Page 60 of Unhurried Hearts

“Please. Call me Kitty.”

I slide my hands a couple inches higher on Anna’s leg and squeeze for emphasis. “Kitty? If you insist.”

Anna coughs on her wine and dabs her mouth with her cloth napkin, staining the fabric with her lipstick.

“So, the first time we met, and I introduced myself, do you know what she had the audacity to say to me?”

Kitty’s eyes are round, her earrings swinging as she shakes her head and waits for me to go on.

“She said,” I pull out the air quotes, “‘dirty tradesmen aren’t my type.’”

Kitty gasps and drops her fork. Her husband shakes his head at his roast beef. Chad, one of the guys on my left who I didn’t even know was listening says, “Harsh, dude.”

“You’re a brat,” she says through her teeth.

“Anna, heobviouslycleans up very nicely. These boys in this industry work hard. They can’t always look camera ready.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” I adjust my navy pocket square. “Sometimes I look like this. Sometimes I look like I just climbed out of a tent in the middle of the forest.”

Kitty looks slightly confused at my examples, but Anna’s eyes go as round as her empty dinner plate.

“You tell the rest.” Mrs. Short taps Anna on the bare shoulder to regain her attention.

“The rest?”

“Yes, what made you change your mind on thedirtytradesman?”

The college guy in the middle of the group laughs and all attention is truly on her now. She lines her fork and steak knife up parallel to each other on the plate and discards her cloth napkin.

“Well, Chris is right, for a long time I discounted him as a young, player type of guy. From what I’d heard,he had that reputation.”

Kitty is still smiling so she must not think any less of me over that. I don’t get the sense she’s an overly conservative woman.

“So, wasn’t I surprised when he admitted to me that he was actually a virgin?”

The table goes stone silent as I process what Anna just said to six virtual strangers.

“Anna,” I grit out.

“Oh, don’t be shy about it,honey.”

I don’t miss the way she sends the same term of endearment back my way. Willpower I didn’t even know I possessed is the only thing keeping my ass in my chair. The three college-aged guys next to me are practically vibrating as they stifle their laughter.

Kitty’s eyes are shining with barely contained excitement. Her ring-covered hands shake slightly like she’s holding back on saying something.

“Frank. That’s just like you and me, Frank.” She smacks his shoulder without looking.

“Good God,” I mutter.

The burly man's cheeks turn the colour of the low burning flames on the centrepieces.

Anna is going to pay for this in some way…I just haven’t decided how. Something involving her over my shoulder with a pink handprint on her ass sounds perfect. Remind her who the experienced one is here. Before Kitty can mortify us with any specific examples the M.C. announces that the awards portion of the evening will be commencing soon.

Chapter twenty-seven

Anna

Iexcuse myself from the table, typing out a quick message to Ashlyn to ask how her travel day went. As I push through the ballroom door, I spot a waiter with a tray of fizzy champagne walking down the hall. I smile as I confidently snag one, hoping he doesn’t tell me they are bound for a specific table or a different party altogether. He says nothing as I strut on by, sighing as the cold effervescence slides over my tongue. The room has heated considerably and when I notice a set of doors leading outside aren’t blocked off, I decided to take a little detour to cool off. The patio overlooks the hotel pool. The glowing aqua water steams slightly in the November air. Topiaries andhigh-end patio furniture are scattered along the pool deck. I choose a low lounge chair to sink into, not even caring that it must be close to freezing. I’m practically feverish between the velvet dress, Chris teasing me earlier, and all the laughter with our very spirited table. I finish the last of the champagne, deciding that’d better be my last drink, and head inside to find the washroom.

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