Just Fall (The Fall Series) (3 page)

OPPOSITES COLLIDE

My
body was still trembling when I reached the safety of my suite. I slammed the
door and immediately began pacing like a caged animal.
What was he doing
here? And what the hell just happened out there?

The
Parker Blackwell I remembered was the most annoying, frustrating, immature boy
I’d ever met, and he always, I mean always had to win. He challenged me at
everything, and my entire summers were spent competing with him.

I
grabbed my phone and tried to call my best friend, Nina. She knew our history,
and she was the only person who would understand what I was going through right
now. Straight to voicemail.
Shit!

This
may seem like an outrageous reaction coming from a twenty-four-year-old woman,
but if you only knew the torture I endured you would understand. He got under
my skin in every way, and although I never admitted it to anyone, I secretly
loved him and hated him all at the same time. He was exhausting, sexy and
maddening, and I daydreamed about him constantly. He was the reason I practiced
kissing my pillow at night, and in the spring I would count the days until he
arrived to begin our confusing and frustrating game all over again. Sometimes I
thought that he might like me, too. I often caught him staring at me, and that
time we kissed he made an attempt at second base, but I never really knew for
sure. Everything was just a game to Parker.

I
still couldn’t believe he was here. He was all grown up now and very easy on
the eyes, very, very easy, I might add. Even so, I had a feeling that
underneath all that sexy swagger he was the same competitive annoying asshole.
I couldn’t imagine him any other way.

And
if that wasn’t bad enough, the last time I saw him was the summer my mom found
out she had breast cancer. Talk about bad memories. When he didn’t return the
following year I had a ton of mixed emotions that I couldn’t explain. I decided
I hated him, and convinced myself I was relieved. As much as I wanted to, I
never even asked Sarah where he was.

Now
you know where he is, Lo! He’s downstairs on your patio looking like a fucking
model off the cover of GQ. He’s sitting right down there with his fuck-me hair,
sculpted body and that smile that could charm the pants off Mother Theresa.
That’s where he is!

It
didn’t matter that we were all grown up now. The sight of him still had me torn
between wanting to kiss him and wanting to punch him in the face.

I
tried dialing again.
Where the hell was Nina?
She was the only one who
could talk me through this. I threw the phone on the bed in frustration at the
sound of her voicemail message again.

Panicking,
I started to think of a million excuses to avoid seeing him again, each one sounding
more ridiculous than the last. After carefully considering everything from a
sudden illness to an unforeseen emergency, I realized I had to face him. As
much as I wanted to avoid Parker, I missed Mary and Tom, and I looked forward
to catching up on all the latest news about Sarah and her new husband. Were
they planning to have children soon? Did they find a house yet?

Besides,
things were different now. I’m not the same seventeen-year-old girl Parker
knew. I had bigger things to worry about now, like how the hell to keep The Grand
rockin’ like it was tonight, not to mention how to keep Evelyn, my wicked
stepmother, from calling to ask why her quarterly profit checks were getting
smaller. Ever since my dad died, Evelyn has been my silent partner in The
Grand. Lately she hasn’t been so silent, and I wanted nothing more than to get
her off my back.

I
showered in record time, applied some makeup and unpinned my hair letting the
blonde waves fall loosely down my back. As I walked to the closet I knew just
what I would wear. The strapless coral sundress that showcased the girls nicely
was calling my name along with the silver choker that clung tightly to my neck
and my dangly silver earrings.
Perfect!

I
took one last look at myself and checked my phone for calls from Nina as I
slipped into my strappy sandals in front of the mirror.
Do you still want to
challenge me Mr. Blackwell? Well bring it on! This girl is all grown up now and
won’t waste one more second on the likes of you!

I
decided to take the elevator down to the ground floor so I could stop at the
bar and check in with Steve. Parker would be expecting me to come back down the
stairs, but that my friends would be his first mistake. The element of surprise
would give me the advantage.

Back
in the tavern I observed Steve working his magic behind the bar. He was
entertaining a group of rowdy ladies, who seemed quite happy to wait as he
expertly mixed their Cosmos while keeping them flirting and laughing at the
same time. I laughed to myself and shook my head when he looked up and nodded
at me as if to say “all is well”.  Then I stopped a waitress to order a round
before heading outside. If I remembered correctly Tom was a whiskey guy, and
Mary liked her Merlot and as for Parker… After a minute I knew just what to
order.

Happy
with my thoughtful gesture, I walked smugly toward the patio door, and halted
abruptly in my tracks at the scene taking place just outside. Parker was talking
to a sexy little blonde. She was so close her D cups were practically under his
nose.
Some things never change!

As
I stood there angrily watching the scene unfold, I quickly realized it wasn’t
him making the advances. Blondie was practically throwing herself at his feet,
and by the look on Mary’s face, she wasn’t impressed. Then Blondie swept her
platinum locks over her shoulder exposing the swell of her breasts, and a sexy
dimpled grin spread slowly across Parker’s face as he took the pen from her
hand and wrote something there.
What the hell is going on?

I
had to pause for just a moment. The whole thing caught me off guard, and I
wasn’t sure what I was feeling. Yeah, I was angry, but why? I had to admit that
seeing Parker touch the breast of the blonde bombshell made me angry, and I knew
what that implied, but there’s no possible way that I was jealous. I convinced
myself that disgusted was the right word. Yeah, disgusted, and I didn’t know it
then, but things were about to get a whole lot worse.

I
approached the table just as Blondie made her exit in the opposite direction.
For a moment I wished I knew her name so I could have her barred for the
weekend just to save her from the infamous Parker Blackwell. But who was I
kidding? Looking around I could easily count at least three more willing
victims just waiting for the opportunity to make their way over here to meet
Prince Charming. It was futile.

Mary’s
face lit up when she noticed me. “Sit down, Lo. I want to tell you all about
Sarah’s new job.”

Realizing
I would be placed next to Parker, I hesitated, and right on cue he stood and
pulled out my chair.
Nice touch, but I see right through your show of
kindness, right to your devious little black heart.

I
smiled sweetly looking him square in the eyes, and for an instant he was so
close, too close. Alarm bells sounded in my head.
Retreat!
Something
dark flashed in his deep green eyes, and before I could process the multitude
of sensations this invoked, I was drawn in by his smell, his very presence. My
heart leapt in my chest and fluttery winged things swirled in my belly. My God
he was pure man! Pure. Man.

I
quickly sat down, anxious to feel the stability of the sturdy chair beneath me.
That brief face-to-face encounter shook me to the core. For a moment I had
forgotten everything, forgotten where I was even, and when I saw the way Mary
was studying me I realized I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Was it that
obvious?

I
tried to recover, “I ordered us a round. It should be here in a minute, and for
the rest of the night drinks are on the house.”

“Well,
thank you Lo. You didn’t have to do that.” Tom was beaming.

Just
then Tara, our waitress, arrived. “Merlot for the lady, a Grey Goose martini
for you Lauren, Bushmills for you sir, and for you Mr. Blackwell, two double
shots of Southern Comfort.”

I
had to stifle a laugh as Parker looked first at Tara and then at me. His eyes narrowed
a little and his lips pressed together in a thin line before I saw the little
hamster come to life making the wheels turn.
Gotcha!

“Parker,
I never knew you liked Southern Comfort,” Tom observed.

“Oh
yes,” I interjected quickly, “If I remember correctly Parker loves the stuff. To
old times,” I smirked as I looked at Parker and held up my glass.

The
truth is Parker spent one long and torturous night hugging the toilet that last
summer. The culprit? Southern Comfort of course.
That’s right. He never saw
it coming. Round One goes to Lauren by TKO.

With
that Tom decided to make an official toast. “To friends, family and the future,”
he said as we brought our glasses together with a loud clink.

The
toast seemed to ease the tension, and I started to relax. I was even enjoying
myself in spite of Parker Blackwell’s unnerving presence, but I remained
hyperaware of his every move. He downed his first double in one gulp, and he
didn’t waste any time before polishing off the second as he slammed the shot
glass down on the table with an audible thump.
Damn! So much for that!
I
felt a little defeated until shortly after he excused himself and headed for
the men’s room. Mary and Tom looked concerned, and I couldn’t help but feel a
little pang of guilt, maybe even remorse.

I
started squirming in my seat fifteen minutes later when he still hadn’t
returned, and the idea that my impulsive actions might have ruined our friendly
gathering had me screaming inside. After all, I hadn’t seen the man in seven
years, and a lot has changed since then.
Didn’t I owe it to Tom and Mary to
give him a chance?

Worried
that he may not come back, I interrupted Mary right in the middle of her tale
about Sarah’s house hunting nightmares, and I could instantly see the
disappointment on her face, but when I told her I was going to check on Parker
she seemed pleased.

I
could be so stupid sometimes. I swore I wouldn’t sink to his level, that I
wouldn’t allow Parker Blackwell to reduce me to childish out-of-control
teenager status, yet here I was looking for him, feeling guiltier by the
second. I didn’t see him anywhere in the bar, so I decided to keep my eye on
the men’s room. When he didn’t come out after a few minutes deep regret settled
in. I told myself I didn’t care about him anymore, but my behavior said
otherwise.
Could I still hate Mr. Tall, Blonde and Dangerously Fuckable?

Unwilling
to give up so easy, I decided to check outside. If I were in his shoes right
now I’d need some fresh air. Wherever he was, I had to find him, apologize and
try to salvage what was left of this beautiful night. I also had to be careful
not to look at him too long or get too close. There was something electric
about him, and my body hadn’t stopped humming since I laid eyes on him again.
But
why?
I couldn’t wrap my mind around it, but since he was going to be here
all weekend I could only hope for two things-one, that he wouldn’t make this
apology too hard on me and two, that my anger could outlast his charm.  

As
the foyer door swung open I saw two figures standing in the shadows outside. I
could tell by the tall muscly build and white T-shirt that one of them was
Parker. As I walked closer I could clearly see that he wasn’t stooped over as
I’d imagined. He wasn’t sitting down with his head in his hands trying to hold
down his dinner either. Nope.
I should’ve known.

There
he was, his back to the wall, and Blondie was practically climbing down his
pants.
And to think I was worried, considering an apology even, while Parker
Blackwell was out here getting his motor primed by Miss D Cups! Perfect!

In
hindsight this is where I should have drawn the line, been the bigger person
and left well enough alone. But in the heat of the moment I lost my mind at the
sight of Blondie getting up close and personal. I guess that’s why they call it
hindsight.

I
instantly saw red, and my impulse to drag her across the parking lot by her
hair was overwhelming. I knew I was about to do the unthinkable. I was about to
give in to my impulses without measuring the consequences…