Reservation (Preservation Series) (20 page)

Sam and Jess quickly ushered Kate into the kitchen, no doubt giving her the interrogation, while Carter and Dean headed straight for the plates of snacks in the living room, towing Crystal along. I exhaled a long, contented sigh, tucking my hands in my pocket and admiring Sam and Jess’s art collection on the far wall. They each had a great eye, and their style was just as eclectic as their personalities. Grand canvases of swooping portraits dressed the space above the fireplace mantle, and eerie, haunting works inspired by ocean tones hung in the front entryway, perfectly placed and arranged in a way that made it impossible for you to look away without taking it all in.

The doorbell rang and I was jolted from my musings, Sam calling out to me from the kitchen. “Hey, Ry, will you get that? We’re having two more guests.”

“Got it,” I yelled, pulling a hand from my pocket to reach for the door.

“Hey there, bro,” Ian said, his arrogant, secretive smile freezing me on the spot. “Long time no see.”

I wanted to ask what he was doing there and say he knew damn well we’d just seen each other, but my gaze was plastered on the woman on his arm, every cell in me on sudden red alert.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?” Amy smiled, her eyes twinkling in satisfaction. She popped her gum and I flinched, my heart dropping straight to my feet.

9. BOUNDARIES

“Oh, he’s here!” Sam came bounding out of the kitchen and toward us. Ian stepped past me to let himself in, and Amy glided behind him, her hand linked through the crook of his arm. I bristled as she brushed up against my chest. “Look who I ran into at the market this morning, Ry. Long time no see, right?” I glared at her, watching as her expression shifted, her eyes bouncing between me and Ian in confusion.

Wrong, but I wasn’t telling her that. I wasn’t telling anyone about our little run-in at O’Malley’s. I stored that one away in the Never Happened file, and that was exactly where I intended to keep it—along with anything else that reminded me of who I was before Kate.

“No kidding,” I mumbled half-heartedly. Sam’s smile fell as her confusion grew. She turned to greet Ian and then the blonde, conniving temptress attached to his hip. She was wearing a ridiculously short, tight baby blue dress, her tits trussed up so high they nearly hit her chin. My eyes fell to the floor, catching her silver heels. They must’ve been at least six inches. She always loved showing off her toned, curvy legs.

She and Ian exchanged greetings with Sam, but I couldn’t focus on their conversation. Everything was blurring together, their voices filtering through a hollow, echoing hole. My gaze landed past them and across the room, directly on Kate. She was smiling and laughing with Jess, flipping through some magazine. My face was on the cover.

“Ahem.” Sam tapped my elbow. “How about you help me finish up in the kitchen, Ry? Dinner’s just about ready. Ian, Amy, help yourselves to the hors d’oeuvres in the living room. There’s also wine, beer, and water. Take your pick.” She pulled me toward the kitchen, waiting until the wooden door stopped swinging behind us to speak. “Okay, talk. What is going on and why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Why the hell are they here?” I demanded, my arms crossing defensively.

“Um...because I invited them?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Her puzzled gaze shifted from left to right. “Wait, you’re mad? I thought you might like to see Ian, that’s why I offered for him to come when I ran into him this morning. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“You don’t even like Ian! You said he’s a punk and that he was a bad influence on me.”

“That’s because he
is
a punk and he
was
a bad influence on you,” she scoffed, “but he was also your best friend for a long time and hell, I dunno, I just thought you might want to catch up, maybe make amends or something. You said you hadn’t heard from him. I didn’t think you’d go mental!”

“You have to make them leave.”

“What? I can’t do that, Ry, it’s rude!”

“Since when do you care what the hell people think? You and Jess never worry about being rude. I don’t need to catch up with him. I ran into him the other day. It didn’t go well.”

“We speak our minds, yes, but we’re not rude and without manners! You saw him? You didn’t tell me.”

“Well, consider this me telling you. He’s an asshole and I have zero desire to be associated with him.”

“Whoa, baby, slow your roll. Bitter much?”

“Yes, Sam, I’m fucking bitter. He’s still the same, hasn’t changed a bit. He was already cracking jokes about me screwing around on Kate and starting shit, running his mouth like he always does.”

“Oookkayy...well I can’t ask him to leave. I told him to bring a date, and it’s downright rude to kick them both out.”

“Amy can’t meet Kate. You have to get out there and stop this from happening, please, Sam.” I reached out and grabbed her wrist, imploring her.

Sam’s eyes squinted, her head tilting to the side in a please-don’t-tell-me gesture. “Ryan...”

“Yes, I know her.”

“Like
know
her, know her?”

“Yes, and I have no idea why she is here with Ian. I don’t even remember the last time those two spoke, and she’s here, on his arm. Fuck!” I started pacing, my fingers gliding frantically through my hair.

“Was she a student? Kate knows you slept with your students, you told me she’s aware of your past—”

“Amy wasn’t just one of my students.”

“What was she, then?”

“I mean, she was...just one of my students, but she wasn’t like the others. Kate knows about my past but she doesn’t know about the part that involves Amy, and I’ll do anything to spare her the fucking details, so please, Sam, kick them out. Make an excuse, do something!”

“Ry, calm down, baby! You’re going to give me a heart attack.” She started pacing with me, her eyes jumping about as she mentally worked to devise a plan. It wasn’t long before Jess was calling to us from the living room. “Shit!” Sam scrambled, reaching for the oven mitts to grab dinner from the stove. “I’ll think of something, just get out there.”

“Fine,” I huffed, pushing through the wooden door. I seriously needed to get my shit together and find a way to kick them out. Amy Mercer was one dirty secret I didn’t want Kate exposed to—ever.

“Dinner’s on its way out,” I said, approaching everyone. Crystal was seated in Dean’s lap on the armchair, feeding him olives, while Carter and Kate admired the view from the patio balcony, talking something about Florida. Jess hustled into the kitchen with a smile, leaving me with Amy and Ian.

“I think you should leave now, before this gets worse,” I said to Ian under my breath, keeping my eyes on Kate. Figured I might as well try and extinguish the fire before Sam or Jess had to make a very public display of asking them to leave.

Ian locked his arm tightly around Amy’s shoulders. “No can do, Ry. Sam invited me, and I have no intention of passing up a good meal. If there’s anything I remember about her aside from her mad tattooing skills and the way she can drink me under the table, it’s that she’s an awesome cook. Besides, I want to meet this beautiful fiancée of yours.”

I turned to face him, my glare stone cold. “Don’t you even fucking look at her, you understand me? I mean it, Ian. Leave her alone. And you, Amy. So help me God if you say anything to her, I’ll toss you out on your ass before you can blink.”

Amy gently grasped my elbow, letting Ian hold her close. “Oh, Ryan, no need to get all worked up. We just want the pleasure of meeting the woman who tamed you.” She whistled, turning her focus on Kate’s back, eying her like she was a luscious filet. “She’s quite delectable. I bet she tastes just as good as she looks. That body is something else.”

“Amen to that.” Ian bit his lip, doing his own once over.

I stepped in front of them, blocking their view of Kate. To hell with worrying about being rude to them. They clearly weren’t worried. “Get out. Both of you, right now. I don’t know what you’re up to or why you’re here together, but you’re not welcome. Do I need to make it any more clear?” I moved forward, pinning Ian with searing daggers. “Leave. Right. Now.”

Ian ignored me, glancing over my shoulder with that grin of his. “Ah, here she comes.” My whole body shuddered when I spun to find Kate approaching us. I didn’t miss the way her step faltered slightly when she clocked the way Amy was looking at her, as if she might devour her on the spot..

“Hey,” Kate said quietly, moving to my side. When I found I was still stunned with anger and words weren’t making their way to my lips, Kate looked to me, then to Ian and Amy, clearing her throat. “I’m Kate, and you are?”

“Amy Mercer.” Amy extended a hand, her smirk pleased and utterly challenging. “Ian’s date. I’m an old friend of Ryan’s.” Her eyes flicked to mine and I flinched, feeling Kate’s chocolate pools turn on me at the mention.

“And I’m Ian. Ryan’s best mate.” Ian’s dimples puckered and he leaned forward, bowing dramatically as he took Kate’s hand. “You, my dear, are one fine sight. Ryan is a lucky bastard.” It took two seconds for him to undress her with his eyes, and my ability to find words returned.

“Back off, Ian,” I spat, pulling Kate back to my side.

“Ry,” Kate hissed in surprise, sending him an apologetic smile.

Before any more poison-infused exchanges flew between the four of us, Sam and Jess joined us with trays of food, gesturing for us to meet at the dining table. Carter, Dean, and Crystal floated in from the living room to sit with us, and I made every effort to make sure Sam noticed the desperate daggers I was throwing her way. My attempt to get rid of them wasn’t getting us anywhere. Maybe she had a better idea. Like tossing a hot cup of coffee on their laps.

Yeah, that’s something Sam would do.

“They’re already here, let’s just get on with it,” Sam whispered under her breath as she set a dish down next to me. “You have a lot of explaining to do later, my friend.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled, pulling out Kate’s chair for her. I made it a point to seat her as far away from Ian and Amy as possible, but the way the two were looking at her, it was clear they had no intention of leaving her be.

Damn it, why couldn’t they just cooperate and leave when I asked them to?

Tension around the table was momentarily delayed while everyone talked about the summer’s upcoming Bumbershoot Festival and who was looking forward to seeing which bands. We passed food around and listened to Carter and Dean tell us about their hopeful adventures to England, but even the crazy duo’s animated faux British conversation couldn’t distract me from the looks Amy was shooting Kate. They weren’t bitter looks. They weren’t jealous, even. They were looks I knew all too well, screaming she was on the hunt, and I wanted Kate as far from them as possible.

“So have you two lovebirds set a date?” Ian asked in between bites of potatoes. His friendly act wasn’t fooling me, but I doubted the others even noticed the phoniness radiating from his presence. Even Sam seemed oblivious to his fake charm, which made me even more uneasy. Was she really buying this act of his?

Kate dabbed her lips with her napkin, swallowing before she spoke. “We’re hoping for June, when I get back from St. Lucia, but we’re not really sure yet. We’re not doing anything big or fancy. Just a small, simple dinner and some vows at one of our favorite restaurants on the waterfront.”

“How romantic,” Amy cooed, sipping her wine and smiling sweetly. “Have you found a dress yet? I bet anything will look lovely on that killer physique of yours.”

Kate shifted in her seat, setting her fork down. “Um, thanks. Yeah, I just found one today, actually.”

“Have you planned your bachelorette party yet? If you need any recommendations, I know just the place for you to have a little fun. In fact, I bet Ryan could recommend quite a few locations.”

I nearly choked on my rice and reached for some water. “Thanks anyway. I’m sure Kate can make her own plans.”

“Well, what about you?” She leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table. “I can make some suggestions for your bachelor party. Although...you already know most of them.”

Kate straightened, deadpanning me.

Oh, shit.

The cogs in my mind began spinning, mentally begging for someone to change the subject and divert attention away from what was unfolding here, but I didn’t have a chance in hell. The others were immersed in a conversation about sustainable materials for furnishing and something about a tattoo festival, passionate exchanges flying across the table while Amy and Ian prepared to fire.

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

Ian piped up, laughing. “Oh, come on, Ry. Let some old friends throw you a bachelor party. The three of us go way back, we might as well make a celebration of it, right? Ah, to hell with tradition. It doesn’t have to be just the guys. I’m sure Amy can invite her friends, and Kate is welcome to tag along.”

“That sounds like a fabulous idea,” Amy agreed, eyes shimmering in delight. “Would you be interested, Kate? I’m a generous hostess. You won’t be disappointed.”

Kate moved her plate away and set her napkin down, her hands landing gently on her lap.

She didn’t have to say a word. I knew she could sense the ice running through my blood and the hairs that were standing up on my arms.