Page 34 of Wright Kind of Trouble

I laughed as she walked back to her husband and immediately watched her making fun of Jordan. His anger at my presence dissipated as she folded into his arms, where she belonged.

At least Annie had done me the service of taking my mind off of Harley. I needed to talk to Jensen, shake his hand, and head out of there. I didn’t even want to find my name on one of the calligraphic cards and stay for dinner. I was doing this for my dad. I didn’t have to enjoy it.

Jensen was talking to a few gentlemen my father’s age when I cut in. He welcomed me with a smile, ever the politician. He thanked me for attending and for the donation my father had already made to the campaign. I wasn’t sure how much it was, but it must have been sizable for him to know it had happened.

I decided one more drink, and then I was out of there. It was an open bar after all.

I took my whiskey and Coke out to the balcony and leaned forward against the rail. Only a few people were out there since in mid-August, it was still too hot to exist in West Texas. The temperatures were consistently in the hundreds for days on end, and there was no relief from it in the evenings right now. Usually, the semi-desert climate meant cooler evenings with nice breezes, but nope…not this summer.

“You going to dance with me?” a voice asked behind me.

I took a breath before turning to face Harley. She had champagne in her hand and looked a little tipsy. “Think I’m going to leave actually.”

She took another sip and then moved to stand next to me, close enough that we were nearly touching. “Why did you come to a Wright event anyway?”

“My dad insisted.”

“And you do everything daddy dearest says?” she asked.

“No,” I told her, my eyes memorizing the lines of her face. “But he paid the start-up for my law firm, and I kind of owe him.”

“Ah,” she said.

“Plus, he wants an in with Jensen, and”—I shrugged—“hard to say no to a handshake.”

She pursed her lips. “So, you’re here to schmooze with the mayor.”

“I think that’s why most people are here.”

“Probably. That’s kind of gross.”

“If only politics were done another way.”

She tipped her head back and sighed as if she were suffering. “Why are you here?”

“I just told you why I’m here,” I snapped. “I know you’ve clearly moved on, but…”

Her eyes met mine, and I froze, the words dying on my lips. That flirty smile was gone. Whatever mask she’d been holding dropped from her face. And I saw the same desire looking back at me like a mirror.

“I spent all summer in Seattle, interning at a law firm and trying to move on. I even went on a few dates with guys that my old friends had set me up with to see if it would help,” she told me. “I hated every minute of it. Every forced interaction and stupid conversation and fumbled opportunity. And none of it fucking mattered.”

“Harley…”

“Take my name out of your mouth,” she snarled.

“Okay,” I said softly. “Okay. I apologize. You just seemed like you didn’t even care that I was here.”

“How else am I supposed to act? I wasn’t prepared to see you, but there was no other option. It’s fucking hard to pretend like I don’t want this. Is that what you want to hear?”

“No.” I shook my head. “No, I want you to be happy.”

She laughed derisively. “You don’t want that. You’ve already wrecked that.” She pushed off of the balcony railing. “Go home, Chase.”

Then, she turned and walked back inside without a backward glance.

I winced at her retreating back. I’d earned that. And she was right.

I had no right to see her. I had no right to her happiness. I had no right to her.

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