“Okay, hun. See you soon.”
Sky hung up and tossed the phone onto a chair. As much as she didn’t want to go to the barbecue and see Brock she also desperately wanted to go to the barbecue and see him. It was also a perfect day for a barbecue. Too bad Sky’s mood didn’t match the weather. After she finished making the fruit salad and cheese plate, she found a decent bottle of wine on her father’s wine rack and put everything in the fridge before heading upstairs to get ready.
She showered, dressed, and packed her bag for work, remembering she had the dinner shift at the bar later. It would save a trip back home to head straight there from the party.
Brock’s mother, Mrs. Iolana Moore, lived about fifteen minutes away, according to GPS, but the route took longer. Sky always got lost in this maze of suburban homes that wound through the area. She took her time getting there, not too keen on being the first person to arrive. Soon she was at the house, and was grateful to see cars line the driveway, and there were even a couple parked on the street next to the house. It was a split level home at the edge of a suburban street in a pleasant neighborhood.
Sky’s hands shook slightly as she closed and locked her car door.
Was I too harsh on him?
What Joleen had said about the men’s jobs was true. Brock did have a lot to deal with. Sky wished he could just open up, or at least act interested when she tried to bridge the gap and share. She wanted to be understanding. She really did, but how long could a girl wait around for?
Hearing voices coming from the back, Sky trudged through the side yard. She’d worn her favorite maxi dress, and had to work to hold the long skirt up with one hand while balancing the fruit bowl and cheese tray with the other, easy as pie given her years waiting tables at the saloon. Multi-colored lights strung across the circumference of the back patio, ready to illuminate the festivities when night fell. Two grills were going, manned by Toby and Mr. Wittfield, who owned the ranch where Jax used to work. She nodded her greetings to over a dozen more people milling around, including Mr. Wittfield’s daughter, Abby, and her boyfriend, Dr. Andrew Carrington. A few kids ran across the yard near the back fence, playing tag and throwing Frisbees across the yard. Joleen waved to her from her spot near the patio doors, where she chatted with Brock’s mom and sister, Brianna. Sky smiled when she noticed Zeke Mulligan, a friend of Brock’s, standing by himself and typing away on his phone as per usual. Some things never changed. This group of people had become her second family too.
Sky stiffened when she saw Brock and Jax talking nearby. Brock had his back turned and his arms crossed. Hoping he didn’t see her, Sky headed to the long table where food brought by the guests was spread out. She wasn’t ready to resume their argument. Some space and a nice large crowd were both good ideas today. Searching the table covered in red and white tablecloth, she focused on finding a spot between the plates of hamburger buns and desserts and snack foods covering almost every square inch of the surface. There was just enough space left at the end. Sky set her items down, figuring on saying hello to Abby before looking for Joleen.
She turned around, and froze after bumping right into Brock’s massive chest. Sky gasped and looked up at his face. One of his eyebrows ticked as he stared down at her.
“Hi.”
“Hi Brock.”
“I’m glad you came.”
“Thanks.”
“And…I’m sorry.” Despite the hardness on his face, the apology was soft and kind of sweet, even if it was all of three words. Brock was not a man of many words.
“That’s all right.” Sky smoothed her dress and glanced around at the party, not sure what to say.
“Sky,” he murmured, taking a step closer.