Page 30 of The MC's Surprise
I made it about five feet out the door toward my dad’s truck when I was interrupted for a second time.
“Sierra! Come ‘ere a second!” Circus called. He was sitting on his bike while he chatted with a few guys I was only vaguely familiar with. He waved me over, beaming at me when I approached. “These guys don’t believe me. Tell them that hot news reporter was there today.”
The whole crew couldn’t make it to each event, only a portion of them were there today, so not all of them saw Kennedy in person. I saw Circus drooling over her more than once, and I couldn’t help teasing him a little.
“What reporter?”
His mouth fell open as the other guys snorted and shoved his shoulder. “I knew you were lying. Ain’t no way that gorgeous chick would waste any time on us.”
Circus’s eyes were huge, his arms waving wildly over his head. “She was there! She interviewed you! You can’t seriously not know who she was!”
I pressed my lips tightly together, fighting back my laugh, but it was really hard when he was freaking out like that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He made an incredulous sound that was something between a growl and a squeak. It broke my concentration, and I burst out laughing.
Circus narrowed his eyes, pointing at me accusingly. “You’re screwing with me.”
Snickering, I nodded. “Yep. I know who Kennedy Storm is. My parents watch her reports every morning.” Swinging my attention to the other guys, I lifted a shoulder. “He’s not actually lying. Apparently, someone called in and told her what we were doing and she showed up to do a report. She’s even planning to show up for the next one. She wants to do a whole series on the community outreach we’re doing. If you want to see her, you should show up at the next event.”
“Already planned on it, but now I’m lookin’ forward to it,” one commented eagerly. I was pretty sure his name was Buzz, but trying to keep all the names straight when I only saw them coming in and out of the kitchen one time was difficult. I was more familiar with the ones who showed up to the event that morning.
They continued their commentary on who’d win Kennedy’s attention first, but I was only half listening. I kept looking over my shoulder toward my dad’s truck, trying to figure out how to make my exit.
“You headed home already?” Mark asked quietly. He was standing beside me and he frowned when I looked over my shoulder again.
I shrugged helplessly. “Maybe. I’ve got more planning to do. The charity event Skylar and I are planning needs work.”
“Do you need a ride?”
Shaking my head, I waved toward my dad’s truck. “I’ve got it covered.”
I was about to walk away when the door to the clubhouse opened and the man I was hoping to avoid stepped outside. So much for my escape.
“Hey, V,” Circus called, lifting his chin in greeting. “You see the hot reporter today?”
“Yeah. Prez told me to warn everyone about her. No one is going near Kennedy Storm. We need these reports to go well and he doesn't want any of you pissing her off. Stay away from the reporter.”
Smart. I doubted Kennedy would get too upset about some harmless flirting, but we didn’t want anyone making things awkward. If anyone made her uncomfortable, she might not want to do the reports anymore.
“I was gonna be polite,” Circus whined. Vegas just shook his head at Circus’s antics, used to the way his crew worked by now. He obviously knew what would happen well enough to warn them to stay away from her.
While they were talking, I looked over my shoulder again for some kind of escape. Maybe I could fake a phone call from my parents, make up some kind of excuse that I need to go be with them or something. It was a little weird using them as an excuse to escape at my age, but I refused to be ashamed about it. The longer I stuck around, the more likely I’d end up doing something stupid, like kissing Vegas again.
“Did you want an escort home?” Matt asked, drawing my focus. He was frowning down at my belly. “Don’t think it's a smart idea havin’ a pregnant woman drivin’ home alone.”
“You’re leaving?”
I winced internally at Vegas’s question. My quiet escape plan was a complete bust. Turning slowly to face him, I forced out a smile.
“I was thinking about it. Doesn’t matter how old I am, my dad will still wait up for me if he knows I’m coming home. I don’t want to be rude and keep him up late.”
That actually wasn’t a lie. He hadn’t had to do something like that since I was a lot younger, but I doubted it would’ve changed since I moved home. I hadn’t actually had the opportunity to testthat theory, since I was too exhausted by the end of the night to stay out very late. Pregnancy was rough.
Vegas nodded slowly, his eyebrows pinched like something was bothering him. I waved it away. “I’m just gonna head home. You guys enjoy your party and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“I’ll give you a ride home,” Vegas Interjected. “Just give me a minute.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he went inside without another word, leaving me gaping at his back. So much for escaping him before he noticed.
