I Hated You First by Rachel John
1
Clay
How does a twenty-five-year-old mechanic end up dressed as Prince Charming in front of a dozen small children at a backyard party? As you could probably guess, because of a girl. The girl. And even though she was completely off limits and hated my guts, there I was, standing in stretchy pants and a floppy hat sporting an ostrich feather. It was complicated. Or very simple, depending on how you want to look at it.
Here’s the thing. My best friend, Parker Harwood, has held this enormous grudge against his half-sister for as long as I can remember—some justified, a lot irrational, and all of it highly inconvenient in a family business atmosphere. Also inconvenient? Me carrying a torch the size of a forest fire for her.
If either of them found out, I’d for sure lose them both. And I couldn’t lose them. Their messed-up family was all I had.
Having been raised by my grandparents, who left me to my own devices as long as I did my chores, I’d spent most of my childhood at the Harwoods’. I needed them in my life, and that meant keeping my feelings for Lauren to myself.
“Clay, you look like you’re constipated,” Lauren whispered out the side of her mouth, waving her gloved hand at all the little birthday attendees sitting on the grass in front of us. “Get ready. The song’s coming on.”
I got into position on our makeshift dance floor, which was stacks of wooden pallets strapped together, painted a gaudy gold, and bedazzled to death. The Harwoods never did anything halfway, not even the ones who’d married in. I’d be having words with Lauren’s sister-in-law later. This was definitely not up to code.
I also didn’t appreciate all the cell phone cameras aimed in my direction. There was so much evidence I’d done this.
Facing Lauren, I pressed my palms against her gloved ones. “I hate you so much right now.”
That only made her smile bigger. Even dolled up, looking blonde and beautiful and way too princess-like, she couldn’t hide her sass. “I know. Thanks for stepping in last minute. This is seriously the highlight of my week.”
“Then your week blows.” The music swelled, giving me the last word, as I’d hoped it would. I bobbed away from her to the beat, and she did the same on her side. We’d practiced this a couple of times before the party started, and I must have passed some coordination test because Lauren hadn’t made fun of me as much as I thought she would.
The wide-eyed kids watching us were awfully cute, I had to admit, but I couldn’t wait to change back into my regular clothes and plot how best to cash in this favor. And I would cash it in.
Lauren caught the tips of my fingers and rolled into my arms as the song came to an end. I looked down into her big brown eyes and told myself I felt nothing. As usual, it was a lie.
We stepped apart, keeping our fingers linked, and I bowed while she curtseyed. She dropped my hand the second the song ended and jumped down from our pallet kingdom to greet the guests, including the newly five-year-old birthday girl, Raelyn.
I smiled when Raelyn darted around Lauren’s poufy dress and came straight for me. I was the fun uncle, even if only an honorary one, and she knew I always carried bubble gum on me.
I unwrapped a piece for Raelyn, and instantly ten other chubby hands came out to beg for one as well.
Lauren pushed her way through them and blocked me, tossing back a glare in my direction. “You can’t give gum to the little ones. They’ll choke.”
A chorus of whining started up, and she shooed them off. “Go get cake in the house. Cinderella’s orders.”
“Wow, Cinderella is a lot bossier than I remember.”
Lauren crossed her arms and turned to face me. “Cinderella is about to be off-duty. Don’t forget to give your costume back to Melissa. She has to get it to the costume shop by five or they’ll charge her extra.”
“What are you in such a hurry for? Hot date?” Not that I didn’t know the answer to that. It was Saturday afternoon. Lauren probably had plans with her next flavor of the month. Last I checked, she wasn’t dating anyone, but that wouldn’t last long.
She gave me a coy smile. “All you need to know is I won’t be sitting around refurbishing broken-down air compressors and complaining about the government with you and the boys tonight. Rain check?”
I clutched my chest, pretending her insult hurt. Yeah, I might be a pathetic social exile who hung out with my coworkers on the weekends, but I chose it freely. Every time I asked a girl out, I ended up sorry, whether it was the second our date started or three months down the road when I felt like a trapped hypocrite. My heart wasn’t free to give. It already belonged to this spitfire who didn’t want it.
I watched Lauren bunch up her shiny blue dress in her fists and take off in a jog towards the house. Her blonde hair in its Cinderella up-do bounced until it came undone and streamed behind her.