Beautiful Disaster

Part Fifteen

Present time...

"Just play along," Hugh whispered as he spun Izzy around and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her cheek and ran a hand along her back.

He felt her shiver under his palm. Good.

He'd been sitting at a table far from the door when he saw this man walk in and head to where Izzy stood. The man had looked as harmless as a flea until he'd grabbed Izzy. That's when Hugh realized that the guy was the idiot who'd broken Izzy's heart some years ago.

At that moment, Hugh wanted to crush the guy beneath his knuckles. He remembered how Izzy's father had ranted to him about the asshole who'd broken his little girl's heart. Who did he think he was, barging into the building and hailing Izzy like they were still old chums?

Izzy hadn't appreciated the intrusion as well. He'd seen it through her stance and the expressions of disgust on her face. She'd been straining to keep her temper in check, so he'd decided to help her out.

He was just about to call her name when he caught that last snippet of conversation they were having. And Hugh realized just how he could come to Izzy's rescue. "Well? Aren't you going to introduce me to this guy?"

Izzy blushed as she extracted herself from Hugh. But Hugh didn't let go of her entirely. He put an arm around her waist and kept it there while he handed her a soda with the other. "Oh—um—Hugh, this is Peter Lewis. He's an acquaintance of mine. Peter this is—"

"Hugh Grayson. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." Hugh pulled Izzy closer to his side and put on a foolish, besotted grin. "I have to thank you, by the way. If it wasn't for you acting like a bastard, I wouldn't have met the love of my life."

"Hugh!" Izzy scolded.

Everyone's ears were now tuned in to them. Even the older patrons, sitting close to the pinball machine, were leaning closer just so they could hear the story more clearly. Hugh didn't seem to mind that they were making a scene.

"Anyway, what were you two talking about?" he asked.

Izzy cleared her throat, realizing that she could do nothing but play along. And hope that this scenario wouldn't spill out of the pub and into the town gossips' ears. "Peter was looking for a venue for his wedding."

"You can't find a place better than Towdee. Even I took some time out from the agency so I could come down here."

Peter seemed to regain his bravado. Once again, his ego tried to strike. "I took some time off as well. I own a retail shop branch in the city. Are you into that kind of business?"

He wanted the whole world to know that he was finally supporting himself and his bride-to-be. And that Izzy could've been that bride-to-be if only she hadn't broken up with him. He had no idea that he was turning the whole pub against him.

"Sadly, no," Hugh smiled as he realized what was happening.

If ever this chump tried to humiliate Izzy in front of her friends, he was dead meat. All the people in the pub adored Izzy and would not hesitate to defend her. But tonight, he had the honor of doing the defending, and he wasn't going to let anyone down.

"I'm just one of the top dogs of a private security agency," he said casually. "I do fieldwork as an informant most of the time, but I do sit behind a desk and watch money spill out of my safety vault when I have the chance."

"You're kidding," Peter commented.

"Nope. You can search for our firm on the net if you like."

The challenge in Hugh's voice was unmistakable, and everyone knew it. Even Izzy realized that Hugh had won this round, and she silently thanked him by squeezing his hand with her own. The customers returned to what they were eating and drinking, knowing that the stand-off wasn't going to get any hotter.

Somebody was going to retreat, and it wasn't Hugh.

"Oops. Will you look at the time. It was—nice running into you, Izzy." True enough, Peter Lewis found some excuse to take off, even though it was the lamest one in the book.

"You aren't staying for a drink?" Hugh asked as a last parting shot.

"I have lots and lots to do. See you around."

The door creaked after Peter made his exit, then swung back and forth on its hinges. There was a pregnant silence as both Izzy and Hugh absorbed all that had happened. Finally, Hugh gave Izzy one last squeeze around the waist before releasing her.

"I think that went pretty well." He grabbed the soda that was still in one of Izzy's hands and drank from it.

"He's gonna think we're both nuts," Izzy commented as she took her own sip.

"Way off-kilter." Hugh took a seat at one of the barstools.

"Loose in the noggin." Izzy took the empty stool beside him. "You were kidding when you said you watched money spill out of your safety vault, weren't you?"

"No, I wasn't."

Izzy's jaw slacked.

Her father's security agency and investigation firm did pay well. Being at the top meant that he was one of the most trusted snoops her father and the unit supervisors had, so he probably deserved every penny of it. "But—that means—"

Hugh cut her off before she made a cake of herself. "The only thing it means is that we're both more alike than you think, sweetheart. Now tidy yourself up and go back to work. Your boss is watching us."

"But why didn't you tell me?" she asked as she returned from delivering the overdue sodas. She was holding another notebook page where several more orders had been scribbled on.

Hugh followed her to the counter and even helped with loading plates of fries and tacos onto her tray. "If I told you, you wouldn't have acted like your normal self around me. You'd clam up and think I was as egotistic as that Peter Lewis. I wouldn't do anything to change our friendship."

"Is my opinion of you that important?"

"Oh sweetheart, you don't know how important it is to me," he said for only her to hear.

Izzy wanted to ask what he meant, but the high-schoolers from the other end of the room were still waiting for her to return. All she could offer Hugh was a raised brow and a frown.

♥

Continued

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