She nodded her head and giggled, this time gaining attention from the table of women. He glanced up to see all of their jaws drop, all except Kacey, who had chosen that exact moment to dig for something in her purse.
He nodded once and walked into the men’s bathroom.
****
Where was her cell phone when she needed it? Crap, it was in Jake’s car! She needed to get out of there before she lost her mind! It was all about Jake today. People asking if they’d stayed in touch over the years. Oh, aren’t they so excited to be married after all this time? Oh, no one believed for one second that Kacey had been institutionalized! What the hell?
A classmate she vaguely remembered until this very day came rushing to the table. Her name was Joy, and Kacey thought it fit.
“I’m officially in love.” She plopped into her chair and downed her entire mimosa. Wow, Kacey wished her bathroom experiences were that exciting.
“Did you see him?” Sandy, a friend from senior year nudged her in the ribs. “He was hands down the hottest piece of man candy I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“I want to lick him,” another girl piped up.
“I’ll lick him all day,” a guy shouted from across the room.
Good to know this guy, whoever he was, could bat for both teams. He probably was g*y. All the good ones were g*y.
“No offense, Kacey.” Joy reached across the table and patted her hand. “But he’s even hotter than Jake!”
Gasps were heard all around. “No! Are you kidding me? You don’t say?” people kept saying over and over again. Absolute silence took over as a man in a tight black t-shirt walked out of the restrooms and made a beeline straight for their table.
His eyes focused only on Kacey.
Her heart nearly stopped in those few seconds.
His bright smile was for her, and only her.
Damn him.
“Kacey, why is he looking at you? Kacey?” Sandy nudged her, but Kacey kept her eyes focused on Travis, her smile getting wider and wider.
When he reached her side he hunched on his knees in order to be face to face with her. He reached in to kiss her cheek, lingering an extra second before pulling back.
“I figured you may need rescuing.”
Sandy cursed next to her.
Joy giggled.
Another woman said, “How does she do it? Jake and the mystery man?”
“Thank you.” Kacey swallowed her pride and took his offer for what it was, a way to get out of that place, away from Jake’s admirers.
“Sorry, ladies.” Kacey pushed out of her seat and gathered her purse and sunglasses. “I forgot that Travis and I were going to go to…”
“The park,” he finished for her. “I hope I’m not stealing you away too soon.”
“No,” Kacey answered when everyone else said “Yes!” at the table.
“Wait,” Sandy interjected. “Travis? Travis, you look kind of familiar.”
“Bro!” Jake shouted. “Get over here!”
Kacey rolled her eyes.
Gasps were again heard around the table.
“You’re Travis Titus! Oh my word! Oh my word! Look at them both!” If Sandy didn’t watch it, she was going to have a heart attack.
Just then her husband came around the corner, his pudgy stomach all the more evident next to Travis’s perfect physique. “Hey, baby.” He tried to kiss her on the cheek, but Sandy pushed him away.
Kacey pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.
“Hey, Kace, where you going? Travis, what are you doing here?” Jake tried to act happy. Kacey could tell because his lips were twitching like he wanted to scowl and then punch his brother in the face.
“Grandma wanted me to take Kacey to the park, something about the wedding or something.”
Well, that was a lie. On both accounts, but Kacey wasn’t going to argue.
“Oh, well, um, I guess I’ll go too.”
“No!” The girls all but yelled. “Jakey, stay with us.” A girl came up to his side and pouted. “She’ll be fine. We haven’t seen you in years!” She rolled her eyes.
Kacey wanted to pull her hair out.
Jake opened his mouth to speak, but another girl looped her arm with his. “Please Jake, you still haven’t told us about your trip to Africa to help the nomads.”
Seriously? They were buying this? Really? Kacey wanted to scream. He chuckled and nodded his head. “Sure, I’ll stay, but only for a little bit.” His eyes turned back to Kacey. “I hate to be away from my love for too long.”
Kacey wondered if slapping him or choking him would be more satisfying.
Jake leaned in and kissed her cheek. “See you soon.”
“Yup.” Kacey gave him a lame side hug and attached herself to Travis’s person like a leech.
Once they were outside she mumbled, “I’m still mad, but thank you.”
“Of course.” He put on his sunglasses.
“And I didn’t need saving.”
“I know.”
“Okay, I just want you to know that I was handling things fine and—”
“Kace, I know. Now, do you want to go have fun or sit here and argue?”
“Fun,” she mumbled.
He laughed. “Right. Well, let’s see what I can come up with.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jake watched their disappearing forms. Well, actually he watched Kacey’s. His brother could go to hell for all he cared.