Page 52 of The Hang Up

“Cassie lives alone,” I pointed out, glancing back at my phone.

Brock

ur a hot daddy who likes 2 swallow

Followed by an eggplant emoji.

I almost choked on my spit.

Joshua

Brat.

Brock

U keep promising 2 spank me. ;)

I bit back a smile. Jesus.

“Stop being a stubborn ass,” Mitch said, and I had to replay our conversation to figure out what he was talking about. Right. The party. And my resistance to it. My lack of response didn’t deter him. “We’ll call it Joshua’s Comeback Celebration.”

“No. We won’t.”

“I’ll bring my boo. And you can bring yours—wait, he’s already on the list. I mean, honestly, unless you’re catering, Brock would be my pick to make the food. Oh, and you can invite Regina and Angel. And Angel could bring a friend, so she’s not the only kid.”

I shook my head at my assistant. “You’ve given this way too much thought.

“You have no idea.”

* * *

Classic rock boomedfrom my speakers as I rested my head back against the leather seat of my Corvette. Everything had taken off after our trip to Point Pleasant. A trip that was supposed to be a vacation. But it was happening so fast that I barely had time to think. Or enjoy my life. I wanted to be busy, but I retired so I could relax. And sometimes, I just wanted to do that. Read a book. Spend days on my couch with Brock’s head in my lap as we watched whatever reality program he was interested in at the time. Thread my fingers through his hair. Maybe that was it. More than needing to slow down, I just needed to slow us down. We seemed to be headed to a collision course, and I just wanted to hold on to him. Was it the fact that I knew he was tired of hiding? Or Regina’s words in my head.

Blake had called up some friends and the gala was growing bigger every day. Now we had a country music star interested. He’d been in foster care, so this was something important to him. Trying to coordinate this big of an event was better done in person, so when Greta called and said she’d be in town and could we meet over dinner, Mitch quickly agreed. Mitch tried to steer her somewhere else, but of course, she wanted to go to the best place in town: Shultie’s. I’d texted Brock so he wouldn’t be surprised to see us there, but so far, he hadn’t responded. It wasn’t unusual. He didn’t always keep his phone on him now that Angel was doing better.

I was singing along to the music, letting a little AC/DC improve my mood, when a knock on my window startled me. Mitch waved, grinning from ear to ear.

Shutting off the music, I rolled the window down.

“Ready, boss?”

“You could have ridden with me,” I said, rolling the window back up and turning off the car.

“Todd’s picking me up, and we’re going for a drink after. It’s Friday night, and I don’t want to spend it with my boss.”

“I’m sorry this messes with your plans. You can blame me. And tell Todd I’m sorry.”

“Done and done.”

Greta was already there when we arrived. Mitch had mostly dealt with her, but I had talked to her a few times on the phone. She seemed nice enough. The phone calls hadn’t prepared me. She was gorgeous.

She had long, wavy dark hair and dark eyes expertly made up. I’d seen enough women like her in my time. She smiled and held out her hand.

“Joshua, it’s so nice to finally meet you in person. Did you know there’s a rumor going around that you’re dead? I’m so glad to see you are very much alive.” Her eyes were appreciative, and I smiled in return. I hoped to keep this all business, but I realized that, at some point, I would probably have to let her down gently. I wasn’t in the habit of mixing business with pleasure. But even if I was, I’d be turning her down because I was already attached. We finished introductions and took our seats. My eyes strayed to the kitchen. Brock wouldn’t be happy seeing a beautiful woman by my side, but at least Mitch was here. And hopefully, he’d read my texts.

About an hour in, I was ready to be done. Greta had a habit of touching my arm when she talked. If I moved my arm, she progressed to my bicep. Mitch seemed amused by the whole thing. We talked about the preparations she’d already made for the gala and what still needed to be done.

“Everyone in Point Pleasant is excited about the event. Blake is making this a priority, and he’s been talking to others who might want to be involved,” she said, touching my wrist. “This is important to him and the town.”

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