Page 71 of Love on Deck

Jack took my hand, pulling me toward the green Ford that had come to get us off the side of the road. In the forty minutes we’d waited for Wyatt, six cars had stopped to ask if we needed help. “Don’t worry yet. We’ll get you home.”

We climbed into the cab. I slid into the center seat, leaning toward Jack. His knees bounced the entire drive, displaying his anxious energy. Here I was worrying about whether I’d be home tonight to work on my proposal, and he was about to face his family, arriving uninvited to a party he was anxious about.

How could I have been so self-absorbed?

We stopped on the side of a long gravel road that ended at a farm-style house, trees butting all up around it and lights dangling from the wrap-around porch. Cars lined the entire road and filled the gravel space in front of the house. People milled around and country music blared. More than half of the vehicles lining the road were trucks.

We were not in the Metroplex anymore, Toto.

Jack stopped in the middle of the road. Wyatt glanced back once but kept moving, giving him space.

I took his hand, overwhelmed by the desire to lessen his burdens. “Don’t stress about the car thing. We’ll get home eventually.”

“But you have to catch up on work.” He looked so beaten down. “I made you a promise.”

“You had no control over that deer.” I squeezed his fingers. “Besides, when your conference is transferred to the Hunnam Group, I’ll be able to offload some of my smaller events to coworkers. Most of them are pretty well in hand already, anyway.” And I could always tell Jerry to just handle his issues himself. It’s what I did, after all.

“I’m not surprised, Spreadsheets.” He sounded fine, but his voice was still tight.

I hooked a thumb toward the house. “Should I enter doing the moonwalk while shouting the national anthem?”

His eyebrows pulled together. “Why?”

“To take the attention away from you.”

A smile spread over his lips. “How sweet of you to offer to make a fool of yourself for me.”

“There’s nothing foolish about the moonwalk or the national anthem.”

“You may fit in here better than you think.”

Jack pulled me toward the house. He seemed more relaxed now, so I considered that a job well done. When we climbed the steps and opened the door, pretty much everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at us. But while the general buzz of conversation had dropped to a cricket level of silence, the attention in the room wasn’t on Jack. It was squarely on me.

He dropped my hand.

“Lauren!” Annie called from somewhere out of sight, her arms in the air while she ran through the crowd and pulled me into a hug. “You made it!”

Never had I seen so much plaid in one room or been so happy to have a friend. She unlocked the silence. The noise started up again as people surged forward to greet Jack.

“There are a lot of people in here,” I said.

Annie took my arm, pulling me away from Jack and all the people swarming to hug him. “It’s too cold outside or half of us would be on the porch. Come on, let me introduce you around.”

I watched Jack over my shoulder as a tall guy with dark brown hair wrapped him in a hug and lifted him from the ground. Jack wasn’t small, but this guy was much taller.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“Oh.” Annie stopped. “Colt. The youngest Fletcher boy.”

“He’s the youngest?” He was bigger than Jack.

“That’s the other one, Tucker,” she said, pointing to a guy with wavy brown hair who came from behind, hugging Jack around the chest and sporting a wide grin, revealing a perfect row of white teeth.

“The man of the hour?”

“The very one.” Annie looked from me to the Fletcher boys. “On second thought, let’s go introduce you to them first. I’m just so glad you got him to come.” She pulled me toward them, but it didn’t fall on her to do any of the introductions.

Jack slid his arm around my shoulders, bringing me close to his side. “Colt, Tucker, this is Lauren Foley. Her sister just married my friend Kevin.”

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