Page 27 of A Smooth Operator

Fuck! I had to pay attention to where I was. The last thing I needed was for someone to see Echo with me and draw the wrong conclusion. I could only imagine my mother and sister's response if they thought I was having a romantic relationship with Echo. She was the help's niece—and even though my mother tolerated Echo cause Dad didn't give her a choice, my having anything to do with her beyond a "Hello, how are you?" would make her head rotate like that kid in The Exorcist.

"Hey, man." Tommy wrapped an arm around me. "Hey, there, Poopy—"

"Cut it out, Tommy." I shrugged his arm off. "Stop calling her names. We ain't in high school no more."

Tommy groaned. "Why is everyone so sensitive?"

"Why are you such an asshole?" I countered.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Lani said you're a judge at the contest, so the gang decided to come on over."

The gang was Lani, Petal, David, and sigh, Marina. She'd been relentlessly pushing for us to get back together. I was keeping her at an arm's distance.

Echo looked uncomfortable as hell. "Well, I'll be—"

"Ah, here you are." Dr. Martin Andersen sidled next to Echo. "I thought I lost you."

Was she here with him?

"Just ran into some people," Echo said smoothly and went about introducing Martin to the gang.

He'd met Lani before, but none of the others.

"I'm so sorry to hear about you and Becky," Marina said in her I'm-so-available voice.

"You know, Becky?" Martin frowned.

"Oh no, no. I know of her. I have met her socially, obviously." Marina gave him her thousand-watt smile. She needed to get married sometime this year; Martin was just as good a catch as me, maybe even better.

"Right. Well, nice meeting you." He grabbed Echo's hand, and they linked fingers. "We better head to the stage. The Tedeschi Trucks Band is playing soon. They're Echo's favorite."

Now, I was really amazed. I was a big fan of the band as well. Led by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, they blended blues, rock, and soul beautifully. Their electrifying live performances were unforgettable.

"Bye, y'all. Have a great day." Echo all but skipped away, holding Dr. Douchebag's hand.

"Is she dating him?" Marina's eyes were wide as saucers.

"I doubt it," Lani mocked. "He's a doctor and was engaged to Rebecca Hamilton. Don't you think he's out of her reach?"

Lani was supposed to be Echo's friend and the fact that she was attacking her behind her back didn't sit well with me. "Why would you think that?"

"Miss Poopy Pants is just too fat for him," Marina flashed angry eyes at me.

"Cut it out," David admonished. "You say that name again, Marina, and I'm done spendin' time with you."

"What?" Marina stared at him, horrified. "I was just makin' a joke. It wasn't serious."

"It's rude to call her that," Petal retorted. "And she's not fat. Did you see her legs in those shorts? I'd kill for legs like that."

"Fine, whatever." Marina slipped her hand around my bicep and leaned into me. "Should we go taste some barbecue?"

I didn't remove her hand because it would create a scene, and she knew that. As Echo turned to walk away, Marina kissed me. Even as I gently extricated myself from my ex, I saw the hurt look on Echo's face. She had no business letting me see how she felt—or feeling that way in the first place. She was with Dr. Martin Andersen. I could kiss my ex or anyone else. Who the fuck did she think she was to give me those bruised puppy eyes?

Despite my internal protestations, I had to curb my impulse to run after her and explain what she saw. I didn't because no good would come out of it. Echo wasn't part of my social circle, she was just an unsuitable acquaintance, best to let her go on her way.

Chapter 10

Echo

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