A Date for the Derby (The Dating 5)

I step out of the stable and head back toward the house, only it’s not where I want to be. The valets are out front, waiting for the party to wind down and stand as I approach. “If you tell me where my truck is, I can go get it,” I tell them. The faster I can get away, the better.

The four of them look at each other, likely wondering if they’ll lose their job for not fetching my vehicle.

I hold up my hands. “Don’t worry, no one will know. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“You can go ahead,” the sing song voice of Brielle washes over us. Clenching my teeth, I curse myself for not getting out sooner. The five of us turn slightly to watch her grand entrance. The front of her dress is bunched in her hands as she descends the marble stairs of her childhood home. One of the valets is smart enough to go help her. Me, I stand here and watch until I feel the cool metal of my keys touching my palm.

Brielle stands in front of me, glaring. When she looks like that, there’s nothing I can say that’ll help. There was a time when I knew exactly what to do when she was angry, but rolling around in the hay isn’t going to work this time. That was a long time ago, back when she was mine. I stuff my hands in my pockets and start toward the driveway, which is lined with large cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss. Every non southerners dream. I stop and look over my shoulder, Brielle is following.

“Go on now,” she says to me. “Do what you do best.”

I scoff. “What’s that, Brielle?”

She waves her hands angrily in the air. “Walk away.”

She’s right. I walked away. “You know where to find me when you’re ready to talk. If not, I suppose I’ll see you at the next party, and the one after that. Hell, I may even force you to dance with me until you let me tell you why I did what I did,” I say all of this while stomping toward her. The valets are mingling, trying to look busy even though they have nothing to do.

“Ha,” she yells.

I’m in her face, desperate to kiss her. Everything I’ve done, was for her. “Someday, you’ll listen.”

“You have nothing I want to hear you say, Colby.”

I stare right into her emerald green eyes. “And yet, here you are, following me outside.”

“Just tryin’ to make sure you get off our property is all.”

I take a step back. Maybe, I’ve misread her, and she really is as callous and cold as her father. “When you come to your senses, you know where to find me.” I turn and walk briskly down the pavement and toward my truck, praying it’ll be easy to get out of the field used as a parking lot.

When I get behind the steering wheel, I pound my hands against it in frustration. I shouldn’t let her get to me, but she does.

4

Brielle

I keep telling myself it gets easier to walk away from Colby, but who am I kidding? It hurts my heart every single time. Not only does it hurt, but it infuriates me to no end. Why do I hate him so much, but still love him at the same time? Watching him speed away makes me want to follow him and smack some sense into him. That would seriously feel good right about now.

Once back inside the house, I search for William which doesn’t take long. He’s in the corner talking to a group of women. By the way he’s motioning at their dresses and their smiles of delight, I have a feeling he’s roped them into his designs.

His eyes light up when he sees me, and the women step to the side so I can join him. “There you are,” he says, sliding his arm around my waist. He kisses my cheek, keeping up the façade that we’re together. He flourishes his other hand at the women, all of who I know. “These lovely ladies are interested in my designs.”

I plaster on a smile. “That’s fantastic. You won’t be disappointed,” I say to them. I lean in closer to William. “I need to get out of here.”

His eyes turn to mine with concern and he nods. He focuses back on the women and gives them his dashing smile. “Excuse us, ladies.” I smile at them again and pull William toward the back of the house where it’s quiet. “Did you talk to him?” he asks.

We walk through the kitchen to the study where there’s a hidden staircase that leads up to the top floors. The secret door is behind a bookshelf. When my father had the house built, he did all the fun stuff for me. As a kid, I used to love sneaking from room to room. It’s also the way I was able to sneak Colby in and out.