Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“And that’s why you’re here with Micah?”
“He was generous enough to offer to take me. Let me introduce you to my friends.” She took Whitley’s hand and headed toward a gaggle of women nearby.
Micah had just extricated himself from his conversation and was heading my way. He looked nothing like his athletic older brother. Though I knew he’d swam for years too. He’d even gone to college on a swimming scholarship, but at some point, he had gotten tired of the comparisons to Merritt and quit. He worked for the Locke family business now.
“King,” Micah said with a glance at Margaret before back at me. “Didn’t know you’d be here.”
We shook hands, but I got a weird feeling about all of this. If we were anywhere else, I might take him aside and demand answers. But we were at the start of the season, and there were too many people around. Already, attendees were flocking to Whitley, complimenting her mermaid hair, congratulating her on our engagement, and begging to see her ring.
I decided it didn’t matter at that moment. My cousin’s story was as complicated as mine was. And if I was going to pretend, then she could too. I just wanted a good time with my fiancée—fake or otherwise.
23
WHITLEY
The next evening, I’d just finished getting ready when I heard English downstairs. I threw on my strappy heeled sandals and hurried downstairs to find English standing there in a long yellow dress.
“You made it!” I cried, pulling English in for a hug.
They were staying at the Kensington house but hadn’t been able to make it to the vineyard last night because of some last-minute wedding fiasco. I’d offered to stay, but she’d insisted Gavin and I go to the Hamptons.
“We made it,” she said. “Wedding fiasco averted.”
“What happened?”
English rolled her eyes. “Nora came into town for a meeting, but when we went through the list of vendors I was working with, we discovered that the old wedding planner had canceled them all.”
I gaped at her. “What?”
“Yep. She was less than thrilled that I wasn’t using her anymore, and this was her parting gift on the way out.”
“Jesus.”
“Yes, well, Leslie and I have never been so united.” English had a chilling smile on her face. “Fucking over the mayor of New York was probably not her best move.”
“Definitely not, but at least you could tell Leslie I told you so.”
“Oh, she did,” Court said as he strode into the room. “Fabulously, I might add. With real gusto.”
English gave him a clever grin. “When I’m right, I’m right.”
“I very much doubt my mother will ever forget it.”
“She shouldn’t.” She rose onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to her fiancé’s mouth.
“And you too, if you know what’s good for you,” I added.
Court shot me a grin. “Cheeky little shit today, aren’t you, Whit? Where’s your fiancé anyway? I’d like to remind him the same thing and see how he takes it.”
“My fiancé already knows who calls the shots.”
Court laughed. “That right?”
English elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t antagonize her.”
“Me antagonize her?”
I chuckled as the rest of our party appeared in the foyer, dressed for the gala tonight. Katherine was in a blood-red dress while Lark was in a forest green. The guys were all in crisp black suits.
And then there was me, in a seafoam dress that swirled around my feet like I was a mermaid just stepping out of the water.
Gavin’s russet hair shone as he caught sight of me, and his eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “Damn,” he groaned.
Then, he swept past his friends and scooped me up, twirling me in place. I swatted at him, as if I didn’t enjoy the spectacle.
But it was Camden Percy, of all people, to comment on it. “I’m glad you have stopped pretending you’re not dating.”
“We weren’t pretending …” Gavin interjected.
Sam gave a disbelieving guffaw.
Court clapped him on the shoulder. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Katherine gestured to the door. “Now, let’s go before the children realize we’re leaving.”
Everyone laughed, and we piled into two cars and drove to the seaside venue. We were greeted at the entrance to the glass building with flutes of champagne and little finger food.
I took a cucumber sandwich with reluctance. “I thought this was a cupcake gala.”
Gavin snorted and gestured off to the left, where I discovered an entire sculpture of the glass building we were currently standing in, made entirely of cake and cupcakes.
I gawped. “Holy shit.”
“You can have cake to your heart’s content. But first, dinner.”
We were seated at a table with all of our friends. I spotted Margaret at a nearby table in a bright pink dress. Micah Locke on her arm again. They were laughing, and she was making friends with every person nearby, as she had done the previous night.
She hurried over to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Cousin,” she said with a laugh.