Cosmopolitan: A Happy Hour Series Standalone Read online

  “Thank you.”

  After all the buckets were packed up and the hoses were coiled, Blake lowered the tent, tossing it into the bed of his Chevy before lifting the tailgate. “I hate that this was a bust. Great first impression.”

  I threw my sopping locks into a messy bun. “I don’t think they can fault you for rain.”

  Blake sighed. “They can and they will, but it’s only up from here.”

  “Way to set the bar really low in the beginning. I’m onto you, Mr. Hartigan,” I teased.

  “I don’t know how we’re going to get these kids to that tournament, though.” I could feel defeat radiating off of him.

  “It’s still a little ways away. We’ll come up with something,” I assured him, putting the money from my friends into the cash box.

  “We?” he asked, smirking at me. Does this guy have any other facial expression?

  “Don’t press your luck. I’m still cross with you for blackmailing me into doing this in the first place.”

  “Fair enough, but you do have to admit you had a good time.” He peeled off his drenched shirt, throwing it into one of the buckets, and it took everything in my power to not let my jaw hit the asphalt. Chiseled didn’t begin to describe the gorgeousness of that man’s torso. His suits and collared shirts hid his body well.

  “I-I think I need to get going,” I stammered, taking a few steps back from my gorgeous boss.

  “Thanks again, Caroline. Good work today.” He bit his lip while waving at me as I started to retreat to my car.

  “See you Monday.”

  Chapter 5

  Doting and Sisterhood

  Dripping all over Annabelle’s foyer, I did my best to say hello to everyone without feeling like a complete ass. Showing up late was one thing; showing up sopping wet, looking a mess, and being late was embarrassing as hell.

  “Ellis! You made it!” I sang out as our little college girl rushed over to me with a towel and a glass of wine.

  She was glowing in a playful, mint green peplum dress, looking tan, cheery, and completely brilliant. “I wouldn’t miss an occasion like this for the world. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

  Hooking her arm with mine, Ellis escorted me away from the gaggle of women and up to her bedroom. Even though Ellis was Annabelle’s stepdaughter, she felt like all of our little sister. Since day one when Annabelle met her late husband, Freddy, Ellis was glued to our hips. Being an only child myself, having such a strong feeling of family from my friend group was paramount in my life.

  “So, tell me all about being a bulldog.” I smiled as I combed out the knots in my damp hair.

  Ellis bounced onto her bed as she watched me at the vanity. “It is so amazing, Caroline. I don’t even have words.”

  “Any boys we need to sic Waylon on?” I teased, eyeing her through the mirror.

  The crimson that coated her bronzed skin wasn’t lost on me. As she bit her lip and averted her gaze, I knew there was a story lingering.

  She’s not getting off that easily.

  “You know I am going to get it out of you one way or another, kid. Might was well just give in now before I start badgering you in front of the entire group downstairs.”

  She let out a forced breath. “Fine. His name is Brantley and we met in our American lit class last semester.”

  “And? What does he look like? What’s his major? Where is he from?”

  “He’s from Atlanta, and he is studying biological and biomedical sciences. He’s tall, blond, and just all-around dreamy.” She swooned as she spoke.

  “I take it Annie doesn’t know anything about this?” I knew my friend didn’t have even an inkling that her stepdaughter was seeing anyone. We all would have known about it from the jump.

  Ellis violently shook her head. “Annabelle will just worry I am going to run away and get married like she did with Dad.”

  “I don’t know if you give her enough credit. Marrying your father was the best thing she ever did, and you know she hasn’t regretted that decision for one second, right?” I assured Ellis as she fiddled with the hem of her dress.

  “I get it, but she always told me to just date in college and not worry about finding the one until I have my life set up. The thing is…I think I might have found the guy, ya know? I don’t want her to try to talk me out of falling in love with Brantley.”

  “Are you in love with him?” I turned to look at her, blow-drying my hair into a curly, frizzy rat’s nest.

  Her pursed lips involuntarily turned up at the corners as she bowed her head.

  “Then Annabelle will get it. We’re all going to have to meet this young man to make sure he is good enough for our little princess, but that comes with the territory.”

  “You’re right. You always are.” She sighed, leaning back on the bed. “What about you? Any new men in your life?”

  I loved that our relationship had evolved so organically over the years that Ellis felt comfortable talking with all of us about anything under the sun. She had really grown into a remarkable young woman.

  Trying to fix my running mascara and tame my mane, I softened my shoulders. “No one other than an infuriating new principal at my school.”

  “Is he hot?” she asked quickly.

  My cheeks prickled as I thought back to seeing Blake’s bare chest not even an hour before.

  “He is! Why don’t you go for it? Infuriating might be fun for a little bit. You have an awful habit of dating wet blankets with zero personality.”

  “Ouch,” I scoffed at her.

  She shrugged. “Sometimes the truth hurts.”

  I slipped into one of Ellis’s sundresses, feeling so thankful that I was still the same size as a college student. It’s the little things in life, ya know?

  “I think it’s time for us to rejoin the party.” I was a master at avoiding tough conversations, and thinking about dating my boss was not going to plague my mind when doting on Sawyer was the top priority of the day.

  Ellis reluctantly agreed, and we made our way back down to sip the afternoon away.

  After eating my weight in cake while mingling and smiling until my cheeks hurt, we finally said goodbye to the last of the guests.

  “Ugh, I am beat.” Sawyer slid down onto the couch, propping her feet up on the mahogany coffee table in the living room.

  With presents scattered all around, tissue and wrapping paper thrown everywhere, and tons of trash to clean up, we gathered around the woman of the hour to relax for a bit.

  “Wonderful party, ladies,” Ellis praised, sitting next to Sawyer with her hand on her belly.

  “It really was. I am so sorry I got here so late.” I leaned on Harper’s shoulder as she patted my head.

  “We’re a team, Caroline,” Annie affirmed, sitting on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

  “So, how did it go this morning before y’all got rained out?” Sawyer questioned while stifling a yawn.

  “Total bust. The guys were our only customers all day,” I admitted.

  “I didn’t even know they were heading over there.” Sawyer glanced around.

  Annie smiled. “It doesn’t take much to get those gents to do the right thing. A subtle hint was all the arm-twisting they needed to jump into action.”

  Harper raised her glass toward Annabelle. “Nice work, sweets.”

  Annie put her hand on her chest. “Why thank you.”

  “How’s Sir Jerk-Face? Still grinding your gears?” Harper asked as I shifted to look at her.

  “Surprisingly not as jerky as he could have been. He really got into helping the kids out.” My softened feelings toward Mr. Hartigan hadn’t faded like I’d anticipated they would. It really had been impressive to see how much he truly cared about the kids.

  “Are you blushing?” Sawyer’s eyes grew wide as she looked over to me.

  My hands flew to my cheeks. “What? No!”

  Annie giggled. “You’re totally blushing. What is it?”

  I b
it my lip. “I saw him shirtless and…good God, ladies, that man is a spectacle.”

  As my entire body flushed, my friends oohed and awed mockingly.

  “Caroline likes Jerk-Face, Caroline likes Jerk-Face,” Harper badgered as I shoved her.

  “Caroline and the principal sitting in a tree…” Annie sang out.

  Throwing a cushion at her, I barked, “I still think he is awful. He can be annoying and beautiful at once.”

  “I think someone has a little crush,” Ellis provoked, narrowing her eyes at me.

  I pointed my finger at her. “Don’t you start in on this, kid. Things will be set in motion that cannot be undone.”

  Annie looked from me to her stepdaughter. “What does that mean?”

  Ellis’s jaw dropped. “Caroline!”

  I threw my hands in the air. “I didn’t say a damn word. Your mom is just one smart cookie.”

  Sawyer gripped Ellis’s knee. “Spill.”

  “His name is Brantley, I met him about six months ago, and we have a couple of classes together,” Ellis rattled off in a huff, staring down at her strappy flats.

  Annie gasped. “Six months! You waited six months to tell us about him? What about all the times I’ve gone there to visit?”

  Ellis covered her eyes. “I didn’t want you to not like him and then me feel like I had to end things when they are just so good.”

  “Does he treat you well?” Harper asked.

  Ellis nodded as a grin quickly spread across her face. “So well.”

  “Do you love him?” she asked.

  Ellis nodded faster.

  “Then we approve. You’re young and in college, and being in love is a wonderful part of the growing-up experience,” Annie cooed, taking her daughter’s hand in hers.

  “You don’t think I’m crazy?” Ellis whispered.

  Annie shook her head gently. “I could never think that. How could I when your father and I got married when I was barely older than you are now? Everyone thought I was crazy, way too young, and rushing into the marriage too quickly, but look at all the love we shared. If I had been worried about what everyone thought about it, I would have missed out on some of the best years of my life. I also would have missed out on being a part of your life, and that is something I wouldn’t trade for all the king’s horses.”

  There wasn’t a dry eye in that room as we watched Annie and Ellis hug.

  “I love you,” Ellis blubbered.

  “We all love you,” Sawyer murmured, sniffling as the rest of us joined in for an epic group hug.

  Chapter 6

  Career Day or Bust

  The entire gang pitched in, diving headfirst into setting up the cafeteria and breezeway with tables and decorations for our event. The excitement was palpable as posters were hung and the parents all started to trickle into the respective booths.

  We had a little bit of everything, from doctors to lawyers to police officers, all the way to electricians and hospitality workers.

  Sawyer and Shirley were off in the corner supervising by way of propping up their swollen ankles on chairs and comparing pregnancy horror stories.

  “You all set over here?” I asked Sawyer while handing her a bottle of lemonade.

  She pointed to her camera on the table and a few of her lookbooks. “I think the kids are going to love the pretty dresses in these sample packs.”

  Shirley leaned over, flipping through the first couple of pictures. “Hey, I went to college with her.” Shirley pointed to Misty, Trace’s sister.

  “That is the smallest of worlds,” I remarked, glancing down at the stunning pictures Sawyer had taken of Misty before the shit hit the fan that day.

  “I didn’t think she was married,” Shirley remarked while looking closer at the photo.

  Trace’s laugh boomed as he walked up to check on Sawyer. “Oh, she’s not. I made her let Sawyer use those in her portfolio as payment for putting us through the shitshow that was her ill-fated wedding day.”

  Sawyer pointed to Trace. “Misty’s not-so-wedding wedding was how Trace and I met, actually. Talk about a turbulent start to a relationship.”

  “Now I need all of the details.” Shirley scooted her chair closer to Sawyer as she went into the debacle of that hilarious day.

  “I think we should leave them to it,” Trace whispered to me as I followed him away from the table. “So, which one is the jerk-face?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck, subtly motioning over my shoulder to where Blake was talking to Annabelle and Waylon. “Is everyone calling him that now?”

  Trace’s grin grew wide as he whispered, “Pretty much. Oh, he’s the guy from the car wash. Everything is making so much more sense now.” Taking a step away from me, Trace leaned in to shake Blake’s hand as he came up behind me.

  “Mr. Hartigan, this is Trace.” I motioned to each of them in turn. “I don’t know if I formally introduced the two of you the other day.”

  “Good to actually meet you, Trace. Thanks for coming out to support our little school yet again.” I could feel Blake sizing Trace up. It was hilarious.

  “The little lady wouldn’t have let me off the hook for this one.” Trace nodded over to his very pregnant girlfriend, and Blake’s shoulders relaxed.

  What is going on?

  “How does it go? Happy wife, happy life,” Blake teased, glancing over to Sawyer and Shirley, who were still deep in conversation.

  “There have never been truer words spoken.” Trace chuckled.

  I could see Shirley gasping and saying, “No way,” as her hands covered her gaping mouth.

  “I should probably go make sure Sawyer doesn’t need anything else before this shindig gets going. She hasn’t gone to the bathroom in the last ten minutes, so it’s time to worry a bit.” Trace rushed over to the table and immediately helped Shirley and Sawyer get to their feet before making their way down the hall to the ladies room.

  “I have to hand it to you, Caroline—I am thoroughly impressed with how well this all came together,” Blake muttered while he looked around the room.

  “Doubting me, were you?” I sniped, putting my hand on my hip.

  He held up his hand with his thumb and forefinger barely spread apart. “Just a little, but good job proving me wrong. I like that.”

  His tone broke into my brain, instantly sending me close to hating him again.

  “I wouldn’t make that mistake again if I were you,” I bit back before turning to join Waylon, Harper, and Annabelle.

  “You didn’t do that man’s looks justice when you were describing him to us,” Harper remarked as she eyed Blake from behind. “I mean, that suit just hugs him in all the right places.”

  “Down girl. He’s still an asshole,” I snarled, glaring over at my haughty boss with daggers in my eyes.

  “He has a thing for you,” Waylon interjected quickly.

  Harper, Annie, and I all looked at the madman, dumbstruck.

  Waylon put his hands up. “He does.”

  “How do you figure?” Annie asked her fiancé.

  He pointed over to him. “Within the next ten seconds, he is going to look around for Caroline again. When he sees her, he’s going to try to hide a smile.”

  As if by magic, it happened just as Waylon predicted—with all of us staring right at him.

  Fucking fantastic.

  Blake tapped his watch, nodding to me. “Showtime,” he yelled.

  “I am going to head outside to Jessup and the horses. See y’all in a bit.” Annie kissed me on the cheek. “Knock ’em dead, sweetie.”

  I walked up to the mini stage in the front of the large room, grabbing the mic. “Good morning everyone. We’re ready to get the ball rolling here with career day. Just a quick rundown on how this is going to work before we begin. The teachers and volunteers have broken the kids into small groups. Each group will have about ten minutes or so with each of the booths for the kids to learn about your business and ask you questions. We have a lot of you here today,
so please try not to go too far over time so all of the students get plenty of time with each of the careers. I wanted to take a quick second to thank all the parents, as well as the business professionals who aren’t even parents of students here but have taken the day off to spend it with the children. Career day is so vital to inspiring youngsters, and I am so proud to have each and every one of you here to be part of that. I also want to thank the Williams and Bryce Law Firm for graciously donating the funds to make today happen for us.”

  After a quick round of applause, I hopped off the stage and opened the doors. Little smiling faces rushed in, and my heart melted as the room erupted into a frenzy of conversation and show and tell. The carpenters had even brought an entire demo station for the kids to play with.

  “Those are fake power tools, right?” Blake pointed at a small boy boring a hole into plywood.

  “Whatever is going to help you get to sleep at night.” I snickered then

  glanced over to the hospitality section, where Rhett and Waylon were talking to a group. Waylon winked at me, making the back of my neck prickle.

  “What?” Blake asked, looking over at me as I squirmed a little.

  “Nothing. Just an inside joke between friends.” I laughed it off while turning away from prying eyes.

  As Blake started to flick his Rolex again, I snapped, “Do you really have to do that? We all get it—you’re rich and probably only went into teaching for the love of it. You don’t have to throw your money in our face.”

  Blake pulled me to the side, getting way too close for comfort with so many people watching. Gossip rips through schools like wildfire.

  “Do you really think you have me figured out?” Blake growled at me.

  I took a step back, but he immediately closed the gap.

  “Are you just going to stand there and blink at me? No witty remark? No jab?”

  “I think I said everything that needed to be said, unless you want to deny the allegations.” I turned my head away from him, fixating on the children enjoying themselves over with the firemen across the room.

  “I didn’t come from money, wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I actually dropped out of high school to help my parents put food on the table for my six younger siblings, and I barely got into college by the skin of my teeth. When I was an undergraduate student, a couple friends and I came up with a software for insurance regulation that we sold for a hell of a lot of money, which we keep reinvesting and rolling over. I can take care of my family and finally afford to buy expensive things. For the first time in my life, I don’t have to worry or scramble paycheck to paycheck. So, excuse me for being nouveau riche and flaunting it a little. I love teaching. It is my passion in life, and I would be miserable doing anything else. Trust me, I tried.”