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“I’m so sorry this happened. My gosh, it looks so sore. Is there anything I can do?”
“Nuh-uh. I can’t…can’t…”
“Mr. Gilmore, you need to stop talking.” The EMT gave me a dirty look.
“You can’t make the wedding?”
“Shorry.”
“Ma’am, you have to leave the patient alone.”
I patted Kellan on the knee. “Just make sure you heal up quickly. And don’t worry about the trip to Maine—I’ll manage fine on my own.”
It was a lie. I’d probably cry a little after Mom and Odette had yelled at me for kneeing Jasper Rodenburgh in the nuts. But I couldn’t let them down at the last minute, and it was too late to find a replacement for Kellan. Anger building, I stomped over to the boxing ring where Hawk was leaning against the ropes.
“What the hell did you do that for?”
“It was an accident, babe.”
“Don’t you ‘babe’ me. You knew Kellan was meant to be leaving for Odette’s wedding with me first thing tomorrow.” After yesterday’s booty call—yes, another one—I’d told Hawk I’d be out of town for a week and explained the reason why. You know, out of courtesy. The way grown-ups did. “Now what am I meant to do?”
A shrug. “Go alone? Call one of your other boyfriends?”
I glanced around to see if anyone else was within earshot, but thankfully, they were all gathered around Kellan.
“What other boyfriends?” I hissed. “The only man who’s been near me in a year is you, jackass, although I don’t see why that matters. Neither of us made any promises when it came to exclusivity. I was literally paying Kellan danger money to back me up this weekend, and now I don’t have time to recruit a replacement.” A sob welled up, and I tried to swallow it down. “Mom wants to pair me up with a sleaze from high school, and I’ll spend the whole time slapping his slimy hands away.” I shoved Hawk’s chest, which was pointless because he didn’t go anywhere. “Have fun riding your motorcycle or whatever it is you do when you’re not fucking me or working.”
The tears came as I ran out of the gym, well aware that I’d be the subject of the Blackwood gossip mill by morning. Hopefully, the spectators would just think I was upset by Kellan’s injury. I’d send him a card and some candy. No, not candy because, duh, he couldn’t eat it, but maybe movie tickets or a book. He still deserved the hazardous duty pay too. Did I have a moral obligation to make it right when the man I was secretly screwing injured the man I was pretending to date?
It was official: my life was a shitshow.
And today had only been the opening scene.
* * *
Five thirty in the morning, and I poured black coffee into a thermos. I’d need every molecule of caffeine to keep me going on the eleven-hour drive to Maine. Of course I’d take breaks, but they’d have to be shorter now, and I couldn’t rest while Kellan drove the way I’d planned to. I’d texted him several times last night—his tooth had been splinted, and a specialist would assess the crack in his jaw this morning. The ER doctor didn’t think it would need a surgical repair, but Kellan would have to be incredibly careful in his activities over the next several weeks.
For the last time, I went over my packing list. Laptop, check. Tablet, check. Phone, check. Stun gun, check. Wedding gift, check. Odette and Stu had requested a top-of-the-line air fryer because of course she loved to make him dinner every night. I’d swapped my usual gloomy wardrobe for pastels and packed sensible shoes. Nothing with a spike heel. Emmy Black had rustled up a bottle of Xanax from somewhere, and I’d tossed that into my suitcase too, just in case an emergency arose. My car was topped off with gas, oil, and coolant, and I’d checked the tyre pressures. Now all I had to do was get to Steppen Island. The website billed it as a New England paradise, but the pictures of the fall foliage on the homepage made it look like a living hell.
Odette’s wedding party would have sole use of Steppen Island Lodge over the weekend, a luxury hotel that specialised in destination weddings. I’d been assigned a deluxe room on the second floor that came with a jacuzzi tub and a balcony, and I prayed it wasn’t anywhere near Jasper Rodenburgh. Last week, I’d hacked into the hotel’s booking system and assigned Jasper a room as far away from mine as possible, but if Mom found out Kellan wasn’t coming, she’d probably shuffle things around so Jasper and I were neighbours, which was why I hadn’t told her about last night’s incident yet. There would be plenty of time to break the news after everyone had checked in.
Had my audiobook finished downloading? Mack had recommended the Stellarium trilogy, and a healthy dose of other-worldly romance should keep me awake on the long drive. Still a few minutes to go, but I could load the car while I waited. I should have done it last night, but I’d been shattered after the drama in the gym, plus I’d only have ended up unpacking again this morning to check I hadn’t forgotten anything.
Hmm, it seemed I wasn’t the only fool awake at this stupid hour. A man was leaning against a truck in front of my car, and when he turned his head in my direction, I froze. Yes, I stayed in the shadows at Blackwood, but I’d ruffled enough feathers during my time there that I needed to remain vigilant, and despite this guy’s smart clothes and relaxed stance, there was an air of danger about him.
And also something familiar.
I did a double take.
“Hawk?” What the hell? I squinted against the rising sun, taking in the dress shirt, the grey slacks, the polished shoes… Instead of his usual tousled mess, he’d slicked his hair back, and the effect was kind of unsettling. I’d only ever seen him in jeans, boots, and a tight T-shirt that showed off arms full of tattoos. Occasionally, he changed things up with a leather jacket. “What are you doing here?”
“Driving you to Maine. Want to take your car or my truck?”
“Back up. Back up. Why would you do that?”
“Because I fucked up with Kellan yesterday, and you’re mad at me, so now I’m trying to fix things.”
“By inviting yourself to my sister’s wedding? We’re not exactly at the ‘meet the parents’ stage, are we?”
