The Bet (The Bet #1)(29)

Obviously Jake noticed, if his smug grin was any indication. Travis clenched his fist and watched as Kacey threw back her head and laughed. Her purse clutched tightly against her, she walked up ahead of Jake as he placed his hand on the bare skin of her back.

If Travis could have growled or roared or maybe even run into something with his fist, he would have felt a hell of a lot better. Instead he tortured himself by watching and imagining what it would be like if the roles were reversed. What if it was his hand? What if she laughed at his joke?

“Don’t go there,” he said aloud and cleared his throat.

Finally, after endless minutes of torture, they disappeared into the restaurant and Travis was able to relax, at least a bit.

He glanced in the mirror to make sure he looked all right. He hadn’t dressed up for the occasion much. But his style was different than his brother’s. It would be like comparing the finest of champagne against an expensive whiskey.

Jake’s suits cost more than most people’s house payments. He screamed money, from the Rolex watch to the perfectly pressed pants, the jacket, and the button-up, carelessly unbuttoned to show his tan skin. His glow-in-the-dark smile paired well with his short dark hair. Not to mention the fact that he had somehow perfected the art of smooth shaving.

In a word, Jake was like a girl.

Whereas Travis, well, he took off his sunglasses and threw them on the seat. He was more of a jeans and t-shirt type of guy. Yes, he liked good fits and name brands, but he wasn’t as feminine in his choices as Jake.

In fact, he found it quite funny that today Jake wore a khaki suit, while Travis sported Rock and Republic jeans with a tight black Armani shirt.

He wanted to show off his best assets if need be.

And he was vain enough to know his arms and chest did wonders for women.

All women except the one he wanted the most.

“Stop,” he told himself again. With a curse he jumped out of the truck and slammed the door shut.

Now was as good a time as any to walk straight into Hell. He pasted a smile on his face and walked across the street.

What he saw when the doors opened should have shocked him, perhaps repulsed him, but he was so damn used to it, it almost didn’t faze him.

Jake was standing in the middle of the open bar to the right with about twelve girls all standing around him asking for his autograph.

Please, he did one shoot for GQ.

The girls around him giggled in unison, each of them leaning over so Jake’s eyes could easily blaze a trail across each and every one of their chests.

He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

And then he heard a different type of laughter. It wasn’t fake. It was hearty, rich. He whipped his head around just in time to see Kacey sitting at a table of women.

Most of them looked old. Not the type of women that would be at a ten-year high school reunion, but as he inched closer the faces became more recognizable. Funny how age does things to people. Lots of them had gained weight, some were pregnant, and a few had dyed their hair different colors and acquired face piercings.

She looked fine, absolutely fine, but where were all the men?

He looked around again and noticed a group of guys sitting directly behind Jake, drinking beer, belching and laughing heartily.

They looked like death.

What the hell kind of reunion was this? How depressing.

Some of them had wedding rings, some were starting to get thin hair and a great majority of them had bags under their eyes, and Travis suddenly wondered what had happened to the world.

With a shake of his head, he made a quick exit toward the restrooms to rethink his strategy.

A young woman came barreling out of the bathroom and ran directly into him “Oh, I’m so sorry, si—” Her eyes widened as she slowly lifted her head in appreciation. A wide smile broke out on her face. “I’m not sorry.”

Travis laughed. “Why the sudden change in attitude?”

“Honey, you just let me stare at you for a few more minutes, and I’ll change more than my attitude.” She raised an eyebrow and ran a hand down his bicep. Was he being molested in the restroom hallway?

“You gonna be here a while?” She purred.

“Um, I’m not sure yet.”

“What can I do to convince you, sugar?” She patted his bicep with her left hand, and he noticed a large sparkling ring.

“Honey,” he drawled, reaching for her hand and bestowing a kiss on it. “I don’t need convincing when a pretty lady asks me to stay. Now you go on and have yourself a good brunch.” He winked.

She nodded her head and giggled, this time gaining attention from the table of women. He glanced up to see all of their jaws drop, all except Kacey, who had chosen that exact moment to dig for something in her purse.

He nodded once and walked into the men’s bathroom.

****

Where was her cell phone when she needed it? Crap, it was in Jake’s car! She needed to get out of there before she lost her mind! It was all about Jake today. People asking if they’d stayed in touch over the years. Oh, aren’t they so excited to be married after all this time? Oh, no one believed for one second that Kacey had been institutionalized! What the hell?

A classmate she vaguely remembered until this very day came rushing to the table. Her name was Joy, and Kacey thought it fit.

“I’m officially in love.” She plopped into her chair and downed her entire mimosa. Wow, Kacey wished her bathroom experiences were that exciting.