Page 63 of The Summer I Destroyed You

“I was just trying to find out who Liam has a crush on,” Beck says, helpfully.

Paul smirks. “I’ll tell you who. Emerson Hughes. Emmy the Semi. She—”

I’ve got Paul by the back of the neck before he can finish what he was about to say. “You’d better shut your fucking mouth right now,” I hiss.

Paul throws up his hands. “Hey, man, I’m not faulting you for it. She’s hot now, even if she was a big tub of goo back in high school.”

I slam Paul’s face into the bar so fast that there isn’t even time for Beck and Caleb to intervene.

Girls scream, drinks go flying, and I don’t give a shit. We’ll see how much he wants to run his mouth once he’s spent a night in the hospital because of it.

“Jesus Christ, dude,” he cries. “I think you broke my fucking nose.”

“You think this is bad, motherfucker?” I demand, still holding his neck. “Say one more word about her, here or anywhere else, and you’ll see how bad it can get.”

Beck and Caleb grab me before it can go any further. Paul scurries off into the crowd, his nose pouring blood. I feel bad about it, for Jeannie’s sake, but she wasn’t going to pull him into line, and he had it coming. It’s because of people like Paul that Emmy doesn’t eat lunch, doesn’t date, is so incessantly guarded. It’s because of people like him that she’ll never decide to stay.

“Bro,” says Caleb, “what the fuck?”

“I’m sick of him talking shit about her,” I growl.

Beck laughs quietly. “Yeah, it definitely sounds like there’s nothing going on.”

33

EMMY

Damien Ellis is clasping my hand between both of his. “The woman in the red dress,” he says, leaning close so he can be heard over the noise of the party. “We meet at last.”

“Emerson Hughes,” I begin, “with—”

“With Inspired Building,” he says with a smile. “Believe me, I know. I looked you up after Austin. Very impressive stuff you’ve done so far. That area south of Charleston seems to be doing well.”

“Thank you,” I reply with faux modesty because it’s not doing well—it’s amazing. “I’m pleased with how it turned out.”

“And what did you think of my restaurant?”

“Very nice,” I reply. “I didn’t try the food, but the service was impeccable.”

“I thought it looked like every fucking steakhouse,” he says, and I laugh. “You thought so too.”

One of his assistants is pulling him to meet someone, but his hand wraps around my elbow. “I have the penthouse upstairs. A few of us are coming up to have drinks. Join us. We’ll talk some more.”

It’s the precise opening I’ve been waiting for—my chance to tell him about opportunities Inspired Building has missed, how much more we could do with smarter management. I’m a little unnerved by the idea of going up to his suite—these group things have a way of turning out to be one rich guy and the stupid girl who didn’t know they’d be alone. But it’s not an opportunity I can pass up.

“I need to talk to a few people here first,” I tell him.

He smiles as if I’ve just agreed to something more. I hate that. There was a time when I’d have said that there were worse things than sleeping with Damien Ellis to get my way. Right now, though, I can’t quite think what they’d be.

I circle the room until I’m out of view and pull out my phone, stalling, trying to plot out my next move. Hoping Liam has texted something so obnoxious or so amazing that the decision is made for me. But the only text is from Chloe.

Chloe

Interesting scoop for you.

If this is another story about employees having sex at Cuts-n-Stuff, I don’t want to know.

It has more to do with employees having sex in the back of the grocery store.

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