Page 26 of Full Circle

Or at least, she attempted to. Wes caught her wrists as they neared his neck and halted their trajectory.

“Don’t touch me,” he warned her firmly.

Hillary’s face dropped instantly, a flare of anger flashing in her eyes before she quickly schooled her features into an exaggerated pout. “Didn’t you miss me, Wesley? I’ve been thinking about you all summer! Celeste wouldn’t give me any details!” She shot a glare my way as if I had done something wrong.

Wesley gave her a cruel smirk. “That’s funny since Celeste had to remind me of your name.” He threw an arm around my shoulder and led me around the table to my left so we could go down the other aisle, away from Hillary.

“Wes!” I whispered furiously. “You know that’s not true!”

He shot me one of his megawatt smiles. “But she doesn’t, does she?” he whispered back.

Right as we reached the hallway entrance that would lead to the back kitchen and my father’s office, Desiree came into view. She was several years younger than Daddy, having had her kids early in life. Her dark brown hair was nearly black, falling in a thick bob around her face. She and Hillary went to Savannah at least twice a month to get heavy eyelash extensions, and their eyebrows were waxed to perfection. They both kept their makeup impeccably pristine, regardless of weather or time of day. Desiree usually wore tight pencil skirts or dresses with high stiletto heels that made her tower over me. She was very attractive in a way that I had come to associate with city life, but looked pretty out of place in River’s Run.

Now, she arched one carefully manicured eyebrow at me before looking back at Hillary. “And what have we here?” she asked.

“We’re just going back to see Daddy,” I explained.

Desiree’s lips pursed. “He’s got another migraine and will be heading home for the evening.” Daddy’s migraines were becoming almost a daily occurrence. Most of the time they were so bad that he lost vision and became sensitive to light and sound.

I nodded and Wesley’s arm slid from my shoulders to my waist. Desiree’s eyes zeroed in on the movement like lasers, making me take an awkward step away from him.

Wesley didn’t skip a beat, however. “Guess we better catch him before he leaves, then.”

Desiree crossed her arms across her chest, glaring down her nose at him. “I don’t believe I know your name,” she responded coldly.

Hillary’s voice came from behind me. “That’s Wesley Madden, Mom.”

She surveyed Wesley again, this time with newfound interest. Her gaze softened as she noted his designer apparel and expensive watch. “As in Madden Markets?”

Beside me, Wesley stiffened at her inquiry. He clenched his teeth and eyed her with disdain. “My father’s business is exactly that—his.” Without another word, he grabbed my hand and pulled us both around her towards my daddy’s office.

Wesley’s audacity never ceased to amaze me. I never would have had the gumption to speak to an adult like that, particularly one as scary as Desiree. She was so stern, full of hard angles and harsh lines—the kind of customer who wants filet mignon at a place like The Comfy Cushion.

I heard Wesley’s sharp intake of breath as we walked into Daddy’s office. He was packing up for the day, powering off the computer, and shuffling papers into the appropriate place on the bookcase behind his desk. With my best friend by my side, it made me realize how pale Daddy was starting to look, and how the round belly that had always crushed me in a bear hug was starting to disappear. As much as I hated to accept it, Daddy didn’t look like himself either, which was just as upsetting as his behavior.

“Wesley!” Daddy boomed out in surprise when he saw us. He held out his arms, and as he wrapped them around Wes, I suddenly noticed how loose Daddy’s shirt hung on his frame and how sharply his elbow popped out now. “It’s so good to see you! We weren’t expecting you around here for a few more days.”

Wes nodded. “All part of my master plan to surprise Celeste.” He flashed me his megawatt smile, his tongue just barely poking out between his white teeth, and my heart leapt.

“Desiree said you have a migraine again?” I inquired.

Daddy grimaced before shrugging his shoulders. “It’s not that bad. It’ll pass, sugar bee. Are you gonna come over for dinner?” he asked Wesley.

Desiree’s voice barked out from behind us. “Doug, you have to put your health first!”

She shuffled past us, all but knocking Wesley out of the way, and made a big show of fussing over Daddy, smoothing back his hair and rubbing his back. A flash of a glare in our direction told me she blamed me for Daddy’s selfless behavior.

He offered her a soft smile in return. “Now, honey, Wes is practically a member of the family. It wouldn’t be right not to celebrate his return.” As Daddy wrapped his arm around her waist, a surge of fury shot through my body, and I had to actively stop myself from ripping Desiree away from him. She would never be my mother, so she had no business at Daddy’s side.

“Tell you what—I’ll plan something for later this week!” Desiree beamed like it was the best idea in the world, though the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We want you to feel better before we celebrate, dear!”

I stole a glance at Wesley and found his face pinched in concentration. The gears in his head were turning as he watched the exchange, no doubt taking notes on their behavior like he seemed to do with everyone else. Judging by the scrunch of his nose, like he smelled sour milk, he didn’t like what he saw.

Daddy sheepishly looked at Wesley with an apologetic smile. “How does that sound to you, Wes? I’m sorry, I’ve just been getting these headaches here and there. Today’s not a good day.”

“Of course, Mr. Hendricks,” Wesley replied. “Celeste and I will have dinner with Aunt Shirley tonight so we can catch up and you can rest.”

“Oh, now that just won’t do.” Desiree tsked and shook her head, looking wide-eyed between the two of us, then back to Daddy. “Ms. Shirley can’t be expected to run Celeste back out to our place later this evening, and I’m gonna have to go home now with you, Doug. She’ll have to come home now, too, and see you another time, Wesley. In fact, y’all are getting to the age where it’s not decent for a girl to spend so much time with a boy. People might talk.”

---