Page 13 of Bad Boy for Hire
Not even to see if Xavier was watching her walk away with the same tangled mix of relief and regret she felt with every step.
Chapter Five
3 Years Ago
Paisley Stanton took to the stage with the confidence of the eldest sibling of three. She called the attention of the room with ease, and she hadn’t even spoken into the microphone yet.
“Good evening,” Paisley, her French-tipped nails wrapped around a champagne glass as well as the microphone, announced.
“Boo!” That came from Prescott, Paisley’s younger brother and May’s boyfriend of two years. May promptly shushed him, but there was no need. Paisley admonished him from the stage, a grin of endurance on her face.
“Aw, it’s okay, Pres. It’s not every day the favorite child in the family has a birthday.” Paisley blew him a kiss.
“We all know I’m the favorite!” Posy, the youngest of the Stantons, called out.
Paisley ignored that as well, before continuing to thank everyone for coming to the country club to celebrate her this evening. After a brief speech, the music started. May danced her heart out for three songs before she staggered off the dance floor, Posy in tow.
May sipped some water and caught her breath while watching Prescott from afar. He had been behaving…oddly. Not only tonight, but the days leading up to this birthday soiree. She’d witnessed him checking and rechecking the time, date, and venue—not typical behavior from her steadfast and confident boyfriend.
“What’s up with that boy? I’ve never seen Prescott this distracted.” Posy fanned herself with her free hand, the other cupping a vodka tonic.
“Right? Thank you. I thought it was just me.”
“Nope. He’s being weirder than usual.” Posy quirked her mouth and batted her lashes. The bold one, she was happy to point out the truth. That left Prescott to represent the intense one and Paisley the driven one, rounding out the Stanton siblings as a complete, if mismatched, set. Only in personality, though. Their model good looks were consistent through and through.
“I love your dress,” May commented to his youngest sister now.
“Jewell is a genius,” Posy said of May’s new employer. “And a CEO. I want to be a badass girlboss someday.”
“She’s pretty great.” May had recently accepted a position at Jewell’s company, Zest, an online fashion retailer. Even as a data analyst, May had always had a deep appreciation for clothes.
Across the room, Prescott looked left and then right before checking his pocket. Again. Then he ducked out of the room after one last furtive glance.
“What is he up to?” Posy muttered.
May hadn’t planned on bringing up his odd behavior, but Posy had mentioned it twice—a good sign that May wasn’t imagining things. Her best friend, Lisa, had also shared her theory the night before—one that made May’s stomach clench in a combination of excitement and nerves.
“Paisley’s birthday parties are always major affairs, so he’s used to that. Unless he’s planning on serenading someone, I have no idea why he’s nervous.”
May snorted at the reference. Everyone knew that Prescott couldn’t sing on-key.
“Well.” Posy raised her eyebrows. “He’s not alone. He keeps sneaking out with Terrell.”
Terrell was Paisley’s long-term boyfriend. Long-term as in nine years. Which their mother, Cherie, had deemed “An eternity.” The family matriarch had made it no secret that she was expecting nuptials any day now. That the couple wasn’t married, or engaged for that matter, made sense to May. Lots of couples dated for decades without marrying.
That’s what had made Lisa’s suggestion that Prescott might propose tonight all the more nerve-inducing. Was May ready to say yes? She wanted to be married, but she wasn’t sure a ring would fix what was missing between them.
Prescott, one hand in his pocket, one patting the sweat off his forehead with a silk handkerchief, returned to the room once again.
“He’s been like that all week,” May told Posy. “Every time I saw him, he either mentioned the venue for this party, asked what I was wearing, or reconfirmed the time. He’s like a worried mama hen. Which isn’t like him.” She chewed on her lip, considering.
“Definitely not his usual MO. I will ask him what’s up his ass. Then we’ll know.” Posy started in his direction, but May stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Before you do that…can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“My friend mentioned that maybe Prescott was planning to propose.”
