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“Yes, Mother.”
She took my chin in her thumb and forefinger. “Good girl. I really am thrilled to see you.” She opened the door and exited, leaning back in to say, “Give Cassidy my love, would you? I’d say have fun, but...” She gave my shoes a pointed look. “Well, at least you’re dressed appropriately. Goodbye, darling.”
When the door closed, I slumped back in my seat, damning my luck.
“Where can I take you, miss?” the driver asked.
To which I said, with an exhausted sigh, “Anywhere but here.”
26
berry good
REMY
I’d itched to see Jessa before, but this time was different.
As I leaned against my truck outside of the wedding site, my thoughts chased each other in circles, just like they had since she’d ridden away with her mother that afternoon. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like an ending of some sort, and just when we’d begun.
Life was not fucking fair.
The universe seemed to enjoy proving the point. As if I didn’t know.
Jessa’s mother carried herself with that poise I’d always imagined in high society. The kind of woman that came to mind when you heard words like lady and duchess. But my Duchess was nothing like her mother. Sure, I could see the resemblance—they were both beautiful and had smartass mouths—but when it came to her attitude, Jessa was nothing like that woman. Funny her name should be Grace when she possessed so little of it.
And there was no mistaking how she felt about me.
I couldn’t say I blamed her. I knew I wasn’t fit for her daughter just as well as anybody—take one look at us together and you’d see. Ask us to speak and it’d be over.
A little ways off, Jessa walked out of the open barn with Cass and Davis...and Henry in tow. A dozen feet behind them, Annie exited with her attention on her phone and an annoyed look on her face. The rest of them caught sight of me at the same time. Jessa lit up like a lightbulb. Henry fumed. Cass glared. Davis’s eyes were bouncing off the points of our little fake love triangle. Annie finally looked up, glanced at Henry, and sighed.
I waved.
Jessa seemed to say goodbye, then headed in my direction, beaming, a big floppy hat in one hand and her purse across her body. When she got to the parking lot, she took off in a run, and I pushed off the truck so I could catch her if she flung herself at me. And thank God I had, because not only did she launch into my arms, but her legs wound around my waist.
I started to laugh, but she kissed me, the greeting so fine, it took me a minute to realize I was holding her bare ass in my hands. In a panic, I felt around for underwear, relieved when I found her thong. Last thing I needed was Henry to see what he was really missing.
She broke the kiss, lips together in a smile. “Hello, Darling.”
“Hello, Darlin’.”
Jessa flushed, laughing as I set her down. When I looked up, Henry had broken from Davis’s grip with the jerk of his arm and was marching toward us. He got about two steps before Cass grabbed him by the shoulders and veered him in the direction of her car.
“Uh-oh. Hank’s pissed,” I said.
“Well, we needed to make sure it was believable, didn’t we? I’m not keen on bearing Cass’s wrath, are you?”
“No, but I seriously doubt we’re fooling anybody with a kiss like that.”
She laughed, and I slapped her ass before helping her into the truck.
“Man, poor Annie,” I said, frowning at Cass and the gang as they got in her car, Davis in the driver’s seat.
Jessa frowned too. “It’s awful. The whole time, he was in my ear about you, ignoring her completely. I don’t understand. It seems she thinks she’s here as a date, but he’s oblivious.”
“You can say that again,” I said, making my way around the Scout, waving at the carload of oglers as they drove by. Cass’s jaw was set, and I saw her pick up her phone, thumbs flying.
My phone vibrated in my pocket as I climbed in next to Jessa and texted her back.
