Shattered Heart (The Hart Series) by Ann Stewart, Stephanie Nash Page B

before
turning and glancing at him over my shoulder.  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at
three.”
     
    Thursday, November 22, 2012
    Knock! Knock!
Knock!
    With a bouquet
of autumn flowers in one hand and a green bean casserole in the other, I sneak
a glance to my right.  Oliver stares at the door with a bottle of red wine
clutched tightly with a large nervous grin on his face.  I think it’s pretty
endearing that he’s actually anxious.  Right now I wish I was Inspector Gadget
and had Go-Go-Gadget arms so I could have an available limb to take a picture
of this moment.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him like this. 
    And it wouldn’t
be our relationship if I passed up the chance to take a dig at him.  Bumping
into his arm, I whisper, “Are you okay?  You look a little pale.”
    “I’m not
nervous,” he scoffs.  He adjusts the collar of his shirt as if there’s an
imaginary button constricting the air to his lungs.  He scrunches his face and
takes a large breath of air as he dismisses the notion. 
    I chuckle at the
exact moment Bryan opens the door with his plastered smile.  Except that when
his eyes move from me to my dinner companion, his large smile fades into a
glare.  No greetings or salutations, nothing.  No, instead Bryan folds his arms
and straightens his spine, planting a grimace on his face. 
    Oliver doesn’t
seem fazed as he reaches out his hand to greet him.  “Hey, you must be Rachel’s
boyfriend.  It’s nice to meet you.”
    Again,
completely out of character Bryan goes from glaring at Oliver’s face to glaring
at his extended hand.  What is with him?   He’s treating Oliver as if he
has a communicable disease.  I shove the casserole into Bryan’s stiff chest and
lean in for a partial hug, hoping to break the awkward introduction.   
“Oliver, Bryan. Buttface, Oliver.”
    “Buttface?” 
Oliver questions.
    “She thinks
she’s funny.”  Bryan points to his dimpled chin. 
    I shove past him
and into the house.  I leave Oliver to awkwardly slide past the large scowling
man, who I apparently don’t know anymore.  Men.
    Ah Fuck.    My heart
stops when I realize why Bryan has his panties in such a bunch.  The downstairs
guest bathroom opens, revealing a sexy as sin Alex standing in the doorway. 
Somewhat casual, Alex has dark blue jeans and a simple white button up shirt. 
His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows.  His expression is playful and soft up
until the moment he sees Oliver walking in.  Then a murderous glare along with
a look of disbelief is teeter tottered between the two of us.  The tension in
his forearms reveals the control he’s trying to exude as he stands staring in
shock. 
    Awkwardly, all
four of us remain in silence for what feels like eternity.  My eyes move from
Oliver, standing with a large taunting grin, to Alex who isn’t hiding an ounce
of ill will toward Oliver, to Bryan who’s now holding back a laugh as he looks
between the three of us holding my casserole.  I hold back the temptation to
punch him in the arm to wipe that smirk off his face.  And just when I thought
things couldn’t get any worse, Rachel comes skipping along from the kitchen
squealing with delight. 
    “El…we have a
surprise for yo-…”  Her face drops as she joins the party happening in the
front entry of her house.  Yah su-fucking-prise Rachel!  Coming closer
to take the flowers from my hands, Rachel brings me in for a hug and whispers
in my ear, “Uhhhh El, you didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you.” 
    I whisper back
through clenched teeth, “You didn’t tell me you were inviting anyone.”  We both
plaster fake smiles when we turn to the three men staring at us.
    “Well,” Rachel
yells, “The more the merrier.”  She grabs Bryan by the elbow and hauls him to
the kitchen.  “Green beans…yummm….my favorite,” she again yells over her
shoulder in an all too high pitched sarcastic tone.  Rachel hates green beans
and