Page 35 of Seeing You

“I know it’s got to be a little awkward for you with your history with Marcus, but you have to admit, he looks good.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to make a snarky comment, but the crowd started moving toward the reception hall, and she opted to take the high road and walk away.

Standing in line, she grabbed her place card and went to find her table. Unfortunately, she was sitting with her friends, which made her the third wheel to a table full of couples. Simone waved her over and Billie smiled wearily as she made her way across the room.

“I am so going to bed alone tonight…”

There were eight chairs—but she figured that was the norm—and decided to sit next to Susan.

“I’m already looking forward to the cake!” her friend gushed. “We came to a wedding here a few months ago and the food wasn’t particularly good. Neither was the cake. Needless to say, I was thrilled when Iris mentioned that you were doing the desserts! Honestly, Billie, you have a gift!”

“Thank you. You know, my grandmother…”

“Hey, Marcus!” Caitlyn called out. “Are you sitting with us?”

Son of a bitch…

Pulling out the chair beside her, Marcus sat and looked at her with a smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Billie. Small world, huh?”

And yeah, his smile was just this side of smug.

The bastard.

How was she supposed to walk around flirting without it looking like she was trying to make him jealous?

“I thought you were going home to D.C.,” she mentioned casually. “As in…not coming back.”

His chuckle was low and throaty and thoroughly masculine.

Just the sound was enough to make her ache.

“I went back for a few days but made a last-minute decision to come to the wedding. Remember how Iris’s father got me the job with Hutchinsons? Well, we keep in touch, and he reached out several times asking if I was attending, so…here I am.”

“Just funny that you didn’t think to mention it while we were at dinner the other night,” she muttered so no one else could hear.

“Like I said, it was a last-minute decision.” Resting his arm along the back of her chair, he added, “And lucky for me there was an extra seat at your table.”

“How fun is this?” Simone asked the group. “This is just like the lunch table when we were in high school! All of us sitting together—well, except for Iris, but you get what I’m saying! I’ve missed this!”

“It’s like we got the band back together!” Steve said, raising his glass. “Here’s to good friends!”

Billie’s wineglass was empty, so she raised her water glass instead.

“To friendship! Susan added.

“To friendship!” everyone mimicked

“And a fun evening!” Caitlyn cheered.

But all Billie could think was how she was seriously in hell.

The decision to come to the wedding really had been a last-minute one, but he wasn’t here for the bride and groom. Hell, he wasn’t even here because Iris’s father helped him get a job.

He was here because of the kiss.

How it was possible that a single kiss with a woman he had kissed upwards of a million times in his life was affecting him so much was beyond him. All Marcus knew was that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it all damn week.

He’d gone back to D.C. the morning after and couldn’t wait to get out of Sweetbriar Ridge. The entire four-hour drive, he’d told himself how he had his closure and he could move on. Thoughts of sleeping in his own bed in his fabulous penthouse and eating food at upscale restaurants instead of the mom-and-pop places that were scattered around his tiny hometown got him through the monotonous drive.

---