Page 81 of Eye of the Hurricane
“You let Ares drive you around,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“That’s…” I fall short of a good reason. “Different,” is all I can come up with.
“I’m sure it is.” She has a smug look on her face that I’d like to knock right off of it.
We get there late notbecause we weren’t ready in time, but because Luna is a believer in the power of being fashionably late. She insists on being late to every function because it makes us seem too busy to make it there on time. Some of usaretoo busy.
Upon walking around the back to the pool deck, I’m reminded of the party animal I met his freshman year. How am I reminded? Him shirtless, shot-gunning a beer. Not a drop spills down his body though. He manages to get every drop.
His eyes fall on me and he flashes me a smile that lightsup everything as far as the eye can see. I smile back at him and he walks toward Luna and me.
“I’m going to go somewhere else, enjoy all of that.” She laughs.
“You came.” He beams.
“It would appear that way.” I laugh. “I’m sorry I don’t have a gift for you, I blame your friends for not telling me about this until this morning.”
“You being here is more than enough,” he says, tongue darting out to wet his lips. His gaze has me feeling chained to the floor. All I can do is look back at him.
“You’re my friend. Of course, I’m going to be here.” He crinkles his nose and sticks his tongue out like a disgusted child.
“Hate that word,” he grumbles.
“What word?” I ask.
“Friend.”
“You talk about your friends all the time,” I counter.
“I hate that word when it’s coming out of your mouth,” he corrects. I don’t argue with him or entertain the conversation because he’s drunk. And because I think he could convince me to never use the word again.
Ravyn brings out a cake with a sparkling twenty-three on top of it. Everyone gathers around the table to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy.
We’re already standing by the table which leaves me standing next to him. We all sing to him and he’s smiling ear to ear before he blows out his candles.
“You make your wish?” Audra asks. His eyes flick to me then back to her. My cheeks burn at the implication.
“Yeah I made my wish,” he says softly.
If I had one wish it would be more time. Time to pursue himandpursue my career. Time to not have to choose. Time to have my cake and eat it too.
I know what I’m doing is right for us and for my career. Why doesn’t it feel right? It feels wrong like I’m stabbing both of us with a double-edged sword.
Work doesn’t feelthe same when I know I have to see my mother tonight. It feels more like a secret mission I’m on. One I’ll have to minimize later when I talk to my mom about it.
I hate that she gets to steal the joy I have with my career. That she gets to show up in my town and make me feel like there is no space for me here.
I came here to get away from that feeling. And so far, it’s worked. I feel like I belong here in Doves Harbor. It’s somewhere that I can take life at my own pace. Somewhere that I can pursue a career in athletics despite being a woman.
I’ve lived here for four years now. In those four years, my mother hasn’t made an effort to visit me once. Now with the wedding, she’s coming into town. I can’t help the feeling that she’s going to taint it in some way. Leave some mark on it, making it so that it’s not my safe place anymore.
I’m beyond lucky that Mateo understood that I had this wedding on the books before I agreed to shadow him in the weeks leading up to the interview process. So tonight is my last night working until my family heads home.
“Katherine! One of the boys tells me you’re close friends. Why didn’t you mention it to me?” Mateo asks.
His tone is lighthearted but I can’t help fearing I’m in trouble for not disclosing that Sebastian and I know each other. Maybe it wasn’t safe to assume that because our relationship is platonic it didn’t need to be disclosed.
“He’s a friend of a friend. We’ve grown a bit closer this year, our mutual friend has a dinner every Sunday that we both attend.” Okay, I’m way over-explaining this. “There is nothing romantic about our relationship,” I defend. His brows pinch together and a smirk blooms on his face.
