Page 83 of Playing the Game
Jonah’s cheeks are red, and his breathing is rapid—he’s about to blow. Luke takes a second and then excuses himself. I peer at Hunter. His worried gaze comes to mine.
“Let me help you up.” He assists me to my feet.
A dizzy wave hits, and I sway.
He grabs my waist. “Lean on me and I’ll get you to the chairs.”
“Let her go, Hunter. I can handle it from here.” Jami joins me by my side.
“You can hardly stand. There’s no way you can help her. Use your head, Jamison, and let me care for her.” Hunter brings me closer to him.
A pang of anxiety pulses through my insides. These two are a ticking time bomb.
Jami’s eyes flare with hostility. “I said?—”
“I’m fine. You can both relax.” I shuck away from Hunter, hoping to calm Jami. “Thanks for your concern, but I can walk by myself.”
Pain smears across Hunter’s face. He covers it by taking a moment to gauge my injury.
My posture goes slack. I hate that I’m hurting him. I lower my head as the crowd clears the area.
Mel orders everyone to go back to enjoying the party as she leads Luke out. I raise my head to find Jami and Hunter glaring at each other.
I clasp Jami’s hand and tug it to get his attention. “You need to be resting, so let’s sit and take it easy for a minute.”
His distressed eyes scroll over my face. “Okay, but are you sure you don’t need to go to urgent care and get your head checked out?”
“I’m fine,” I lie. There’s no way I’m missing my best friend’s going away party. I address Hunter. “Get Jonah calmed down so Mel can enjoy herself when she returns.”
He nods and turns to Jonah. “Let’s get some air in the courtyard.”
They leave as I face Jami. “You shouldn’t have put yourself in the middle of a fight.”
“If you think I was going to sit there after you had been hit in the face, you’re crazy.” He shifts closer and checks me for injuries.
“I’m sure everything will be fine after a minute or two. I’m not hurt, just shocked. Now, let’s go sit down for a while.”
“I tried to get you to stop and not get involved.”
“I know, but I didn’t think I’d get elbowed between the eyes.”
“They should’ve been more aware of their surroundings.” He intertwines our fingers and leads me back to the table.
We sit, and Melanie joins the second we do.
She places her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, Dori. I didn’t expect them to get into a fight.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not even hurt.” I ignore the pounding in my head.
“Are you sure?” She nervously peeks over at Jami. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
Jami sighs as he settles back in his chair. “I’m not upset, Mel. I’m just worried about Dori.”
They both stare my way. Their concern is as clear as day. A sudden ripple of fear rolls through me.
If Hunter gets my job back, I will lose two of the most important people in my everyday life. The weight of that closes my windpipe.
Jami cocks his head. “What’s with the look, Dori? Is something wrong?”
