A Friendly Engagement (20 page)

His big hand engulfed her much smaller one. His genuine smile put her at ease. What was it about this man Omar disliked so much?

“Of course I remember you, Devi. Nice to see you again. If I remember right, we had a quick conversation about local bands.” He tilted his head in question.

She nodded. “That we did. I’m surprised you remember.”

“I think our conversation stuck out in my mind because of your beautiful eyes and that you work for Esterly.”

She took his compliment in stride. Her eyes always seemed to be the first thing people noticed and remembered about her. “And you worked at Esterly before, too. Correct?”

He nodded. “Years ago now. And I hear congratulations are in order. You must be a very special woman to have captured Omar’s heart.”

“Thank you.” The fib still made her uncomfortable, so she didn’t elaborate by sharing tales of wedding plans and honeymoon destinations. Instead, she gathered up all her loose hair as the wind worked it free again and tightened her ponytail. Hopefully everything would stay in place for the next ten minutes. “This is a great group of people. You need to get in there and mingle like your wife.” She hoped to put him at ease with her words.

“I know several here already. I guess I’m just tired from our travels yesterday. The reunion was a good distance away, and then to have to get here so early in the morning. I’m not my usual social self yet.”

“Understandable. If you’re a coffee drinker, there’s a pot always on at the house.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe after the race.”

They stood in silence as the conversations of the others flowed around them.

Brian cleared his throat. “I’m actually surprised you’re talking to me.” His attention moved from her to Omar and back again.

She tensed at his words. “Why wouldn’t I?”

His brow shot up and something about his smile put her on edge. Or maybe lack of sleep had her off-kilter.

“I’d have thought Omar would’ve warned you off. I can’t imagine he’d appreciate his fiancée chatting it up with me.”

“Omar doesn’t own me, Brian. I talk with whoever I please.”

She’d like to find out why they disliked each other. Omar hadn’t volunteered any information, but, then again, she hadn’t asked. Maybe she could find a way to mend the fence if Brian was willing to talk. Their time together this week would be a whole lot easier without the tension. She took a deep breath, preparing to dive in. She had nothing to lose.

“Do you mind if I get a little personal?” she asked, gauging his reaction from beneath her lashes.

“I’m an open book.”

“I don’t know what happened between you and Omar—”

“Omar’s never clued you in? That surprises me.” He scrubbed his hands down his face, and then smiled.

She shrugged. “Gossip isn’t Omar’s style. But maybe we could all sit down and talk it out. The week would go a lot smoother if everyone were civil.”

“I don’t see that happening.” His smile disappeared.

“Are you game to try?”

He jammed his hands back into his front pockets. “If you want to try to work a miracle, be my guest. It’s not a secret as to why I left Esterly. Leland gave me the option to resign or he’d fire me. Of course I resigned.”

She folded her arms. “There has to be more to it than that.”

“My numbers were down. He said I wasn’t giving one hundred percent. And he was right. I’d lost a couple of clients, Omar ended up replacing the accounts with more lucrative ones, and I was accused of not being a team player.”

His cold tone sent a shiver over Devi’s arms. She let his words sink in. Leland would’ve been all business, and he’d have definitely gone after an employee who dropped the ball. Especially if that same employee had lost clients and revenue. But she also knew Leland as a man who had prided himself on being fair and offered second chances. She might not have worked there when Leland had, but those who did had many wonderful stories about him.

There had to be something else Brian wasn’t sharing.

Brian shuffled his feet in the sand like a small boy. Then he met her eyes. “Sometimes I got the feeling the old man didn’t want anyone to make his kid look bad. I felt sabotaged.”

Devi’s heart sank. Part of her felt sorry for the man, but his remarks made her uneasy. She didn’t like listening to negative comments about Esterly Financial. “I know Leland could be a task master when warranted, but I also know him to be fair.”

“Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about mending fences between Esterly and me. I don’t think we can ever go back. And I’m fine staying out of his way, just like I’m sure he’s good with staying out of mine.”

“I’m sorry, Brian.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“All water under the bridge at this point. It’s been six or seven years. I’m happy at Wainwright and Smith.”

She grinned. “And you have a cute little boy, so that has to make life good.”

He nodded, and before she realized his intention he reached out and touched her ponytail. He rubbed his fingers through the strands. “You have gorgeous eyes, but your hair looks and feels like silk. What do you use? I bet my wife would love to know your secret.”

Devi took a step back so he’d let go. She always wanted to be nice to people, but she sensed an undercurrent about this man she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Something seemed off. Most people didn’t get so familiar with near strangers, and if they did, they shouldn’t. Touching seemed way too invasive.

“Just normal shampoo.” She didn’t believe he actually wanted to know her hair care regime. And, from the looks of his wife’s own gorgeous head of hair, Devi didn’t think she needed the tip about using a mixture of avocado, olive oil, and shea butter to keep it soft and sleek. She pasted on a smile, trying to think of a way to end the conversation.

“You about ready?” Omar’s stern voice from behind made her jump.

Talk about great timing. She smiled at him. Probably the biggest smile she’d managed all week. “I’m ready. I hope you’re up for kicking some Jones boys’ butts.”

“Did you stretch?”

“Not yet,” she said.

He grabbed her arm above the elbow. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he flicked his gaze over Brian with a dismissive air. “Let’s get that taken care of. We can’t kick teenage butt if we aren’t warmed up.”

Pam walked up to them. Concern was written in the lines around her mouth as her gaze darted from Devi to her husband. “Are you ready to run the race, Bri?”

He nodded stiffly.

“Since we missed the kids’ race, Mikey said he’d be our biggest fan.” She nodded at Devi. “You and Omar are a team, right?”

“We are,” Devi said. “We’ll see you both on the course.”

“May the best man win.” Brian winked at Devi.

Her skin crawled at the look in his eyes. His wink wasn’t playful, but seemed to hold a promise. Of what? She didn’t know. She hadn’t felt uneasy around him until he’d touched her hair.

Omar tightened his hold on her, and they walked toward the rest of the group. As soon as they were a distance away, he loosened his fingers and began to stretch. She followed his lead.

After several moments of silence he said, “Watch yourself around him. I don’t like the way he was leering at you.” Omar’s voice held a steely edge.

“Do you think that maybe you have him all wrong? He seems nice enough.” Although she’d felt something not quite right with Brian, she preferred everyone got along. Was that silly? She tossed her doubt aside. For all she knew, Brian could be having an off day, or maybe Omar freaked him out a little.
But did you imagine the creepy vibe when he winked and touched you?

“Trust me when I say I don’t. Your best bet is to steer clear of him.”

“Can’t you let the past be the—”

William blew the bullhorn, and Devi jumped.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Omar grunted.

Annoyance chomped down on her gut. She preferred to get things settled now, but she couldn’t hold everyone up while she discussed Omar’s dislike of Brian. She bit the inside of her cheek.

They moved toward the rest of the group. Excitement filled the air, and the kids all bounced on the balls of their feet, hopping from leg to leg in anticipation of the adults’ race.

“When I blow the horn like this”—William set off the bullhorn to the roar of all the kids—“then it’s every pair for themselves.”

Mikey Price tugged on William’s arm. “Since I didn’t get to run, can I blow the horn?”

The older man looked down with a smile and handed the bullhorn to the boy. “You betcha. Now, everyone else, your aim is to be the first to reach the yellow ribbon down there.” William pointed across the beach to a tiny yellow splotch of color twisting in the ocean wind. “First one there wins.”

“We won ice cream sundaes after dinner, what do the adults win?” Amanda asked, hands on hips.

“Bragging rights.” Her mother smiled.

“No. I mean, what prize?” Amanda puckered her mouth and rolled her eyes. For someone under the age of ten, she sure carried an air of authority. She’d be a force to be reckoned with as she grew.

“The winner gets first dibs on a surprise I have planned for Thursday,” William said.

From there all the kids clamored around him wanting to know what Thursday would bring. Devi loved all the commotion and noise. And she leaned in to hear William’s reveal, but he put everyone off with a few teasing comments between his laughter. She really liked him. He lit up around the kids. Although he’d been a confirmed bachelor his entire life, she sensed he now regretted his decision.

“He’s not an easy nut to crack.” She grinned up at Omar, nodding toward William.

Omar still wore a slight scowl. She followed his gaze to where Brian stood beside his wife. The two men were in the midst of a staredown. Brian looked away first when he noticed Devi watching.

“Let it go, O. Let’s have fun.” Devi nudged him in the shoulder to get his attention.

Jimmy and Joey walked past, taunting them with a few remarks about losers and their picture being on the poster.

“You’re going to eat it again, Omar and Devi.” Joey laughed.

“Not today, boys. You’re the ones who’ll be eating sand.” Omar took her hand and headed over to the starting line. The boys good-naturedly bumped Omar in the shoulder, and he grinned, giving Jimmy a light shove in the arm.

“Are we going to throw the race?” Devi whispered as the boys moved down the starting line. She knew Omar had a heart of gold and wouldn’t want to win over the boys.

“You know it.” Omar lifted her chin and brushed his lips over hers. A thrill of electricity shot through her. “But we’ll make it look like we gave it a shot.”

The adults lined up, all of them playfully nudging and jostling each other. The kids stood off to the side, tossing out comments about who they thought would win.

Omar wrapped his left arm around her waist and smiled down into her eyes. “Get ready to hang on.”

She threw her arms around his middle and held tight. “Don’t kill me.”

“Never.”

As the word left his mouth the bullhorn boomed across the beach. Everyone shouted and laughed as they took off. Omar gripped her waist and plunged across the sand. He had such large strides she had to work double time to keep up. She huffed beside him, and he hiked her up farther onto his hip so that he was doing most of the work, her feet barely hitting the sand.

She couldn’t stop laughing as they moved past some of the other couples. The O’Malleys tripped each other and hit the sand with a thud. Devi grinned over her shoulder as Wayne good-naturedly gave Cindy a hard time about being a deadweight.

Jimmy and Joey took the lead early, but their sisters, Kim and Kris, weren’t far behind.

“Let’s give them a run for their money.” Omar laughed.

“It’s all you, O.” She gripped his waist tighter as he kicked his steps into gear.

She laughed at the openmouthed, wide-eyed expression of Joey when he glanced over his shoulder and saw them coming up the rear. A second later Jimmy looked back. Both boys hunched down and booked it across the sand.

She and Omar passed the girls. Omar held his side, his face in a solid grimace.

“Come on. Get moving. At this rate I don’t think we’d have won anyway,” Devi teased.

Omar laughed, and then groaned as he dug into his side, leaning to the right. “Stop. I’m already getting a cramp.”

From out of nowhere footsteps beat down behind them. Devi leaned across Omar’s chest and saw Brian and Pam sifting across the sand at an amazing pace. They brushed by them. Brian gave Omar a look of triumph and Pam yelled out with a friendly wave. Devi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Brian seemed to kick up extra sand as they passed.

Her stomach sank as the pair moved behind the Jones boys, then overtook them.

“Not happening.” Omar’s dark gaze collided with hers.

“What do you want to do?”

He shifted her up higher onto his waist so that her feet didn’t touch the ground at all. “If the boys aren’t going to win, then neither will Brian. We’re taking this.”

“Let’s do it.” Her pulse raced. Omar’s competitive edge kicked in, and the exhilaration excited her. She hung on tight, balling the material of his shirt into her fist.

He took off at a charge. They were only a few feet behind Brian and his wife. The other man glanced over his shoulder, and for the first time Devi couldn’t mistake the murky glare he shot Omar.

“Shit, my side is killing me,” Omar gasped.

She didn’t want Brian to win. It made her sick that he’d take the victory from two kids.

“Come on, O. If you win I’m yours for a midnight skinny dip in the Atlantic.” She slid her hand down his back, over his rounded rear, and pinched one solid cheek. “Me naked. You naked. Midnight.”

“Now you’re talking.” His second wind took over, and they flew past Brian and his wife.

Omar’s hard expression didn’t reveal his pain, but the tick of his jaw was a telltale sign.

Devi heard Pam laugh good-naturedly, and then Brian swear.

“It’s only a game,” Pam said.

Devi felt a little sorry for his wife. She’d noticed a small tenseness between the two, but now she heard the same thing in their tone with each other as they began to bicker.