Chapter 6
The rest of the afternoon went by without my little daredevil pulling any more stunts, I stayed out of her way as much as possible because she was just confusing the hell out of me
I wanted to knock some of the guys' heads together for letting her do that shit but that would only raise a lot of questions and since there was no real boss, underling divide, these nosy f*cks wouldn't think twice about sticking their noses in my damn business.
Don't let anyone fool you that women were the only ones who did that shit, men were some gossiping shit heads.
All I needed was for them to get wind of me sniffing around the flying nun and my life would be hell.
I still haven't cornered Jared as yet to give him a piece of my mind but I'll get to that soon enough.
At knock off time I made myself scarce, I certainly didn't need another replay of yesterday's little interlude between those two, little sister my ass.
The next couple days were uneventful thank God, I stayed away from the office as much as possible and no one was the wiser because we were knee deep in bikes.
Grimaldi, once he made up his mind was a no nonsense kind of guy, he'd already ordered ten bikes and that was just a drop in the pan so no one wondered why I was spending more time in the shop and less in the office.
As if having her plaguing my ass all the time wasn't enough, my mother was up to something and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it could be.
Whatever, it wouldn't be the first time she was being sneaky about some shit, but usually I'd have a hint because she couldn't keep a secret to save her life, this time, nothing, but she was all sugary sweet and smiling all the damn time, that shit scares the crap out of me.
Dad's answer was that her and the hen pack must be planning somebody's life for them, that's what he thinks her and her busy body hen pack as he calls them get up to.
He better not let her hear him or it will be his ass, mom takes her book clubs/ hen pecking sessions seriously.
I caught glimpses of Sloan here and there in another one of her horrendous get ups, seriously, each one was worst than the last if that were possible.
Friday's was puke green, I kid you not, I wanted to say something but refrained, the guys for some strange reason were taking it easy on her with the jokes, usually my boys would've picked her carcass clean like a condor on carrion but, nothing, I guess because of Storm.
I made it to the weekend with my sanity in tact, not seeing her Saturday and Sunday was a pain in the ass, I missed the f*ck out of our little skirmishes and that pissed me off, I'd only known her a week, why should she take up so much space in my head, other than to wonder what hair brained scheme she was getting up to that would break her fool neck.
It's BBQ day, of course mom has dad and I running our asses off fetching her last minute shit, I think we must've bought every available bag of ice in Forks.
"Colton, aren't you going to go get ready for the BBQ?"
"Mom, seriously I just got through running like fifty last minute errands can I please just catch my breath before I have to go back out there in this heat?"
"Sorry for your suffering son, but we don't have time for your little drama today, chop chop, everyone will be here soon, you don't want to be all sweaty and cranky when your friends get here do you?"
"Geez mom they're not twelve."
"Don't argue with your mother, go get dressed, you'll feel better after you do."
What was the point of arguing, I turned and headed for the door.
On my way back to my place I realized that I hadn't thought of Kat in a few hours, maybe because I was feeling guilty for not inviting her, after all, everyone else from the shop will be here there was no reason not to have invited her.
I wonder what she was doing today since the whole town would be in my parents' backyard and the guilt intensified.
Oh well, it was too late now anyway.
I took a shower and threw on some jeans and one of my tees, arms bared and tatts well displayed, one swipe of my hand through my hair was enough since the shit never stayed the way I brushed it anyway, let it do its thing.
The party wasn't in full swing when I returned but it was well on its way, the smell of grilling meat permeated the air as voices rang out with laughter and conversation.
I loved this shit, my friends and family together having a good time,now all I needed was a cold beer and a cool place to sit before mom started running my ass again.
I found Jared and some if the guys in a huddle, talking shop.
"Don't you freaks know how to relax and unwind, it's a party, leave work alone."
"Bro, that design you did for the Grimaldi racing bike is killer, that shit is gonna blow everything else out the water."
"Get a girl bro, I thought you had a date for this thing?"
"The girls dragged her off somewhere like ten minutes ago."
"Probably doing the initiation ceremony and teaching her how to fry Jared's ass."
"Shut up Pete." Jared elbowed him, as most of the crew except Jake started to scatter to look for their women.
I hopped up on one of the picnic tables mom had set up and looked around at all the beautiful people, my eye caught something... new!
"Who the f*ck is that?"
"Who?" Jared looked around like he couldn't see the hot as f*ck woman across from us.
Her back was turned but if her front looked anything like her back, damn.
Her ass was mouth watering, tight and high and round and f*ck, I had a hard on, and don't get me started on the hair, it was wild and thick and f*cking gorgeous falling to the top of her ass.
"Shit who is she?"
With my luck she'd be here with some unworthy prick.
"Who man?"
"Carol's friend."
Jared turned in my little sister's direction.
"Who Kat?"
She turned at that moment and my f*cking world shifted.
F*cking Char and her f*cking tea leaves.
* * *
Well, I couldn't find a good enough excuse to get out of going to the BBQ, so by Sunday evening, yes the last minute, I found myself in Port Angeles shopping, something I use to love but haven't had any interest in for a while.
Everything seemed foreign as I perused the shops, like I'd forgotten how it was done, the last sales girl wasn't much older than I in this one place and she was super helpful.
She was all about body structure and what looked best on which frame, I just needed a pair of jeans and some chucks, that's all.
Instead I left the place with some dressy cargo pants in dark blue, a white sleeveless silk tee and three inch spike heeled wrap around sandals, when I tried to argue that the shoes weren't suitable for a BBQ, Susan the helpful shopper told me the outfit wouldn't work with anything else.
So that's how I ended up at a BBQ packed with strangers, dressed like an idiot. Or at least that's how I felt before everyone started complimenting me on how great I looked, starting with my dad whose mouth had dropped open on first seeing me.
"Kat you in there?"
That was his brilliant exclamation when I came down the stairs, it had gone a long way to making me feel good.
He'd gushed and made me do the turning thing until I'd begged him to stop, of course I still wasn't brave enough to drive to a strange place alone so he offered to take me and pick me up afterwards, cool.
When I first arrived I almost didn't get out his cruiser, no one warned me it was a mansion, holy...dad's flannels would've so been the wrong choice.
The place was huge, and gorgeous and...freaking spectacular, there was glass everywhere and spirals and turrets and flowers and birds and what the heck?
"Hi chief what you bring me?"
I looked around and saw what I thought was a little girl coming towards my dad until I got a good look, she must be my age but she was tiny, like me, she had the most infectious smile on her face.
"Hi Ali, give us a hug."
She hugged him like they were long lost friends.
"Carol, this is my daughter Katarina, Kat this is Carol Lyon, your boss's sister."
She squealed loud enough to alert Washington and I soon found myself in her arms as she hopped up and down.
"Heels, heels."
I tried to alert her to the fact that she was one step away from breaking my neck, but when I looked down her heels were higher than mine.
"Finally, we meet, I've been your surrogate sister while you were away."
"See you later chief, we'll save you a plate."
"You'd better."
He got back in the cruiser shaking his head and smiling as the human dynamo dragged me away.
"Bye dad, thanks for bringing me."
I waved him off as she chattered non stop, hopping from one topic to the next without taking a breath.
All I heard was ' we have got to do something about your hair' next thing I knew we were in a bathroom three times the size of my bedroom, my bun was loose and she screamed loud enough to deafen ten people.
"All this hair and you did that to it, shame on you."
She got out curling irons and hair spray and goop and went to work.
"Hi, I'm Katarina."
"Yeah I know, we met already."
She looked at me like I'd hit my head.
"Yes but when, ten minutes ago or ten years ago?"
"Oh, that, mom says I never met a stranger." She giggled as she attacked my hair with the hot iron.
When she was through with that she started in on my eyes, I don't know what smoky sexy meant and wasn't sure I wanted to, but I must say, the end result was amazing.
I hardly recognized myself , my hair, after having been restrained for so long was wild and free and dare I say, gorgeous, she'd done something that made my eyes look wider and dreamy and, I don't even want to think about it, all I kept thinking was I hope Colton will be here, and why wouldn't he, it was his family's BBQ after all.
I didn't stop to think why he was the first thought I had, or why I got so excited at the thought of him seeing me like this, I just knew I wanted him to.
We went outside and she dragged me off to a picnic table alone while she gabbed on and on about everything under the sun, girl was a talker.
Jared came by and said hi and gave my look a thumbs up, he almost made me cry when he whispered welcome back Kat in my ear before heading off and leaving me with Carol.
"Shouldn't I go find your mom and introduce myself?"
"Oh she'll be out soon, she's primping, at least I hope that's what she's doing, where's my dad?"
She got us some juice as she pointed out different people to me, most of whom I knew I wouldn't remember.
Suddenly I felt nervous butterflies in my stomach, then I felt it, that heat on the back of your neck when someone is doing more than looking at you.
Somehow I knew before I turned who it would be.
* * *
"F*ck me..."
"Dude you okay?"
Jared was giving me the beady eye like he thought I was about to keel over from heat stroke any minute, I just might but not from the heat of the sun.
"I'm going to kill you."
"Dude!"
He backed up from me like I'd lost my mind.
F*cking lemon my ass, he'd sold me a f*cking thoroughbred disguised as a nag, I should be happy right, somehow I wasn't though, if she had all that going on why the f*ck was she hiding under those butt ugly suits?
"Start talking Jared and make it good, who the f*ck is Katarina Sloan?"
I gave him my signature glare to let him know I meant business I wanted to know what the f*ck was going on and I wanted to know now.
First I needed one more look at her, f*ck she was hot, and I noticed others noticing it too, f*ck this.
"Later, we'll talk later."
I left him dumbfounded as I headed towards her.
"Hi Carol, bye Carol,... let's go."
"Colton......"
My sister yelled after me as I pulled Mata Hari behind me towards the house, we were going to need privacy for this.
* * *