Page 33 of It Happened Duo
The photographer’s assistant posed us all with the blonde woman standing in front of Rex, her back to his chest, his hand at her elbow and his other at her hip. And me? I was posed at her side with my arms in the air, my hands like claws, looking like I’d attack and eat her any minute. Little did they know, my claws really were out, ready to gouge her eyes and to pounce on Rex, the dark-suited bastard.
I should run far away from him, protect my heart, and forget this madness. I never wanted a relationship anyway, only to enjoy the city and work on the opportunity with the deli. But for some reason, Rex crashed into my life unexpectedly.
I froze to the spot, my eyes never straying from him. The photographer snapped a few photos, the flash bulbs burning the memory of his hand gripping her hip into my skull. “Okay, now, Mr. Buchanan, get a little closer to your date,” he said. “How about you two face each other? Squeeze in, that’s it. Now put your arms around her. Good, and look into each other’s eyes.”
As they settled into the new pose, a lump formed in my throat at the sight of them together and his eyes on her. A sound came out of me I didn’t recognize, a shriek or cry or something guttural and painful emanating from my heart.
Rex’s eyes shifted to mine and locked there. His forehead furrowed. “Chelsea?”
I backed up, shaking my head, unbelieving this horrible moment, but tripped over one of the photographers’ lights. It crashed to the ground, and I jumped out of the way, narrowly missing the sparks from the broken bulb that set the nearby curtain of the stage on fire.
Flames sprouted quickly and women screamed, people ran, and someone yelled “Fire!” Amid the chaos, I couldn’t move, until Rex abandoned his date and grabbed me by the elbow, leading me away from it all.
I was too blinded with rage, embarrassment, and heartache to resist. Alarms blared, and he led me through theservice doors, through the kitchen, and out to an alley behind the building. Sirens of fire engines approached, and it wasn’t until he grabbed both my arms, with my back against the brick exterior wall of the building, that I came to my senses.
“Chelsea? Are you okay?” He sort of shook me, leaning down to my eye level, his stare intense, like he was trying to assess the damage he’d done to me. But how could he read into me with the anger flashing through my eyes?
“Let me go. I’m fine.” I yelled and yanked out of his grasp. “Why don’t you go check on your other girlfriend? Or the dozen other women you string along inside, for all I know, you…you playboy.”
I never mastered the art of arguing with someone, preferring to kill them with kindness instead, but this…with him? Kindness wouldn’t do.
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Marlena is a family friend. My mother puts on this event. Marlena’s mother helps her with it, and they asked that I bring her here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be here with her?”
“Frankly, it’d been a busy week, and I wasn’t even planning to attend, but pressure from my mom… Shit. You don’t know my mother, but she’s a pain in my ass sometimes.”
“But the way the photographer was posing you, so—so intimately.”
“You’re right. I should have kept her at arm’s length, butI just wanted to get the photo op done, make a quick appearance for Mom’s sake, and get the hell out of here. I planned to call you after to see if we could get together tonight.”
He paced away, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Jeez. And now, the entire event is up in flames.”
My heart sank and tears welled up. I dabbed at them to keep from ruining my makeup. “Because of me.”
He glared at me as his phone rang in his pocket, and he took it out. “Shit. It’s Mom. Hello?” He stepped to the side to talk. I brought out my phone and texted Maisy.
Chelsea: Are you two okay?
Maisy: Yes, we’re outside in front of the building. Where are you?
I had no idea where I was. Stuck somewhere between wanting to fix this with Rex, and wanting to run away, all the way back to Holly Creek.
Chelsea: I’m with Rex. I’ll be home later.
He finished his call, tucked his phone into his pocket. With his back to me, he sighed heavily with his hands on his hips. “Mom needs me inside to help assess the damage. The sprinkler system finally turned on and demolished all the decorations, the band instruments, thousands of dollars in damages to the hotel. Several people helped carryout the artwork before it got ruined, but the fundraiser is over.”
“It’s all my fault. I ruined this for you and your family, and it was supposed to be in your father’s honor. I swear I’ll pay back every penny?—”
“Hey, hey. Stop.” He rushed back to me and placed hishands on my shoulders. “It’s only money and we always pay for event insurance. Besides, no one will know it was you.”
I sputtered, crying, dabbing at my tears again. “You knew who I was, even under all this makeup.”
“It was your beguiling green eyes. I’m pretty sure I would find you anywhere in a crowded room, no matter what you were wearing.”
My heart surged back to life. “You were easy to pick out, with no costume.”
“I had a costume.” He pulled out a black mask from his jacket pocket and held it up to his eyes.
