Page 88 of Loving Leo

Asher slings his arm around me as we make our way into the bustling kitchen, finding the manager who hands us our aprons and goes through our responsibilities. A few minutes later we get to work.

I don’t normally take on catering gigs, but Asher asked me to help and I had nothing else to do since Heath was busy, so here I am. Making a few extra bucks and killing time until I can see him again.

Is it ridiculous that I miss him so much?

This is getting out of hand and yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We gather the trays with fancy finger foods on them and I eye Asher.

He grins at me, waggling his eyebrows slightly.

Rich people food is what we’re thinking. Maybe this is what Heath grew up eating. Maybe his nanny made him cute little cucumber sandwiches when he was still running around in diapers. I’ll have to tell him about this place, see if its the same kind of place and vibe.

Either way, this place is nice. My mind conjures up Heath running around in a place exactly like this with his sister, all while being chased around by the nannies. Oh who am I kidding, he wouldn’t be misbehaving. I bet he followed all the rules.

I grin to myself at the thought as I take a step outside. It’s the perfect day, almost as if these people paid the weather to behave. I’m pretty sure if they could manage it, they would have.

“Can you imagine being this rich?” Asher whispers to me as we make our way outside.

“Never,” I reply with a small snort and then stop near a gathering of people in elegant dresses and suits and ties. They pick the food off the plate and place it daintily in their mouths.

Apparently, no one here shoves food into their faces like I do.

Oh well. It seems Heath likes me just the way I am, beastly behavior and all.

As Asher and I move around, offering the finger foods to the small clusters of people, my mind thinks of Heath. It’s only when the trays are empty that I head back in for a refill.

As I move around the yard, I do my best to fade into the scenery. I want to do my job and then get back to Heath, but on my third trip outside, my steps falter and I gasp.

It’s him, standing out near some trees, his sister on his arm, a beautiful woman at his side.

I freeze, unable to look away, a smile forming on my face before it falls off quickly.

He’s making his way toward me, but he’s not looking my way.

Wait. No, hedidlook my way, a quick flick of his eyes, spotting me for a second before sliding his gaze away. What the hell? He’savoiding eye contact, making me feel like my heart is shriveling in my chest. Why is he ignoring me? Why is he acting like this? Like I don’t exist?

Suddenly it all clicks.

Holy fuck. This is his parent’s event. Somehow I managed to end up in the same space as all of them. As a caterer. As the help. Suddenly I realize this is not going to end well for me or my heart.

“Leo,” Asher hisses softly. “Did you see Heath? Did you know he’d be here?”

“No,” I whisper, swallowing roughly, my eyes unable to leave his stiff form. He looks so good in that suit and tie, his hair perfectly combed to the side. His sister looks beautiful as well, as does the blonde bombshell making her way up to him once more, leaning into him like she’s known him intimately.

Oh fuck. Is this the ex? The one who cheated?

Lana.

Suddenly everything fades in and out and I find it hard to breathe. My chest constricts and I feel myself wobbling slightly.

He didn’t say thatshe’dbe here. Why did he lie? Maybe lying is a strong word. Maybe he just omitted it.

Fuck. I shouldn’t be here and yet I can’t leave. I have a job to do. My mom raised me to be responsible, to finish what I started. I can’t just walk away, as much as I want to.

“Come on. Just keep working and pretend you never saw him.”

I don’t know if I can do that, but I try like hell to do as he suggests. It doesn’t quite work. My eyes are constantly drawn to him, to the way he moves, the way he speaks. I can tell just by looking at him that he’s uncomfortable. He tugs on his collar and adjusts his tie, fiddling with the buttons on his sleeves. He looks nothing like the carefree man I spend my nights with, the one who smiles and laughs and kisses me so sweetly.

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