let it stay wrapped in his huge fingers. We stared at each other for a long moment. He was about to say something when a shrill voice came from behind me.
“Coco!” In an instant, Jeanette was standing next to us smiling up at Jamison. She noticed he was holding my hand and cast a sly scowl my way. “Coco, why don’t you introduce me to your friend?”
I looked around pointedly. “I don’t see him. Besides, you already know Zach.”
She laughed flirtatiously and stuck out her hand. Jamison was forced to drop mine. “I’m Jeanette but friends call me Jeannie. And I would love to dance.”
“That’s perfect because Jamison wants to dance.” I winked at him and used it as my chance to escape.
Zach was nowhere in sight. I knew his feelings and pride had been hurt badly, and I’d stepped in to defend him without thinking. I hoped he wasn’t too mad at me. I wandered down the long hallway that led to the back room where we’d stored extra food. Hiding out for awhile seemed like a good idea. I was halfway down the empty, dark hall when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around. A massive silhouette filled the space.
“I thought you were dancing,” I said smugly.
The figure stepped forward and I gasped. It was not Jamison.
As Reeve’s feet moved forward, mine scooted back. His stride was longer than mine and he caught up instantly. He took hold of my arms and pressed me against the wall. His breath smelled like beer as his face neared mine. “Ahh, were you expecting my brother? Too bad. I guess he’s found someone more to his liking.” He leaned closer as if he might kiss me, and I wriggled in his grasp but it only made him tighten his already painful hold on me. He licked his bottom lip. “I like a chick with a little fight. Makes everything more fun-- if you know what I mean.”
“I would rather kiss a pig’s ass than let my lips come anywhere near yours.”
His grip tightened more and I winced from the pain.
“That could be arranged.” With his powerful grip on my arms, he lifted me and my feet dangled in the air.
Suddenly, the hall lights flashed on. “Release her now.” Mimi was standing ten feet away with her hands on her hips. As petite as my grandmother was, she always had a huge presence. She scowled at Reeve and slowly, he lowered me and let go of my arms.
“Now, you and your guests need to leave this party. You were not invited and you’re no longer welcome.” I could feel the heat of anger radiate off of the giant standing in front of me, but he headed down the hallway without another word.
I walked over to where Mimi was standing, and we watched Reeve push through the crowd and slam out the door. Jamison looked up as his brother walked thr
ough then he frantically glanced around the room. “That boy’s looking for you,” Mimi said. “And he looks a bit worried.”
“Let him worry,” I said. “So how did you get him to listen to you?”
Mimi laughed. “If he’d had a tail, I guess it would have been tucked between his legs, wouldn’t it have? I just used my mother tone.”
“Mother tone?”
She nodded and took my hand to walk me out of the hallway. “Yes, every woman has one. Don’t forget, every man no matter how big or how stupid, at one point they were someone’s little boy.”
“Not that guy. He was spawned from the underworld of evil.”
Mimi kissed my cheek. “I’m going back to the bingo table. Why don’t you join me?” Jamison was across the dance floor when he spotted me. “No thanks, Mimi. I think I’ll just hang out on the bleachers and wait for Zach to come by.”
“Where is Zach? I haven’t seen him all night.”
“He got his feelings hurt by that thick-headed brute, and I owe him an apology too.”
Mimi placed her hand on my cheek. “I’m sure you’ll make everything right. I promised Gertie I’d stay a bit longer but then we can go home. We’ve got an early start in the morning.” Jamison was walking toward us. Mimi smiled back at me. “Don’t be too hard on this one. He’s smitten.” With that she walked away.
I turned and headed to the bleachers and Jamison followed.
“You know you don’t have to try so hard with Jeanette,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“Your dad has already bagged that deal. Her parents have already sold out.” I climbed to the middle of the bleachers and sat down. He stood in front of me with that expression that always did a number on me.
“I don’t care about my dad’s business dealings or Jeanine or whatever the hell her name is.” He looked at me and his throat moved up and down. “I care about you, Echo. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you stole my wave.”
“You stole my wave and please stop thinking about me.” It took courage for me to say it but it took even more courage not to look away from the hurt in his expression. “You and your brothers need to stay away from me. If you’re going to buy up this town then so be it, but leave me the hell alone.”
His long lashes drifted down but then his face lifted quickly. He stepped closer and touched my arm. “Are these finger prints from Reeve? I saw him storming out of here.” His eyes widened. “Did my brother hurt you?” His expression of anguish quickly flashed into white hot anger.
I hugged myself against a sudden chill that swept across the bleachers. My arms were tender where Reeve had grabbed me. Zach was standing by the exit looking sad and lonely. “Please, Jamison, just leave me alone.”
He stood there for a moment longer then walked down the bleacher steps and out the door of the auditorium. I swallowed back the dry feeling in my throat. I’d flung some harsh words at him and deep down I hadn’t meant any of them.
Zach saw me sitting on the bleachers, and I waved weakly back at him and sent him a smile that I hoped he would return. He stuck his hands deep into his pockets and headed out the doors. What a night. Usually this evening was painfully dull, but this year it was just painful.
I sat for the longest time with my arms wrapped around me hoping that Mimi would lose enough bingo to decide it was time to leave. Zach had not come back inside the auditorium, and I thought it was time for me to find him and apologize. We never stayed mad at each other long. The night temperature had dropped dramatically, and aside from a few people hovering around the warmth of the barbecue, most people had either left or gone inside. The brothers and their minion were nowhere in sight. Mimi was amazing. It was improbable to think that her scolding had scared away Reeve Freely, but he seemed to have left the party without further incident. And Jamison must have left with them. He seemed genuinely hurt by my words tonight, but it was hard to believe that it would last long. He was probably already on to his next conquest and that thought actually pained me, another good reason why giving him the brush off was a smart idea. The last thing I needed was to become hung up on Jamison Freely.
“Mike, have you seen Zach?” I asked.
“I think I saw him walk out the gate. I’m just glad those other boys left.”
“Me too.” I headed to the parking lot figuring Zach had decided to sit the rest of the night out in his mom’s car. I could hear loud radio music blaring as I reached the lot. Reeve’s big truck was parked across three spots. Unfortunately, they had not left completely.
Reeve’s massive body was leaning against the side of the truck with a girl on each side of him drinking beers. The jeep was still in the lot too. The lighting was not terrific in the school parking lot, but I could see Jamison sitting on his bumper with a girl standing between his legs facing him. He got over heartbreak even faster than I would have expected. At least I no longer had to worry that I’d made the wrong decision.
I found Zach’s car but it was empty. I decided to head back inside before any of the Freelys spotted me, but then something caught my eye. Zach was in the parking lot after all. He was standing in the bed of Reeve’s truck gulping a beer.
My first instinct was to race over and pull him away from the truck, but he’d been so pissed at me about coming to his defense at the table, he would probably never speak to me again if I interfered with him now.
Reeve threw another beer up to him and he popped it open. The light was out over the front steps to the auditorium, so I walked over and sat down. I would just watch from a distance to make sure nothing happened to Zach. It was my only choice. Several times I peeked over at Jamison. He was kissing the girl, and it was really hard to watch.
Zach laughed loudly as he climbed clumsily over the side of the truck bed. He took a couple of faltering steps backward before regaining his balance. The others laughed too, but I knew they were laughing at him-- not with him. I had no idea what had prompted him to make this horrid decision.
A girl’s giggle floated over from the jeep, but I could not bear to look that way. This night was slowly deteriorating into a complete nightmare. Reeve’s chilling laughter filled the night air. He was holding a beer just out of Zach’s reach. Zach was jumping like a trained monkey trying to get to it. They were laughing at him, and I wanted to throw up. I badly wanted to march over there, grab his hand, and drag him away, but I didn’t want to make things worse.
“Damn it!” Reeve yelled. “You jumped on my foot, you little idiot.” Reeve’s big arm shot out and he shoved Zach. The impact sent Zach flying into the side of the next car. I jumped up and ran toward the truck, but thankfully, Jamison beat me there. Reeve had not finished with Zach yet. He picked up Zach by the foot and hung him upside-down in the air. Jamison grabbed Zach before Reeve dropped him to the ground.
I reached them as Jamison gently lowered Zach to his feet. He held Zach’s arm a second so he could steady himself.
“Look who’s come to your rescue again, mini man,” Reeve snarled.
This time Zach didn’t look upset by my interference. He had a cut on his head and blood was dripping down his cheek and pooling on the shoulder of his t-shirt. He shot me a look that said please get me out of here. I took hold of his hand and peered up momentarily at Jamison. The anguish I’d seen in his face earlier, after I’d told him to leave me alone, had returned.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
I pulled Zach away. I glared at Reeve as we passed him. “Drop dead, you ass.”
Zach stumbled behind. “Slow down, Coco. I’m going to be sick.”
I twisted around. “Good. I hope you feel like crap for the next three days.”
Zach’s face paled and his chin dropped to his chest. “I know. I’m an idiot.”
I placed my arm around his shoulder. “Yes, but you’re my
favorite idiot. Just give me warning so you don’t puke on my shoes. I’ll text your mom and tell her you’re staying with us tonight. Then she won’t have a stroke about the fact that you are flat-faced drunk.”
“You’re the best friend an idiot could have, Coco.”
Chapter 10
Jamison
Sunlight was already seeping through the blinds in my room, and I could hear Reeve’s friends packing up to leave, but I had no urge to get up or see them off. I was glad they were leaving. After Echo had made it unbearably clear that she wanted nothing to do with me, I’d stupidly started downing beers and before I knew it I was making out with Courtney. The moment I came face to face with Echo in the parking lot as she’d come to the aid of her friend, I’d regretted both of my decisions. I wasn’t completely sure how long she’d been in the parking lot watching us but I was sure she’d seen enough to turn her off completely. Not that there was much left to blow. She hated my guts, and it was hard to blame her. I needed to get out of this town soon or go mad. Unfortunately, I doubted I could talk Matt into leaving any time soon.
Matt’s hand slapped the door. “You’d better get your ass out of bed before Reeve eats all the cinnamon rolls himself.”
A familiar, mouth-watering fragrance floated beneath my door. I hopped out of bed and pulled on my trunks. My head and stomach felt like crap but I was pretty sure I could down one of those cinnamon rolls without too much problem.
Reeve was leaning over the kitchen counter licking his fingers. He reached for another roll but I grabbed it first. “That was mine.”
I ran my tongue over the icing and held it toward him. His lip curled up in disgust. “Good thing,” I said, “cause I had no intention of sharing it with you.”
Matt’s eyes were closed as he savored every bite of the pastry. “Damn, these are good.” He opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey, remember that ice cream shop Mom and Dad used to take us to on our birthdays?”
“Charlie’s Ice Cream Palace.” Reeve had resorted to licking the tip of his finger and dabbing at the crumbs in the box. “They used to have that giant ice cream platter with a scoop of every flavor on it, and the waitresses would sing as they carried it out.”