Beneath the grand, marble portico, Serena was getting her face sucked off by one of the worst people I ever had the misfortune to recognize. Lips already curling in open disgust, I sent a silent apology to my retinas and turned to Teddy.
“So that’s Jesse,” he muttered.
“If we go now, they might never see us.”
Then, because mischance was the theme of my week, Serena called my name. I wrinkled my nose and curled my fingers into fists before forcing them open and whirling back around. Teddy rubbed his eyes, no doubt trying to scrub his vision.
“I’m so happy you came,” she breathed, enveloping me in a brisk hug. “I’m sure you remember Jesse.”
I pressed my lips together and made a squeak of assent—the best I could muster in the circumstances.
Jesse Newhouse’s hair looked as if it hadn’t moved in days. Or, more accurately, he came out of the womb like that—perfectly groomed, crisp, tailored suit, and a watch more expensive than my old apartment in New York.
I was imagining a baby with a Rolex on when he slung an arm over Serena’s shoulders and stuck his chin out at Teddy like a posturing male bird.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Teddy offered, sticking his hand out for a shake.
If Jesse heard him or not, no one could know. His smug eyes drifted to me, a hot surge of anger shooting down my spine when I realized he hadno ideawho I was.
I crossed my arms and turned to Serena. “What did you need?”
Maybe it came out a little more terse than I intended, but I was battling the primal instinct to test if that mound of gel he called hair was as flammable as I thought.
“Well,” she clasped her hands together, peering up at Jesse for a moment as a wide smile stretched across her mouth. “We’re getting married.”
“Yeah. We know,” I deadpanned.
“No, silly. We’re getting marriedthis week!”
Teddy’s smile fell. I finally succumbed to the need for a proper scowl.
“This week,” I echoed, biting back the impulse to add, “Are you insane?”
Jesse smirked. “Now’s when you congratulate us.”
“So, why’d you ask us to meet you here?” Teddy asked, a lot nicer than my version of the question.
“Why wouldn’t we meet at our wedding venue?” Jesse stepped back and drew his arms wide, leaving Serena in the cold. “S insisted on telling herfriendsfirst. You two were part of the original Bluebell crew, weren’t you?”
The way he saidfriendsmade me want to find the nearest champagne bottle and weaponize it.
I ignored his cat-that-ate-the-canary smile and stared at Serena. “I thought you wanted a barefoot beach wedding. Small ceremony, Main Street—remember?”
She glanced back at Jesse before responding. “Well, since it’s so last minute, itwillbe a small ceremony. The country club is our compromise.”
“As long as that’s what you want,” Teddy chimed in.
Again, it sounded much better than whatIwanted to say.
Serena stepped closer to us as Jesse wandered over to the rental car and seemed to inspect a nonexistent scratch on the hood. “I know it’s a lot to ask, what with your Fallfest assignment—but we were wondering…” she trailed off, looking humiliated to be asking.
“Of course,” Teddy replied with a smile. “Don’t worry about it, Serena. There’s not a whole lot to photograph until Sunday.”
She let out a long breath and placed a hand on her heart. “Thank you, truly. It means the world.”
I used every ounce of my energy to erase my scowl when she turned to me.
“And Margot, I would just love it if you and Georgie were my bridesmaids.”
