Page 53 of Kayla's List

“Oh, right,” I say, not knowing where this is going.

I hope that this isn’t some kind of other woman confrontation in the restroom. First of all, I hate confrontations, and secondly, if Anderson is sleeping with this woman, then he isn’t mine, to begin with.Well, I broke up with him, so he isn’t mine anyway.

“You’re a lucky girl to have his attention. You better enjoy it before he moves on to the next woman,” Bethany says cryptically, and she seems angry.

“Is that supposed to be a… warning or something?” I ask, confused.

“No. You don’t deserve a warning. I just want you to know how lucky you are to have himfor now.” She gives me a nasty look before exiting the restroom.

Given the snarl of Bethany’s voice, I’m sure at one time she was the “lucky girl” in Anderson’s life, or maybe she wanted to be. I’m not sure what her little cryptic speech was about, and if I want to know, there’s only one person I need to ask.

I leave the restroom with a new resolve. I need to stop avoiding Anderson. I have questions that I want the answers to, and to be quite frank, I just want to hear his voice. I know that I have to let him know that what he said to me in the restaurant wasn’t okay and that I deserve the same respect that I give him. If he doesn’t agree, then I will have to let him go and move on. First things first, find Anderson.

“Hey, Kay! Where did you go? I needed someone to save me from a creeper, and you and Shelby disappeared,” Emani says with her hands on her hips, but a smile is dancing across her lips.

“I was just freshening up. Why didn’t you text me?” I ask, looking for my phone.

“I did,” she says dryly.

When I find my phone, I remember that I put it on silent while I was working. I slap my palm against my head when I see all of the missed notifications. I sigh at myself and turn the sound on. I will check all the messages later. I already see a few from Warren.He just never gives up.

“So, how’d you get rid of the creeper?” I ask Emani.

“I told him I had to go to the restroom,” Emani shrugs.

“That doesn’t sound like much of a creeper if he just let you go without following you.” I laugh at Emani’s pursed lips, but she knows I’m telling the truth.

Emani has been skittish since she had her one-night-stand. Heck, Emani has always been skittish when it comes to men. Although she’s had more dates than I have, I can say that her long term relationships are few and far between.

“You didn’t see the way he was looking at me,” Emani huffs. “He was dang near salivating.”

“Why wouldn’t he? You look gorgeous!” I say incredulously.

Emani is wearing a deep maroon floor length gown. It has a goddess look with a flowy A-line skirt. The soft chiffon material drapes over her in a meticulous design that makes her look like a queen of some ancient empire.

“The man was about seventy, Kay. Come on. Gorgeous or not, the way he was looking is inappropriate for a man of that particular age.” Emani scrunches her nose and shakes her head. I thought she was going to spit on the floor in disgust like some old woman in those mafia movies.

I laugh out loud at her face and her words. Emani is right. She definitely dodged a creeper.

“My bad. You’re right. I’ll try not to leave you alone, so you don’t get harassed by any more geriatric stalkers.” Emani slaps my arm, but she laughs with me.

We enter the ballroom, and the first person I spot is Anderson. He’s standing beside Shelby, and he has a look of determination covering his face. I gulp because I know my avoidance of Anderson McNair is over.

* * *

ANDERSON

I seeKayla as soon as she enters the ballroom. My strides are long, and I am determined to make it to her this time. I stare into her big brown eyes, and they go wide. I know that she can see the determination on my face, and I’m glad that she isn’t running this time.

I am almost to her when Bethany pulls my arm. I look down at her with a furrowed brow and a frustrated grunt as I pull my arm away from her grasp.

“Anderson, we need you for a photo.” She waves over the photographer.

“Not now. I have something to do.” I go to step around her, but she steps in my way, blocking my exit.

“Mr. and Mrs. Grant are waiting. You know how Pearson can be. We need this picture for the next issue of Tech Plus magazine.” Bethany’s voice is pleading, and I know I need to do what she asks, but I need to talk to Kay.

“Can you just hold them off for a few minutes? There’s something I need to do.”