Chapter 32
Anna
“We’re running low on lemonade,”Pam, one of the teen volunteers, mentioned to me. “Do you know where the extra is?”
“I’ll take care of it,” I assured her. “You go enjoy yourself. I’ll keep an eye out for the rest of the evening.”
“Are you sure?”
“Perfectly. Now go find your boyfriend and get him out on the dance floor.”
She nodded her head and took off, causing me to chuckle. I braced my hands on my hips to look across the barn. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Well, except for Beverly Seymour. I don’t think she’d relaxed once since she arrived. But she had to be pleased with the success of the event. Not only had we sold more than the minimum number of tickets we’d hoped to, but the silent auction was exceeding my expectations as well. Both local merchants and a few contacts I had reached out to really came through, and there were some amazing items.
But all this fun made people thirsty. The moon was almost full in the dark sky, casting just enough light for meto walk to one of the temporary sheds where we had stashed the ice chests with extra drinks.
I’d just opened the lid when a shuffling noise startled me.
I turned to find someone standing in the shadows just outside the door. “I’m sorry, guests aren’t allowed back here.”
A beam of light caught Marcus’s face as he moved closer. “Good thing I work here, then.”
I straightened, my hand resting on the lid of the cooler. “You still shouldn’t be back here,” I said, trying to keep my tone light but firm. “This is more of a staging area, not part of the dance. And you’re not working tonight.”
Marcus gave a lazy shrug and stepped farther into the shed. “Didn’t realize grabbing a drink was a crime.”
“Getting a drink isn’t the problem. It’s wandering into places off limits. So I’d appreciate it if you’d leave so I can lock back up.”
He didn’t move. Instead, he leaned against one of the UTVs stored inside, arms crossed over his chest like he had all the time in the world. “Pretty good turnout tonight,” he said casually, but his eyes were sharp. “I gotta admit, I’m surprised you pulled it off. Of course, you had a lot of help. Me included.”
“Team effort,” I replied shortly, pulling a gallon of lemonade from the cooler. I didn’t like the way he was watching me, like a snake coiling to strike.
“Sure,” he said. “But we all know who’s been running the show. You and Chase. Must be nice, playing house again.”
That stopped me cold. “Excuse me?”
He pushed off the beam and stepped closer, dropping any pretense of niceness, and staggered toward me. He’dobviously been hitting something harder than what we were serving, and I knew Cheyanne was an expert at remembering who she served and how much they drank.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “It’s cute, really. You return, and suddenly Chase is acting like you never skipped out on him. Or forgot who you left him for. You didn’t mourn your husband very long before you jumped into someone else’s bed.”
I tried not to flinch at his cheap shot. He didn’t know what he was talking about, but it still stung.
“You’re drunk, Marcus,” I said evenly. “Why don’t you go home? I’ll find someone to drive you.”
His jaw clenched as his voice rose. “Everything ran smoother before you showed up. We didn’t have to jump through hoops. Didn’t have to clean up barns for fucking dances or babysit some dumb kid.”
His reference to Jordan had my spine stiffening even more.
“You think you’re better than me now? Just ‘cause he wants you? You think this place is better with you? I’ve got news for you. It’s a mess. Everything’s more work.”
“You need to leave,” I said, louder now, hoping someone heard me over the distant murmur of music from the barn. “Go sleep it off before you say something else you’ll regret.”
“Regret?” he scoffed, laughing bitterly. “The only regret is letting someone like you change everything around here, just because you’re screwing the boss.” He stumbled toward me and grabbed my arm. “I was the one who was nice to you. You smiled and flirted with me. You let me think?—”
I yanked my arm back. “I never flirted,” I snapped. “If I smiled, it was because I was being polite.”
I took a step back, only to catch my heel on the cooler behind me. I nearly fell.
That was all the opening he needed.
