Part 22 (1/2)

”Well, I must say that I'm glad to hear we are on the same page,” Oliver drawled sincerely. ”But now, I think we should move on to something more appropriate for a Sat.u.r.day evening. Oh, do I have just the story for you.” His eyes went wide. ”How would you like to hear of how Damien and I met for the first time?” He grinned. ”It's quite the tale, I tell you.”

”Oh, yes,” I said, equally thrilled and relieved for the change in topic.

Without delay, Oliver dived in and told me of how he had just moved into the neighborhood with his wife and son, Nathan, when Damien was fourteen years old. It turned out that Damien and Nathan were only a few months apart in age, and they'd quickly become friends. They had taken their two four-wheelers out for a long ride where Damien got them buried in the deep patch of mud in a swamp nearly five miles away from their home.

I found myself laughing at Oliver's theatrics as he proceeded to tell me how he'd come to help get Damien and Nathan out with his truck, only to get it stuck, too. I could hear the love in his voice when Oliver told me he'd tried his best to remain mad at the boys for going so close to the wetland, but he'd found himself stifling his own laughter.

”So, did they get into trouble?” I asked once he'd finished.

”Nope.” Oliver laughed out loud. ”After the tow truck pulled us all out, I took them home and showed them how to go mudding without getting stuck.” He sighed, and the atmosphere changed, as if reliving the moment in his mind.

”That sounds like you all had a great time then,” I offered sincerely.

”We did. That was the day Damien and I bonded.” I saw the love in his eyes, and his expression softened. ”I left my house with one son, and I came home with two.”

There were no words to match Oliver's powerful ones or the emotion coming out of him, so I nodded my head. Then, my eye caught on the man himself. Damien was heading toward me, but he was not alone.

A woman in a sparkly white gown was right on his heels. The dress was extremely tight, so her steps were short and fast. ”Damien, we need to finish our discussion.”

”I said, later, Zoey.” His voice was harsh with finality as he closed the gap separating us. He set his palm on my lower back and placed an apologetic kiss on my lips before murmuring, ”Sorry to keep you waiting.”

”It's okay.” I glanced at Oliver. ”Oliver did a fantastic job at keeping me entertained with a charming story.”

”You didn't,” Damien threatened in good mirth to Oliver.

He retorted, ”Oh, I did.”

Before the two men could exchange another word, Zoey wedged her way in between a gathering behind Oliver, and she came to a standstill at his left. Her eyes were glued on me, giving me a speculative once-over.

My spine straightened as I was immediately on guard.

”Damien, you didn't tell me you were bringing eye-candy along tonight,” she purred at him before cutting me with an icy-cold stare. ”And you are?”

My head snapped back a fraction on my shoulders, and my eyes broadened with undeniable shock as I was unable to keep my composure.

Damien, on the other hand, matched Zoey's expression as Oliver quietly made his escape.

”Raelyn is not eye-candy,” Damien snapped venomously. ”And if you value your job at Heathman Enterprises, you'll do well to remember to watch your f.u.c.king mouth before you speak again, Zoey.”

Her face flamed bright red, as I was sure mine had, too, from being the lone victim of her hostility.

”Sorry,” Zoey said, looking at Damien, not me.

When she finally did meet my stare, I saw a faint glimpse of that feminine b.i.t.c.hiness before she pasted on a proper smile.

”h.e.l.lo, Raelyn. Nice to meet you.” She extended her hand to me. ”I'm Zoey, Damien's a.s.sistant.”

Instead of accepting her offering, I snuggled closer into Damien and linked my fingers with his. ”Hi,” I replied simply, greeting her with just as much sa.s.s in my tone.

The corner of her mouth curled with irritation before her gaze landed on Damien. ”I'll see you on Monday, so we can finish our discussion, Damien.”

Damien squeezed my hand as Zoey walked off without waiting for his response.

”Sorry about that. Zoey can be...” He trailed off and released an exasperated breath. ”Well, Zoey.”

”I see.”

”I apologize for her being so rude. I don't know what came over her. She's not normally so...antagonistic.”

To me, Zoey had displayed what could only be called pure jealousy, but I kept my thoughts to myself, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt.

”It's all right.” I smiled rea.s.suringly. It wasn't his fault that his a.s.sistant had acted impolite.

Just when I thought the pleasantries for the evening had pa.s.sed, Damien displayed a clear sign of irritation on his face. I followed his line of sight and saw that Cale was closing in on us.

”Just f.u.c.king great,” Damien muttered under his breath.

I sensed Cale's uneasiness as he approached and came to stand before us.

”Damien. Raelyn.” Cale nodded his head at each of us.

Unsure of what else to do, I offered Cale a small smile. It wasn't my usual friendly one but one more filled with disappointment at the loss of a treasured friends.h.i.+p that would probably never be restored.

”What are you doing here, Cale? You were not invited to this charity. I made sure of it myself,” Damien accused, intently eyeing him.

”I'm sorry.” Cale flinched, and he briefly lowered his gaze to the floor in shame. ”I didn't expect to be welcomed with open arms tonight. What I did to you both is unforgivable. But since the event was open to the general public, I still wanted to attend A Voice for Kids and support you, Damien. No matter how much you loathe me, I'll always consider you my friend.”

I swallowed thickly and briefly glanced away in hopes of keeping my emotions in check. I was relieved to see no one was watching the three of us.

”A friend?” Damien's laugh was ominous, causing my attention to land on him. ”You have a f.u.c.ked up definition of what it means to be one.” He stepped forward. The way he carried himself made him look downright dangerous. ”Because a friend is supposed to always have your back, to be honest and loyal. A friend doesn't stab you in the back with a ten-inch blade when you're not looking.” He paused, going toe-to-toe with Cale, where he towered over him. ”A friend wouldn't steal from you. A friend would have asked for help in a time of need. I would have given it to you in a f.u.c.king heartbeat.”

”Damien, words can never express how truly sorry I am for my mistakes.” Cale gravely shook his head. ”I swear on my life that I never meant for it to go this far. I was going to pay it back.”

”Save your apology and your excuses for someone who cares.” Damien gestured toward the exit, and he threatened, ”We will be talking soon but not tonight. Now, get the f.u.c.k out of my charity before I remove you myself.”

”All right. I'll go.” Cale drew his brows together in a defeated frown and then stared at me. ”Good-bye, Rae.”

”Bye,” I whispered. I watched the man I'd once called my friend turn and walk off, wondering if it would be the last time I ever saw him. For only having a few people in my life, it was hard to lose one.

Damien's body radiated with anger beside me, so I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around his center.

”I'm sorry he came,” I said, hoping Cale hadn't tarnished such an important night for Damien. ”Are you okay?” I asked.

”Yes, I'm fine,” he replied.

I didn't believe him. Whether Damien wanted to admit it or not, he was grieving the loss of a friend, too.

”Are you?” he asked. ”I don't like the idea of him upsetting you.”

”I'm not. I just don't want Cale to ruin this night for you.”