7.Party
I looked hot. My new dress hugged my torso to highlight my best assets then flowed down to my strappy silver heels. My dark hair was curled in loose spirals and pinned so that it all cascaded down my right shoulder. My smoky eye shadow was a shimmering grey that made my eyes look intense and my lips were done in a light pink gloss. I had a black clutch purse for my phone and some money. Like I said, I looked hot.
I met up with my parents, sister, and Jared in the living room. Mom and Dad had on their Christmas best which was a nice long-sleeved, velvet blue dress for her and some dark slacks and a plaid button-up for him. Amber had on her new dress and her blonde locks were straightened and held back with a red silk ribbon. She’d accessorized with a pair of dangling silver earrings and her makeup was done in subtle colors that made her look gorgeous. Jared had on a dark suit and forest green tie. He looked like a million bucks but I was so used to him dressing fancy that I hardly took notice in him. “Wow, drool-worthy,” I said. Amber got the world’s biggest smile on her face as she headed out the door being extra careful about where she stepped.
Mom wrapped a faux fur coat around her shoulders then kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful, Baylee. And thank you so much for taking your sister shopping. You have no idea how much it means to her.”
I blushed a little. “It was no problem, Mama. I’m glad she had fun.”
My dad took my mom’s arm and led her out toward the car. The sun was still low over the horizon and there was no wind so it wasn’t all that cold as I stepped out wrapped in a pale pink shawl over my dress. Someone, probably my dad, had cleared the pathway to Mom’s Explorer so I didn’t have to worry about snow or ice. Jared followed me out and sat in the back with me and my sister. Every so often during the ride I heard him complaining that it wasn’t a limo but I wasn’t going to let his attitude spoil my evening.
We got to Christian Hope Church after only about ten minutes of driving. There were already a bunch of trucks and SUVs in the parking lot and only a handful of smaller cars. We parked next to Bobby’s familiar truck just as he and Christian were getting out. Bobby cleaned up pretty well. He was dressed pretty much the same way as my dad and was sporting a bolo tie. Christian had been riding on the passenger side and his door opened right next to mine. Holy crap, he looked good. He had a red dress shirt and white tie with green mistletoe under his sports coat and some really nice dress pants. His hat and boots were present, as usual, but the whole cowboy look made him look extremely sexy. He grinned at me through the window and opened my door like a true gentleman. “Hi, Bay.”
“Hey. Uh, thanks,” I managed to get out as I accepted his help climbing from the car. I blushed and quickly let go of his hand as soon as I was on solid ground. Okay, well, maybe not solid. My heel caught on a patch of ice and I would have gone tumbling to the ground if it weren’t for Christy’s quick reflexes. His arms instantly went around my waist.
“Whoa, Baylee. You might want to be careful walking in those shoes. With your luck, you’ll be on your ass every two seconds.”
“It wasn’t the shoes. I am perfectly capable to walk in stilettos. It was the ice,” I defended.
He let out a chuckle. “Yeah, okay.”
I was steady on my feet but Christian still didn’t let go. My heart started racing way faster than it should and a shiver ran down my spine. “Hey, are you cold? Here, take my jacket.”
I didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Jared chose that moment to make his way from his side of the car. He held out his arm for me and got ready to head in like we were on a red carpet. “C’mon, Baylee. We should get inside.”
“Huh? Oh, right. Uh, thanks for not letting me fall, Christy.”
He shot me a half smile. “I’d never let you fall, Buggy.”
The way my face was heating up I didn’t have to worry about the cold anymore. I pressed myself more firmly to Jared. Sure, he wasn’t perfect, but he was mine. He was real and our relationship wasn’t something that I had to fantasize about. It was work but there was nothing that Jared could do that could actually hurt me. I’d learned long ago that Christian was another story entirely.
The party was already in full swing. There were probably 80 people already, families that had owned their ranches for generations and had been permanent fixtures in my life growing up. There were men talking about horses, races and jumping competitions coming up and who to look out for. Women talked about their kids and gossiped about everything. Little kids ran around with each other, some digging into the junk food laid out and some trying to sneak behind the curtain that acted as a stage to see the pile of presents that would be distributed later. Teenagers talked and flirted and I saw a girl that I used to babysit in the corner making out with some boy. I rolled my eyes and really hoped that I hadn’t looked that desperate when I was younger.
The rest of my family walked in soon after. Bobby had escorted Amber in but the second she was in the church’s gymnasium, she pulled away from him and grabbed my hand. “We’re going to go mingle,” she called over her shoulder as she started dragging me into the middle of the floor.
“What the hell was that about?”
“You know how protective Bobby gets and Christian’s nearly as bad. They’d never let me have a real conversation with a guy without causing trouble. But I don’t think I can go on my own. Please come with me, Baylee?”
“Um, sure. But can you tell me where we’re going?”
She pointed to where a group of guys clustered. They all looked maybe a year or two younger than I was and I vaguely recognized some of them from the race track or the high school football team. Her eyes were trained on the tallest of the group. He was cute, I guess, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes and an easy smile. He’d been a Sophomore my Senior year and had been quarterback for the varsity football team. “That’s Graham,” she whispered dreamily. “I’ve known him forever but recently we’ve really started to hit it off. At least, I think we have. I need help.”
“Wait, I thought you liked Christy.”
A giggle escaped her lips. “Christy? Eww, no. We flirt and stuff but that’s it. He’s like my brother and besides, he’s totally in love with this other girl. So will you help me with Graham or not?”
I shrugged. “Sure. Let’s go.”
“Wait. Now?”
I didn’t give her a chance to chicken out as I pulled her toward the men. “Hey, how’s it going tonight?” I asked in my most cheerful voice. “Great party, huh?”
A couple of them went slack jawed and one of them had the stupidest look on his face. Graham smiled politely at me but his gaze quickly went to my sister. “Hey, I know you,” one of them said with a goofy grin. “You’re Baylee Cooper, right? You were one seriously badass horse trainer.”
I let out a silvery laugh. “That’s right. But that was so long ago. I came to party so I think I’ll leave the horse talk to my twin, Bobby.”
“That’s too bad,” the guy said.
“Anyway,” I replied quickly trying to get away from the subject that was suddenly making my stomach tighten, “have you guys met my sister Amber? I think you would have all gone to school together.”
“I remember,” one of the gawkers said. “You were a cheerleader. Damn, you were hot.”
Graham had still said nothing so I figured it was time to get him involved in the conversation. “I remember you. Graham, right? I think you played football. You know, I could never understand that sport, to be honest. Amber used to play when she was younger, though.”
His emerald eyes brightened. “You did?”
My sister blushed bright pink but it made her look even more adorable. “I was in the peewee league when I was like eleven or twelve. I was never as good as you, of course.”
Graham grinned. “I’m sure you were. To tell you a secret, I had to practice every day. Why’d you quit?”
Amber laughed. “Puberty hit. Getting tackled and catching a football started to hurt a little more after that.”
&n
bsp; Graham started to laugh right along with her. “Well that’s too bad. Hey, do you want to go get some punch or something? I hear Mrs. Wilcox made it extra sweet this year.”
Her eyes lit up. Well that was easy. “Sure. Uh, Baylee, do you mind if I ditch you?”
“Of course not. I’d better go find Jared and make him dance with me. I’ll see you two later.” I winked as he held out his arm for her and she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.
I made my way back toward the entrance but found Jared sitting at a table with my parents. “Hey. Let’s dance,” I ordered. He was a little hesitant to dance but we’d been to enough big parties that he knew I would get my way. He followed me to the dance floor as a slow song came on and put his arms around my waist as I rested my head on his shoulder. His touch was familiar but maybe not exactly a comfort, like my three-inch wedges that I’d broken in so that I wouldn’t fall on my face anymore but that still hurt my feet if I wore them all day.
“Are you glad we came?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’ve missed my family. It’s just so weird to be back.”
He gave me a strange look. “You’re different. I’ve only ever heard you complain about Newcastle.”
I frowned. “I didn’t leave home on a good note. Let’s just try to enjoy this party.”
I let myself forget all of the crap that had been going on the last few days and have fun. It wasn’t like those after parties for big name designers after a show but it was still pretty great. Actually, it was probably more fun because the politics of the fashion world weren’t getting in the way.
At around ten I was sitting down, my feet sore from dancing. Amber had popped up a few times with Graham and she was absolutely gushing. I’d seen the rest of my family and Christian’s every once in a while but we were all getting swept up in the night. Anyway, I sat there sipping some punch and nibbling on some homemade desserts with Jared.
Suddenly we were joined by a pretty brunette girl. He had pitch black hair, a golden tan, and stunning blue eyes. She was a couple of inches taller than me and as skinny as the anorexic models I had to work with on the runways. Her little black dress was absolutely gorgeous and I suddenly had the urge to slap her. “Oh my goodness! Baylee! Oh, honey, it’s been too long,” she gushed as she wrapped me in a tight hug.
I tried not to be too obvious as I shook her off but subtlety wasn’t my thing. “Hi, Chelsea,” I said with zero emotion in my voice.
“I’d heard you were back. I haven’t seen you since graduation. How have you been doing?”
“Fine.”
Her blue eyes darted around frantically looking for something to say. I was really hoping that she’d get the hint and leave but she wasn’t that smart. She saw Jared and smiled brightly. “Hello. I’m Chelsea Brennan. You must be the boyfriend. Wow, Bay, he’s cute. Even hotter than Christian.”
I saw Jared’s jaw tighten and I really wanted to hit her. “Yeah, I know.”
Then if things couldn’t get worse, Christian himself showed up. “Baylee, have you seen my mom? I feel like a waiter,” Christian complained. “She asked me to get her some punch and the disap- Oh, hey, Chelsea.”
Her pretty pink lips turned down into a frown. “Hello, Christian.”
That vindictive part of me was a little glad to see how awkward and icy things were between the two. Chelsea cleared her throat and turned back toward me. “Listen, Baylee, I really hope that we can be friends.”
“Look, I’m only here for like two more days. Neither of us are teenagers so let’s not dwell on what happened. I am sorry that things didn’t work out and I’m really sorry about your baby but it’s none of my business so don’t try to get me involved. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go find my sister.”
The look of shock on Chelsea’s face was absolutely priceless. I got up and left the table but didn’t actually go looking for my sister. I knew that she was probably having the best time ever and I didn’t want to be as annoying as Bobby. Instead I made my way into the foyer area and out the side door. The night was chilly and I regretted not getting a thick jacket. If I stayed out long I was going to freeze but I just couldn’t bring myself to care.
Only a few minutes passed before someone joined me on the steps. I didn’t need to look to know that Christian had followed me. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked gently.
I huffed. “I really wish that people would stop worrying about me.”
“I’ve been worrying about you since you fell through that ice. It’s sort of become habit.”
“I’m sorry about what I said inside. But I did mean it; I really am sorry about what happened.”
From the corner of my eye I saw him shrug then carefully peel of his jacket and set it on my shoulders. It was warm and smelled like him and I found myself getting caught up in the delicious scent. “It wasn’t your fault. And you’re right, let’s not dwell on the past.”
I sighed and I felt tears prick my eyes. Crap, I hated to cry and I was going to ruin my makeup if I did. “You know, we never did get the chance to hash it all out. Maybe we should dwell on it, at least for a minute.”
“You mean right now?”
I took a shaky breath and nodded. “You never told me what happened. All I know is that one day we were going to go to California together and the next you’d gotten Chelsea pregnant. For over a year I thought that you two had gotten married and were one big happy family but then your mom told me that the whole wedding fell through and there was no more baby.”
Christian ran his hand through his blonde hair. “Remember when we went to Senior prom together and we got in that big fight?”
“I remember fighting but I for the life of me I can’t remember what it was about. I was so mad at you that I walked home.”
“Right. Well after you left I went to Brandon Fletcher’s party and got really drunk. Chelsea was there and one thing led to another and before I knew it, I’d had sex with her.”
I’d obviously known the gist of what had happened but it was a little depressing to hear him go into the specifics of his whirlwind relationship with the girl that I had once considered a friend. “I remember you told me after graduation that you were having a baby and couldn’t go to Los Angeles with me. You said you would do the right thing and marry her. Bobby had told me that the wedding would be in August after I’d already left for school.”
He nodded. “Well that was the plan. By the time you left, we were ready to be married. But then a week before the wedding, she told me that she’d lost the baby almost a month before. As you can imagine, I was pretty pissed at her for keeping such a big secret. At first we were just going to postpone the wedding but then we started fighting all the time and things just got really tense. One day I got home and she was just gone. I’d spent too much on the almost-wedding that I wouldn’t have been able to afford California and by the time I got that money back I knew that I belonged in Newcastle. My dad needed help and my mom was starting to get sick.”
“I never heard from you again,” I whispered. I was glad that my voice was so small because I knew that if it was any louder I would have sounded like I was whining and I really didn’t want that.
He sighed heavily. “I know. I should have been the one to tell you what happened but I knew that you would hate me for ditching you. You were my best friend, Bay, and I really wanted to move to California with you but I just couldn’t. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Sure.” The single word sounded strangled but I blamed that on the freezing cold. “That all happened a long time ago and it really doesn’t matter anymore. Things have changed and I guess it all worked out for the best in the end. Right?”
He frowned and his intense green eyes studied me so hard that I fidgeted. “Did they, Baylee? Do you really think that everything that’s changed has been for the better?”
I groaned and shrugged out of his jacket. “Not again. I’m really starting to get pissed off that everyone keeps judging Jared. It’s not like I
was going to become a nun so I don’t see why everyone’s picking on my boyfriend.”
“I wasn’t even talking about him,” Christian bit back. “I’m talking about you. You were so family-oriented but you haven’t been back to see them in seven years. I know that’s partially my fault but you’re a lot… harder than you used to be. Your priorities have gotten so screwed up.”
“You’re a jackass!” I snarled. “What gives you the right to judge who I’ve become? Things are going great in my life. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with my priorities.” In typical girl fashion, I stomped on his toe with my heel and turned back toward the warmth of the church. I left him out in the cold hopefully feeling the sharpness of my stiletto.
I wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk to anyone but almost immediately my sister’s voice was calling my name. I turned and saw her still with Graham. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was smiling like she didn’t know how to stop. Her smile was infectious which was a good thing because I was a little lacking in the happy-face department at the moment. “Hey, Amber! What’s up?”
“Hi. I just talked to Jared and he asked if I’d seen you. He said that you were looking for me.”
I tugged at one of my brown curls. “Right. I just wanted to check on you and make sure that you were having fun. You’ve been a little elusive tonight.”
Her already flushed face turned even redder. “I think that this is the most fun I’ve ever had at one of these parties.”
“It looks like it,” I laughed giving her a wink. “And Graham, you’ve been taking care of my sister?”
“You bet,” he replied with a big smile of his own. “And I gotta agree that it’s been the best party so far.”
“Well I’m glad. Stay out of trouble, you two. Graham, if I don’t see you again, it was really nice to meet you. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Amber squeezed Graham’s hand and leaned close to me before I could walk away. “Thank you so much for everything, Baylee. I just wish that you were having fun, too.”
I blinked at her. “I am.”
She arched one brow skeptically. “Really? I heard you ran into Chelsea and something tells me you ran off again. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re still a horse trainer; you like spending more time with them than people.”
I scoffed at her. “Whatever, Amber. You just go have fun with your new boyfriend and I’ll go find Jared and make him dance with me some more.”
She dropped her gaze and let out an embarrassed little giggle at the boyfriend comment but at least it was enough for her to stop trying to psychoanalyze me.