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“She’s something,” Evie said, watching her with a wrinkled brow.
“Yes, she certainly is,” I said.
“I give you an A-plus,” I said ten minutes later. I’d finally inserted myself into the conversation and swiftly killed it. I needed another drink, and I needed to get away from Evie.
“I see why you don’t like her,” Audrey said when we were finally in a quiet corner of the bar. “But why do you hate her? And your brother…I don’t want to make you mad, but he seemed really nice.”
My jaw clenched. “Todd is really nice,” I said, motioning to a passing waiter. “That’s the problem.”
The waiter brought us over more wine, and I took a long swallow. A look of concern crossed Audrey’s face, but fine actress that she was, she buried it quickly. I didn’t bother to tell her that I could handle my liquor just fine. She’d experience that firsthand over the next two weeks.
“I don’t want Todd to marry Evie. That’s the problem,” I said. “She hit on me the first night I met her. It was right after she started dating Todd. She made it very clear that she was after the richest man who would have her, even if that man was her boyfriend’s brother.”
“Gross,” Audrey said.
“Absolutely,” I said. “So the reason I refer to Todd as my stupid as**shole brother is because I told him about it, and he chose not to believe me. And now he’s chosen to marry her.”
“I’m sorry,” Audrey murmured.
“Not as sorry as he’s going to be,” I said and rubbed my face. “It’s just that he could have done better. And now she’s in between us for good. Todd was the one person in my family that I could still stand, and that’s all over now. She’ll never let us be close. And he probably hates me for what I told him.”
“He asked you to be his best man,” she said, “so he apparently doesn’t hate you that much.”
“Todd’s a pleaser,” I said. “He’s trying to make it up to me that he’s still marrying her. He’s always trying to make something up to somebody. He probably proposed to Evie to apologize for not being me.”
I finished my drink and immediately wished I could have another. “We have to meet my father now,” I said, dreading it.
“I’m not ready just yet,” she said. A waiter walked by with crab cake appetizers, and she grabbed one.
“Eat,” she said and fed me a forkful. “You need to keep yourself fortified against all that booze.”
I found crab disgusting, something akin to what I imagined cat food tasted like. But I didn’t say a word. I watched her as I chewed. “You’re taking good care of me,” I said. “I’m actually really glad you’re here, Audrey. It’s nice to have an ally.”
She smiled up at me. “That’s what I’m getting paid for, remember? I was just supposed to be taking care of you in a different way.” I saw that she was starting to blush underneath her makeup. It just figured—the one escort in the world who was capable of blushing was my date.
My traitor co**ck stirred again.
She fed me another bite, and our eyes locked.
“Waiter, we’re going to need some more wine. Stat,” she called, and I think I might have fallen a little bit in love with her right then, if I’d been capable of doing such a thing.
“Well, aren’t you two just adorable,” a voice boomed out from behind me. A hand clapped me on the back, hard, knocking me back to reality.
“Ow, Cole,” I said, grinning. “You don’t have to hit me that hard.” I turned to greet my best friend.
“Yes, I do,” he said and pulled me in for a quick hug. “It’s been too damn long since I’ve seen you.” Cole Bryson came into view, all six-foot-five of him, a shock of black hair hanging over his brow, a huge grin of his own on his face. We’d been best friends for almost twenty years. We’d met at Wharton, where we consumed an infinite number of beers and planned to take over the world.
“It’s not my fault you’re so busy with your stupid hockey team,” I said. Cole was a venture capitalist. He usually invested in new companies and let them be, but since he’d become part owner of an NHL farm-team, he’d become obsessed with the industry. We hadn’t seen each other in months.
“It’s not a stupid team, and you’re right, it’s not your fault we haven’t seen each other. Maybe it’s hers?” He asked, motioning to Audrey and simultaneously checking her out from head to toe.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” he said, taking her hand and beaming down at her predatorily.
