Grace, Hope mouthed and gave her head a tiny shake.
But her friend ignored her. “I’m pretty sure he’s hoping to rekindle that romance, so buyer beware if you’re thinking of asking him out. Those first loves are killer. Men never seem to be able to let them go.”
“Once he gets a taste of this, he won’t even remember that other woman’s name,” the redhead said, eyeing Lucas as if he were a steak. A predatory smile claimed her lips. She turned in Lucas’s direction, and then after glancing over her shoulder, she added, “Watch and learn ladies.”
Hope had to stop herself from reaching out and yanking the woman back. But instead of making a complete fool of herself over the man, she slowly let out a breath, pasted a smile on her face, and said, “Excuse me. I need to introduce myself to a few more people.”
But instead of mingling, Hope checked the refreshments, making sure everything was stocked, and kept her attention on the redhead who’d plastered herself to Lucas’s side.
Lucas did a double take when the woman placed her hand on his chest. And Hope smiled to herself when he gently removed it and appeared to politely dismiss her as he scanned the room and met Hope’s gaze. He gave her a tiny wink and then went back to talking to one of the interior designers Hope had invited.
“Looks like Lucas is definitely off the market,” Grace said, appearing beside her.
“No he isn’t.” Hope rolled her eyes.
She chuckled. “Just keep telling yourself that.” Grace squeezed her arm and added, “Owen’s here. Do you mind if we take off, or do you need me to stay for moral support?”
Hope glanced over at her friend’s boyfriend, who was talking to Kevin Landers, his boss. He was tanned, and his dark hair was styled in a deliberate messy windblown look. He was everything Grace’s ex wasn’t. Younger, sexy, attentive, and most of all, he adored and appreciated Grace. Hope had never been happier for her friend. “Go on. Have a great night.”
“Love you.” Grace gave her a hug and whispered, “This event was fantastic. It’s going to launch Lucas’s business. You know that, right?”
“That’s the plan.” Hope pulled back and nodded to Owen. “Now go have some fun with that man. Let me live vicariously through you.”
“You don’t need to live through me.” Grace eyed Lucas. “Your man is right there.”
Hope gave her friend a pointed look. “Go.”
“All right.” Grace brushed her auburn locks out of her eyes and said, “See you tomorrow for brunch?”
“Yep.” Hope watched as her friend pried Owen away from Landers and couldn’t help the tinge of jealousy when he wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. It wasn’t that she was envious that her friend had a hot younger man who adored her. She just missed that intimacy.
She glanced at Lucas again as memories of a thousand kisses slammed into her. A small ache formed in her gut, and she let out a disgusted sigh. This was not the time for memory lane. She straightened her shoulders and went back to work, mingling with the guests.
“Lucas,” Hope called toward the end of the event as she waved him over. “There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.”
He was chatting with a pretty blonde who Hope thought might be one of the interior designers she’d invited from a couple of towns over. The designer leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek that seemed more of an invitation than a friendly goodbye. Hope’s irritation flared to life, and she had to order herself to stay put instead of physically hauling the woman away from him.
Dammit. She’d known working with Lucas was a bad idea. Here she was trying to be professional, and she’d spent the majority of the night ready to claw people’s eyes out over the man. She needed to get a grip.
Lucas turned his attention to Hope, and as his gaze swept over her, that cocky half smile was back, indicating that he knew exactly what she’d been thinking.
Hope did her best to paste a neutral smile on her face and turned her attention to the tall man with the thick dark hair standing beside her. “Kyle, this is Lucas King, the owner of Against the Grain Interiors.” Her gaze drifted back to Lucas. “And Lucas, this is Kyle Epps. He’s the buyer for Lux and Comfort. They specialize in limited-run furniture and accessories.”
“Hello.” Lucas shook Kyle’s hand, and the buyer immediately started praising some of Lucas’s more unique pieces. He inquired about an ornate coat tree and a hand painted accent chest.
Pleased with herself, Hope moved to the front door to thank the guests for attending as they started to leave. She was in the middle of hugging Joy goodbye when she heard, It’s perfect. It’s a new business in town and the ideal place to use to move the drugs. With his history with the town, no one will suspect a thing.
Hope froze. Move drugs?
Everything seemed to slow down as she scanned the crowd of polished guests, trying to figure out who exactly was trying to use Lucas’s shop as cover for running drugs.
Her gaze landed on the mayor and her husband, a couple realtors, Gabrielle, the town’s lifestyle reporter, a few designers, and more than two dozen people she didn’t recognize. And not one of them had a huge sign that said Drug Dealer hanging from their neck.
Chapter Five
By the time Hope locked the front door after the last handful of guests left the showroom, she had a pounding headache. She’d spent the last forty-five minutes straining to hear everyone’s thoughts. At first when she’d tried to open her mind, she’d struggled. All she’d heard were snippets of thoughts that didn’t make much sense. But as soon as she realized all she had to do was ask the universe for access, thoughts flooded in. It had been forty-five minutes of pure hell.
The thoughts were so loud and overwhelming that she’d felt as if she were standing in the middle of the room while everyone shouted at her at the same time. And putting the genie back in the bottle had proven to be near impossible. If that was what her mother felt like all the time, it was no wonder she’d run away to get some peace.
“Hope?” Lucas said from behind her.
She jumped, turning to him and placing a hand over her racing heart. It seemed impossible that she hadn’t heard him coming. Not after what she’d just experienced by purposely trying to invade everyone’s thoughts.
“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I was just going to say that you don’t need to stay. I can clean all of this up.”
“What? No.” She frowned and shook her head. “I’m the event planner. It’s my job to clean it all up and make sure the place shines before I leave.”
“You’ve already outdone yourself.” He gave her an appreciative smile. “The caliber of clients you attracted is going to jumpstart my business here in a major way. I’ve already made appointments to work out details with over a dozen people next week. Damn, Hope, it’s already clear I’m woefully underpaying you for the service you provide. In fact, I think I’m going to give you a commission for every client you brought me with this event.”
Hope felt her cheeks flush with pride, and she couldn’t help but grin at him. He really was the best guy she’d ever known. “No way. I was just doing my job.”