Busted: Promise Harbor, Book 3 by Sydney Somers

packed.”
    “Yeah, but you might not get swallowed by the mob if we go in the rear entrance.”
    As much as she appreciated her brother trying to make things easier on her, she pointed to a spot that opened up on the left. Matt turned out to be bang on, and a few people made an immediate beeline for her when she climbed out of the car.
    Locking her patience firmly in place, she answered as best she could.
    “No, there was no warrant out for Gavin’s arrest.”
    “No, he and Allie weren’t having an affair.”
    “No, he did not kidnap Allie.”
    Even Gavin wasn’t that crazy, though dozens of people had probably already made up their minds about them having an affair.
    She ignored the questions about how long she and Jackson had been together. If she hadn’t recognized so many faces that she’d gone to school with, she would have thought she’d been cornered by the press.
    Half an hour passed from the time they left the church until she reached the banquet room where the reception was being held and she spotted Josh. People were giving him a wide berth, and given the don’t-fuck-with-me expression on his face, Hayley couldn’t blame them.
    “We need a drink.” Matt reappeared at her side long enough to tell her that, and then was gone, heading toward the bar.
    More than a few people shot her curious glances, talking in hushed voices that weren’t any quieter than when they’d been in high school. Some people never grew up.
    “Your pal made quite the entrance, Hayls.”
    Seriously? She gritted her teeth at the sound of Eric’s voice, but kept her face neutral. Maybe she shouldn’t have left Jackson behind at the church, although she’d dealt with Eric and his ego long before Jackson Knight rolled back into town.
    “You should have talked him out of making such a complete ass of himself.”
    She didn’t bother telling him she’d been just as surprised by Gavin’s unexpected arrival as everyone else. Ignoring him seemed like the better play.
    “I told you before that you could do better at picking your friends. Gavin was always beneath you.”
    Having heard her friend’s reputation and motives called into question one too many times in such a short span, she felt herself snap. Maybe it was because she felt compelled to defend her best friend even when she didn’t even know what was going through his head, or maybe because Eric was the last person who had the right to question anyone else’s character.
    Either way, she grabbed Eric’s shirt and yanked him forward.
    He was standing close enough that no one noticed when the move took him by surprise, letting her jerk him close.
    “At least Gavin stands up for what he wants and to hell with what everyone else thinks. Someone people could stand to learn a lot from. Someone brave enough to take that kind of risk. And whatever happens is between Gavin and Allie.” She tacked on the latter in case he was digging for anything he could turn into a local headline for his family’s newspaper.
    “And Josh.” Jackson joined them, his hands tucked casually in his pants pockets. “Between Gavin, Allie and Josh.”
    Eric jerked free of her hold, and for a moment she thought he might apologize for sinking low enough to criticize Gavin just to get to her. Then he glanced back and forth between her and Jackson, clearly picking up on the tension and enjoying it.
    Bastard.
    Eric walked away, smoothing out the shirt she’d wrinkled. She ignored the increasing stares from the handful of people close enough to have overhead their conversation.
    She blew out a breath, wondering if she was better off leaving. Gavin and Allie wouldn’t be showing up here, that much she could guarantee, and she wasn’t so sure Josh knew anything if he was hanging around.
    “What did you ever see in that asshole?”
    “I was young and stupid,” she offered, wishing it were a valid excuse. But Eric was the last person she wanted to waste time thinking about right now, so she didn’t