Page 9 of The Bourbon Bride

He probably let his daddy pull strings and call in connections to get him the job. He never worked for anything when I knew him, letting others do his homework and taking credit he wasn’t due. I can’t imagine he would have changed much if he didn’t have to.

“It really is so good to be home.” He leers at me a moment too long and I swallow hard. “I can’t wait to pick up right where I left off when I went away for college.”

“Wouldn’t that be, hmm, I don’t know, too immature? I’m sure you must have grown and developed enough as a person to not want to revert back to your old ways.” I don’t believe a word of that about him but know Mama will shake me if I say anything more cutting.

Garrison just chuckles, which doesn’t bode well for any sort of maturity on his part. His eyes gleam as he slowly looks me over from head to toe.

Nope. Not me in his sights again. That will not happen. I know better this time around and know just what he’s capable of. The only silver lining to having been a target of Garrison’s misspent youth is that I do not have a list of heartbreaks, doled out by selfish boys, that would have crushed me. Instead, he helped me realize none of the boys in high school would be worthy of my time, only full of promises they never intended to keep just so they could get the outcome they wanted. That was enough to make me avoid the hook-up culture that is pervasive in my generation.

My thoughts wander to Hayes, wondering what it would be like to hook up with him, and my cheeks heat. I guess I avoided it all too well because now I have a whole new problem of not knowing the first thing about getting what I want when I finally have a man I’m interested in. I swear I can still smell Hayes’s warm skin and the clean linen of his shirt on my skin. I bring my wandering mind back to the party and the jerk, who is the opposite of what I want, smiling at me now.

“You should come around more, sugar. I haven’t seen you in ages. Why don’t you hang out at the club or any of the other spots where our group spends time?”

“You could call it tactfully avoiding certain people.” I allow a small smile to soften the words I very much mean. I stay five miles away from anywhere I could possibly run into Garrison or his group.

“Paige, we do not avoid anyone. Be nice, he deserves your respect,” Mama says, a nervous laugh following the squeeze she gives my arm.

I turn to give her a quick glare. “Well,Ilike to avoid people who have shown me their true colors.“ My voice is low, but I wouldn’t mind Garrison hearing my comment.

Does she not remember what he did to me? Everything that happened at that stupid party and the months after when I was tormented by lies?

Likely not. Even then, she had taken his side when I told her what he had tried, but failed to achieve, thanks to the divine intervention that was Alex stumbling on us. Mama insisted we didn’t want to ruinhis bright futurewhennothing had actually happened. Sure, physically I survived intact, but emotionally he had ripped an innocence from me before I was ready. The sheet had been torn and I began to see there were people who would take advantage of any situation. It was a violation despite not ending the way he had hoped.

Mama cuts in before I can come up with another snide remark. “Garrison just bought a condo downtown. Isn’t that nice?” There’s that Southernism again.Isn’t that niceis her code for you better compliment and congratulate him or I’ll shake you. “I can imagine he needs to be close to work since he will be so busy putting his new law degree to use.”

“It’s so nice of you to grace us with your brilliant lawyer presence for my little debut. There are so many other people here that I just have to thank, so we won’t keep you. Bye-bye.” The sarcasm drips like honey, but Mama can’t do anything because I’m technically being polite. I glance at her and smile as I feel her frustration tremble through her hand into my arm. I learned from the best.

“Garrison, I do hope you’ll join us for dinner tomorrow night. It’s already set with your mama and daddy. Supper’s at seven.”

A burn creeps up my neck as fury rings through me. She invited the Daniels family to Sunday dinner without even telling me? And to ask Garrison to attend as well? This woman knows no bounds.

“I didn’t know we were hosting a big dinner tomorrow, Mama,” I say through clenched teeth. “Don’t you think this weekend is busy enough?”

Family dinner is a tradition I can’t get out of, no matter how hard I try or what else is going on around it. It’s the only day of the week Mama actually does the cooking and most weeks my septuagenarian grandmother, Nanny Fairchild, joins us, badgering Mama about something or other just to get a rise out of her. Occasionally Mama turns it into a bigger deal by inviting a family friend or two, but she saves the big dinner parties for their own occasion, so at least I don’t have to deal with a social event weekly.

“Your daddy and I want to take advantage of having so many of our old friends in town. Besides, it’s just a little dinner.” She turns back to Garrison and smiles sweetly. “I’ll make that roast chicken I remember you were so fond of in high school.”

I turn my head and cover my mouth as I gag.

Ugh, the roast chicken. Garrison had dinner with us before we went to that fateful party. Mama served her specialty chicken, and when I was violently ill that night after all the alcohol Garrison had forced on me, along with nausea from the thwarted assault, it was chicken that came up and it has haunted me ever since.

“Excuse me, I think I’ve had too much champagne.”

I untangle my arm from Mama’s hands and hurry away as she fusses at me. I look around for an escape and spot the alcove to the elevator that leads back up to Hayes. No, I can’t run back to him. Besides, there was a pad for a special keycard to get the elevator to go back up, so I’d likely just be stuck if I tried. As much as I want to run away, what he said about responsibilities echoes in my head and slows my steps.

Well, shoot. I guess I have to pull up my big girl panties and tough out the rest of this party after all.

five

Paige

“Youshouldhavegivenme a heads-up.” I pick up a brush to scrub the potatoes Mama drops in the sink as I once again bring up the Daniels joining us for dinner.

“For the last time, I can invite whomever I want to my Sunday dinner, and you will be on your best behavior with them.”

“What he did—“

“Is ancient history, Paige,” she cuts in. “Nothing happened. You should be over this by now.” When I try to butt in, she raises a hand in my face. “God help me, if you so much as bring it up again I’m cutting off your trust for a month.”

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