Page 103 of Seein’ Red

My heart swells, a whole new set of emotions washing over me. Including the realization that I need to fix this. Now. Nash tried, and I pushed him away. Twice. Fuck, I am an idiot.

Pushing back from the table, I stand up, giving my family a gracious nod. After all, the motion has been moved and seconded. Meaning there is only one thing left to do.

I run.

28

WILLA

Actually, run might be an overstatement.

Strappy, slingback sandals aren’t exactly made for such an activity. Especially ones with a three-inch heel.

Nonetheless, I rush as fast as I can, silently praying that I don’t trip and fall down these stairs. Which is saying a lot, because I’m steady in heels. One doesn’t become Miss Georgia by wobbling down the catwalk. Then again, all my years on the pageant stage never prepared me for this.

Running after the love of my life.

Because that’s what Nash Keller is. The love of my life.

I should probably choose some better words by the time I catch up with him. “You’re the love of my life” pales in comparison to “You are the perfect combination of can’t live without you and going to be the death of me.” And there is no way I am letting Nash one-up me in this department.

Not a chance.

Skidding to a halt in front of Pixie Jerald, Hayes’s longtime receptionist, I twirl around, looking for Nash. It’s not that I thought that he’d be hanging out in the lobby waiting on me to change my mind, but, secretly, I hoped he was.

A part of me pictured that perfect rom-com moment when I made it all the way down here, just in the nick of time, all to find him standing here with a bouquet of roses, because he’d known I needed a minute to collect my thoughts. Or have some sense talked into me by my brothers.

Either way, Nash would be here, roses at the ready, awaiting my arrival.

Where those flowers are coming from, who knows. Especially since he wasn’t holding any when he came to the boardroom. Still, in my mind there’s a props department ready and waiting with a bouquet.

Despite all my secret hopes, he’s not here. Leaving me wondering where to start.

“Who ya looking for, dear?” Pixie asks.

Middle-aged, with tangerine-colored hair and Coke bottle glasses, Pixie has been the maven of the Hayes Industries welcome area for almost thirty years. A guard dog if I ever saw one, she wasn’t letting anyone who didn’t work here and didn’t have a confirmed appointment past the gate. She also had a way of disarming people—getting them to talk and tell her everything. A combination that was lethal when it comes to a reception area. She knows the comings and goings of everyone in the complex.

It also cemented her status in the Hickory Hills rumor mill. If Mrs. Burch and Mrs. Chamberlain were co-captains, Pixie was their first mate.

“Which way did Nash go?”

I suck in a breath, forcing myself to let it go, my lungs already burning from the shuffle down here. Apparently I need to work on my stamina.

“Oh, young Mr. Keller headed out to the guest lot.”

No shit, Sherlock…didn’t think he parked in the employee lot…

“But which way did he head after that?”

“Hmmmm?”

Great. Just great. She’s going to play coy. She wants information, I can tell. It’s written all over her face. But that’s not how we’re playing this.

“In his truck, Pix, which way did Nash drive off?”

She shrugs. “What were he and Auggie talkin’ ’bout? I have to admit, I was real surprised when he walked in and asked for him and not you or one of the boys. Without an appointment. And for Auggie to clear his calendar for him! I hope it was nothing serious.”

“Everything’s great. But he left before I got a chance to talk to him, so I need to know which way he went.”