The Best Man Read online

  “Are you okay?” His worried eyes met mine, looking for affirmation.

  “It’s a small battle wound.” I grinned. “I’m fine.”

  “Well, you should both know, the guys decided Em wins the point for this round.” Andy put his hand on my knee. “They all thought Samuel was too rough with you.”

  “Woo-hoo!” I squealed and threw my fists up over my head while Samuel scowled.

  “Ridiculous,” he muttered.

  “You’re just afraid I’m going to win this thing,” I said smugly.

  “Don’t bet your cute little fanny,” he growled before turning to go.

  “I have a cute little fanny?” I asked Andy, grinning widely.

  “Sure, you do.” He shrugged. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you using it to your advantage today.” He tried to look stern, but it was a pale imitation of Samuel’s scowl. I just shrugged and flipped my ponytail over my shoulder. “No more of that. Got me, Em?” Andy said. I expected him to wag a disapproving finger in my face in a moment. “You’re better than that.”

  “Fine.” I nodded and acknowledged his request. The first point of the competition had been awarded to me. We could go into the next activity fresh, and I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

  Though, I was a little worried about how hard Samuel might fight to catch up.

  “Nice shirt.” Andy grinned and complimented my simple blue T-shirt with the Wonder Woman emblem emblazoned across the front.

  “Thanks. I’m trying to tap into my reserved superpowers.”

  “You’ll need them,” Samuel said smugly. The small grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth let me know he was being playful.

  “No hostilities off the field,” Andy reminded us anyway. “Which reminds me. Just to keep things light...I thought the three of us could go get some dinner tonight? Someplace civilized, to counter the brutality that’s bound to go down today.”

  “Sounds nice,” I laughed.

  “Sure.” Samuel palmed his keys and looked at me. “You ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with a shrug.

  I gave Samuel the directions to the facility I had found on the internet, Skinny John’s X-treme Paintball X-perience, and then stared out the window at the morning fog that danced around the base of the trees along the highway. When we got there, I jumped from the back seat and went to meet the owner.

  Skinny John turned out to be anything but. In fact, I was pretty sure his forearm alone was bigger than my waist. He had a wide, open smile and an easy attitude that came with owning a business he obviously loved. He shared one of his welcoming grins with me when I gave him my name. I had reserved a two-hour game and equipment for six of us to play.

  “Let’s get you all suited up while we wait for your friends to get here,” Skinny John told us.

  I zippered a bulky padded suit over my clothes and shuddered when I considered how different I looked today compared to yesterday. My curves were completely covered. As a matter of fact, with my large goggles in place, I could have passed for a teenage boy.

  “She’s bringing sexy back...” Andy started to sing.

  “Don’t quit your day job,” I muttered. He grinned and delivered a fake punch to my shoulder while we walked out the door to wait for the other men.

  “Speaking of jobs...” Andy frowned. “Lil is stuck at work again today. I should give her a call before her shift starts.” Andy had only had to rearrange the private music lessons he gave to come home for a few weeks. Lily hadn’t been able to take the time off work to join him. We knew he missed her. He walked away, pressing numbers on his phone, while Samuel and I sat beside one another at a picnic table.

  “So...have you played paintball before?” Samuel asked. His safety goggles were pushed up high on his forehead, and they made his hair stick up in wild directions.

  “Nope,” I sighed, suddenly wondering at the wisdom of my plan. “I was just looking for a daytime activity that didn’t put me at a complete disadvantage.”

  “Like basketball.” Samuel was looking at his knees. “Sorry again, about yesterday.”

  “I’m fine,” I reassured him. “Of course, if you really feel that bad about it, you can buy my dessert tonight.”

  “How about...the loser today buys dessert?” Samuel wrinkled his nose and looked over at me with a challenge in his eyes. “I don’t want you to become complacent.”

  “Fine,” I laughed. Andy moved back over to join us when the other three players arrived.

  Dan, Zack, and Nick greeted us outside before going into the shed to get suited for the sport. After they were dressed, Skinny John showed us all how to use the air-charged paintball guns. We were asked to choose our colors before we filled the hoppers with the round paint capsules.

  “These are old school,” Zack noted out loud. “Watch out. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch to get hit with one of these.”

  “The markers are harder when it’s cold,” Skinny John agreed.

  “Isn’t the point not to get hit?” I asked, laughing to hide my nerves.

  “Give her pink,” Nick smirked over at me. I couldn’t help but blush a little bit. Even with me dressed like a boy, he obviously remembered the color I had worn on the basketball court.

  “I don’t mind pink.” I shrugged. “As long as you boys don’t mind running around looking as if you’ve been hosed down by Pepto-Bismol.”

  The men laughed at my threat, and I pushed my goggles into place before covering my head with the protective face mask. Ugh. At least the color of my paintballs helped me to retain a small portion of my femininity. Skinny John helped us all find our starting places, indicating we should start running into the trees at the sound of his air horn. The same alert would sound when it was time to come back to the shed at the end of our game. We had four acres, sectioned off by neon-orange plastic fencing, and if we received three shots, we were to remove ourselves from the playing area and wait at the shed for the other casualties to arrive.

  I was sweating a little in my coveralls. My plan was simple. I wanted to get deep into the trees as quickly as I could and try to find a hiding spot while the other men took themselves out of the game. As soon as I heard the air horn behind me, I startled and then ran.

  Not fast enough. I had barely made it to the trees when I felt the sharp sting, like a wasp bite, on the left side of my butt. I turned to see Andy’s bright blue mark splattered against the back of my pants.

  “Ow! Damn it, Andy! You shot me in the ass!” I was screeching over my shoulder as I continued to run. My bottom was on fire, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t get hit again.

  “You shouldn’t have given me such an easy target.” I heard his laughter fade as he ran in a different direction. I hoped someone was giving him chase. He deserved to be popped by one of those paintballs too. Even through my coveralls, that hit had made my eyes water. I was sure to get a bruise.

  I ran deep into the wooded area, only stopping when I saw the orange fencing ahead of me. Following the line and staying behind trees, I listened for the sound of the large men running through the woods. Every now and again, I heard someone yell out a taunt or an obscenity. It was easy to turn and move in the opposite direction, staying out of sight.

  I was thankful my plan kept me out of the action. I didn’t have to shoot anyone to win the game. I just wanted to be the last person standing. It seemed my strategy would be a good one, as I was able to relax, just walking around while the time passed. It was hardly exciting, but that was fine by me. I didn’t even mind when the sky opened up to allow a brief rain shower. The forest was peaceful and gorgeous.

  Perhaps I had been overconfident. I was literally counting down the final minutes of the game in my head when I heard rumbling voices and running footsteps heading straight for me. Dropping to my knees, I crawled headfirst into a clump of bushes to try to hide myself. I heard a distinctive click and zip, followed by the sound of a marker finding its target.

  “Fuck you, D
alton.” I heard Zack cuss and laugh. “That’s my last hit. I’m heading back to the shed.”

  “Who else is left?” I heard Samuel speaking, letting me know which Dalton brother had finished Zack’s game. His voice sounded labored from his run and attack.

  “Andy and Nick took each other out. I got Dan. That just leaves you and Emelia.”

  “Ah...” I wished I could see his face. I pressed myself as low to the ground as I could, not even caring about the damp bracken below me.

  “Think you two could end this without bloodshed today?” Zack asked. I could tell he was moving away by the sound of his voice.

  “I’m sure we’ll manage,” Samuel assured him. His voice stayed steady. He wasn’t moving.

  I tried to control my breathing, and I slid my head closer to the edge of the bushes. I wanted to be able to get a better idea of where he stood. I couldn’t even see his feet, but I knew that he hadn’t gone. I could hear his breathing.

  I froze. If I could hear his breathing, he might be able to hear mine. If I could wait him out until the air horn sounded, we could both exit the game tied as winners. I didn’t know how many hits he had taken. But if he had more than one, I might still be considered victorious. I tried to snake my way back under the cover of the bushes, but my foot hit a twig, and it snapped ominously below me. I sucked in a breath and held it.

  “Em-e-lia?” Samuel’s voice was soft. Shit. I knew he would have heard that. “Emelia...?” He continued to use a low and coaxing voice. “I know you’re nearby. Why don’t you come on out, and let’s just finish this game now? One-on-one. You and me...”

  I pressed myself into the ground and tried to make myself smaller under the cover of the bushes. When I saw a flash of color through the foliage in front of me, I could see that Samuel had moved very close to where I was hiding. His knees were slightly bent, and he turned back and forth on his heels as though he were searching the area for my hiding place. It really was only a matter of time before he would see me too.

  I bit my lip and gripped my gun in front of me. Obviously, staying hidden was not an option.

  “Come on, Emelia,” Samuel continued to taunt. “I know you’re here. Just come on out. Are you afraid?”

  His voice had dropped, and it sent chills right down my spine. He sounded playfully menacing at most. I wasn’t actually afraid of him, but damn if he didn’t have a way of making my body turn to mush sometimes. Aggravated by my response to his low voice, I scrunched up my face. No way was I going to be beaten by my silly one-sided attraction to my neighbor. With a surge of newfound determination, I clutched my gun to my chest and threw myself sideways out of my hiding space.

  I only knew the general direction in which he stood. In slow motion like some sort of Rambo movie, I rolled up to my knee, yelling while I pressed the trigger of my air gun. My arm muscles strained against the gun’s recoil, and still, I let loose a wild, growling scream like some warrior princess in battle. I looked up and barely registered the shock in Samuel’s eyes beneath his goggles. The yell died on my lips when, still in slow motion, my eyes lowered. While Rambo movies were filled with blood and gore...none could match the gruesome image of the bright pink paint that splattered in a distinct splotch against the front of Samuel Dalton’s pants. His gun fell to the wet ferns, his hands cupped his crotch, and the man fell to his knees on the sodden forest floor.

  Oh, how the tides had turned. The air horn sounded before Samuel was able to pick himself up off the ground. His face mask was pulled back around his neck, and his goggles were pushed back up into his messy hair. His face was twisted, and his jaw was clenched. He looked absolutely livid.

  “Samuel...I’m sorry!” I said, slipping on the wet leaves and struggling to keep up with him as he stomped his way toward the rest of our group at the shed. “I swear, I didn’t mean it.”

  “Save it,” he bit back. If he was walking awkwardly, he tried to hide it. I knew that my hit to his pelvis must have hurt. Just the one shot I had received on the rear felt achy and sore. And I had leveled a marker to his nether regions at close range.

  The men stood from the picnic tables as we approached, and when their eyes easily saw my mistake, shocked silence surrounded us.

  “Party foul, Sullivan,” Dan frowned. “You don’t shoot a guy in the ’nads!”

  “I swear it was an accident,” I moaned, wringing my hands in front of me. The others had already removed their jumpsuits and returned their equipment. I followed Samuel indoors and quickly unzipped my own coveralls before laying them on the counter with my goggles and head cover. I looked over to see Skinny John shaking his head while handing Samuel a bag of ice. My cheeks burned to think of the reason he needed it. I followed him outside, and he still wasn’t speaking to me. The other men stood and folded their arms across their chests.

  “Samuel wins this one,” Zack said coolly. “Unnecessary violence.”

  “Fine.” I nodded. “I honestly didn’t mean to, uh...” I licked my lips and looked over at Samuel. “Samuel wins.” I conceded the game. I knew it looked like I was trying to retaliate for the foul on the basketball court, but I was trying to make amends.

  “In light of...recent injuries...” Andy said. “I propose we don’t start round two of the competition until next weekend.”

  Samuel nodded slightly, and I was hit by a wave of guilt again. I hung my head and walked to the car, getting in the back seat quietly. Andy and Samuel said their goodbyes to the other guys and soon joined me. Andy had taken the keys from his brother and offered to drive. Samuel lowered himself into the passenger’s-side seat gingerly.

  “You should ice ‘em down, man,” Andy suggested. “It will help.”

  Samuel grunted a little when he lowered the ice bag to his lap. I bit my lip and struggled not to cry. I felt horrible about the situation. Andy noticed my expression in the rearview mirror and put his hand along the back of Samuel’s seat when he turned to look at me.

  “Hey, Em. He’s fine. You don’t have to beat yourself up so much.”

  “I really am sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose,” I sniffed. I couldn’t help it. Samuel turned his head and saw the tears that threatened to squeeze from my eyes. His features softened.

  “Honestly. I’m okay. Don’t worry about it. All right?” Samuel took a deep breath and sent me a little smile. “I might have led you to believe I’m in a little more pain than I really am.” Andy chuckled beside me and put the car in reverse.

  “Why would you do that?” I wiped at my eyes. “You had me really scared!”

  “Well, I figured that if you won yesterday based on a sympathy vote, I might as well wring out the same mercy from the judges today.”

  I folded my arms over my chest and stared out the side window. I couldn’t really be mad at him. The hit he had taken probably did hurt a whole lot worse than my silly scraped knee. I couldn’t blame him for working it to his advantage.

  When Andy pulled over on the side of the road at a small food stand, Samuel and I both looked over at him curiously. “That sign says they have fish tacos.” Andy grinned, unbuckling his seat belt.

  “Right. And they’re serving food from the back of a camper trailer...” I pointed out.

  “The best food comes from stands like these. I’m hungry. Who else wants one?”

  “I’m sitting on ice.” Samuel pointed toward his lap. I shook my head.

  “I don’t want to spoil my appetite for dinner.” I wondered for a moment if they still wanted to go out that evening.

  “Well, you know I could eat now and still be hungry later. I’ll be right back!” Andy slammed the car door behind him while he went to go order a couple of fish tacos from the ramshackle food stand.

  “If you want some food, I’d be happy to get it for you,” I offered.

  “I’m not really hungry,” Samuel said. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  I stared at Andy while he stood waiting for his order. He sauntered back to the car, pushing back
the foil-lined paper around his taco with his teeth before taking a bite.

  “You guys don’t know what you’re missing.” Andy munched happily while he continued to drive down the road.

  “It smells gross,” I told him.

  “Emelia’s right,” Samuel said with a shrug. “And I don’t want to spoil my appetite either. She lost, so she has to buy me dessert.”

  He was back to teasing me, and I heard forgiveness in his tone. I smiled from the back seat. Everything was going to be all right.

  I fastened the small silver hoop at the back of my ear and then surveyed my image in the mirror. Needing a definite change from my androgynous morning ensemble, I had chosen to wear a cute tank top and summer skirt for my evening out. A light cardigan finished the look just as I heard a knock from downstairs.

  “Emmy!” Dad called out.

  “Coming!”

  I pushed my hair behind my ear and hurried down the stairs as safely as my strappy-heeled sandals would allow. When I rounded the corner toward the door, I stopped short. Samuel stood shifting his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. He wore a nice bright blue button-up shirt and black jeans. If it weren’t for his uncomfortable-looking expression, I would think he looked damn near perfect.

  “Hey, Samuel. Where’s Andy?” I asked.

  “There’s been...a complication,” Samuel began. Dad chuckled and walked back into the living room.

  “What kind of complication?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

  “Fish tacos,” Samuel said soberly. “Food poisoning, we think. Andy is feeling...under the weather.”

  “Oh no! I should go see if he needs anyth—”

  Samuel’s warm grip around my arm stopped me as I moved past him. “Not tonight.” He shook his head. “The entire upper level of the house is pretty much quarantined for nastiness. Believe me. You do not want to go up there.”

  “Gotcha.” I nodded and frowned. With a sigh, I dropped my arms to my sides. It sucked that Andy was sick. I had really been looking forward to going out. “Well, thanks for coming over to tell me.” I reached for the door handle, but Samuel stood with his feet planted on the hardwood floor.