Page 43 of Saving Jared

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Excited chatterand flashes of light drew Willa’s focus to the ballroom entrance. The two couples she’d had her eye out for during the past fifteen minutes since she’d arrived finally walked in.

Jared led the way with a beautiful woman on his arm who smiled and greeted people—stopped to chat. So that was Laurel Fremont. Willa had kind of hoped she’d been one of those socialite women who you could tell was fake from across a room.

But that wasn’t the case with this woman. She seemed…

Genuine.

Although she’d yet to meet her. She…

Willa gasped when she spied Kinsley and the man with her. "What the hell?" Why was she with that Paul Lancaster fellow when she was supposed to be with Hartman Fremont?

Willa rushed toward a tensely smiling Kinsley, breezing past Jared and Ms. Fremont without thought and eased up beside her friend, whispering in her ear as her date spoke to someone on Kinsley’s other side.

"Where’s the asshat?"

Kinsley’s helpless gaze met hers, and she had the look—the look those close enough to her knew meant nothing good. "He’s the asshat."

"Where?" Willa asked, glancing around. "What does he look like?"

"No, he—"

"I’m the asshat." The man accompanying Kinsley stuck out his hand. "Hart Fremont. And you must be this Willa I heard so much about last night."

Kinsley groaned as Willa looked way up at the man—he had to be close to six foot six—and out of habit she stuck her hand out. "You’re Hartman Fremont?" She frowned, shaking the man’s hand then quickly letting it go. "I don’t understand."

"No one understands," Kinsley groused.

"You would if you’d let me explain it to you," Hart said. "But—"

"But you’re more of an asshat than I originally thought. So, no."

Willa looped her arm through Kinsley’s and started to pull her away, though Paul, well, Hart didn’t seem to want to let go until Kinsley gave him a stink eye. She finally got her friend halfway across the room before saying, "What the actual hell?"

"I had no idea. Every picture I’ve seen of him, he’s been clean-shaven." Willa checked over Kinsley’s head to see a scowling Hart staring at them before she focused back on Kinsley. "This is a nightmare. The things I said about Hartman Fremont to him. Oh, god, the things we did."

"This isn’t on you. This is on him." Willa would give anything to have a few choice words with him. "Jeez, to pretend to be someone else."

"It’s because I didn’t recognize him," Kinsley said, nodding her head as she stared transfixed at some point behind Willa’s head. "He said, 'Kinsley McComb, right?' And then I said something like, 'Depends on who’s asking.' Then he started to give me his name, but I got a little flirty, then he got a lot flirty." She met Willa’s gaze. "You know, he actually didn’t give me his, or I should say a, name until a little later when he said, call me Paul."

"Do you want me to hurt him for you? I will if you want me to."

Kinsley smiled at her. "I think Jared has that covered. He’s threatened bodily injury."

Jared was just as protective of Kinsley as her brothers were of her. But where was he? She scanned the room where most people had begun eating, while others danced, until she spied him with his arms around Laurel Fremont on the dance floor, laughing over something she said. Then he bent and whispered something in her ear that had her shaking her head and rubbing her hand over his back.

"Don’t worry," Kinsley said. "She’s not going to turn his head."

Willa nodded and smiled, since that was what she’d been doing all day whenever the subject of Jared had come up. She’d wait until after the Fremonts awarded the grant tomorrow—maybe Monday—before she let her best friend know her brother didn’t want her anymore.

It turned out, she was just like all the other women he’d dated and dropped since Macy.

Expendable.

For the rest of the evening, Willa stayed close to Kinsley and ran interference between her and Hart Fremont. Whenever Hart tried to get Kinsley alone, Willa stuck to her like glue. Or when Willa was fairly certain Kinsley was about to wield the nearest pieces of cutlery like a set of Edward Scissorhands blades, she made sure she slid them out of Kinsley’s reach.

Of course, the rest of her time was spent following Jared and Laurel’s progress around the room. The two made a striking couple, and from all outward appearances Jared seemed to enjoy her company. And whether she could accept it or not, she supposed she might as well get used to the idea he’d moved on.

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