Page 30 of Love Me Reckless

“What’s going on?” Carson asks.

The guard points us down the slope. “Private party on the patio. You’ll need to access the employee lot from the west end.”

“Uh, okay,” Carson says.

Curious, I peer past the guard, but most of the patio is hidden behind the front of the lodge. I remember it from the day with Zach: the Adirondack chairs clustered around handsome fire pits, the colorful outdoor blankets, the attentive waitstaff, and sweeping views.

We follow the others down the grassy slope to the road. “Must be someone important,” Carson says. “‘Cause this whole place is private.”

I glance back at the lodge. We’re lower now, but the angle to the patio is better. What I see stops me in my tracks. Standing inthe sunshine in a yellow dress, her strawberry-blonde hair flowing down her back, is Kirilee St. Claire. And next to her, in a dark suit, is douche date. They are flanked by photographers and a small gathering of people. One of them fusses with Kirilee’s dress, and another dusts something on douche date’s face. Several people in the party laugh at something, the murmur carried on the wind.

“Yo, Sawyer,” Carson says, snapping me back to the road we’re crossing.

I hurry to catch up.

“My girlfriend Tara works in the dining room,” Carson says, sliding on his shades. “You want me to find out who it is?”

“I know who it is,” I say, then regret my sharp tone.

Carson’s expression is shaded behind his sunglasses, but he arches an eyebrow.

“It’s Kirilee St. Claire.”

“How the fuck do you know that?”

“Zach’s fiancée Sofie is her best friend,” I say. “We’ve hung out a few times.”

“Ah,” Carson says. We descend the stairs to a path shaded by tall pines. I look back, but the entourage is gone from the patio.

“What’s the big to-do? She gettin’ married?” he asks, glancing back at the patio.

“Yeah, actually. In a couple of months.” Saying this out loud is like chewing razor blades.

“Hell, I was kidding. Isn’t she kind of young to be getting married?” Carson asks.

“Her family is in a hurry, apparently.”

“Shotgun wedding?” Carson’s eyebrows arch up.

My gut takes a dive. I can’t stand the thought of douche date touching Kirilee, let alone getting close enough to her to make a baby. “No. At least not that I’m aware of.”

“Then what’s the rush?”

We descend another set of stairs to a parking area, which exits theranch on a service road separate from the main gate so the members don’t have to encounter employee commuter traffic.

“Her family wants it that way, I guess.”

“And she’s onboard with that?” Carson unlocks his truck, and we climb in.

“Not exactly.” My phone rings, and I slip it from my back pocket. I frown at the phone screen. It’s Kirilee.

“Hey,” I say as Carson starts the engine and backs out of the parking slot.

“Hey,” she says in a huff, like she’s out of breath. “It’s your first day today, right?”

How does she know this? “Yep.”

“How’d it go?”

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