Because I wasn’t that sweet girl he left behind—the one who couldn’t fall asleep if he wasn’t at home, or the one who looked at him with unbridled affection when he bothered to show up. Heartbreak taught me more than he ever did.
If my mom refused to verbally flay him, I had more than enough unresolved anger to do the trick.
All the way to lunch with the girls, I stewed.
I didn’t know when my chest cracked open and all this rage poured out. Maybethesewere the repressed feelings Candice waxed on about. If I could ever afford her again, she would have a field day.
The restaurant Serena chose was a gorgeous, seaside building with weathered, shiplap walls and climbing flowers spread across its face. Smiling, she handed the keys to the valet and directed us inside.
I barely had time to admire the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the ocean, or the crisp white tablecloths with pristine settings My scowl took up permanent residence on my mouth as we approached a tucked away Chesterfield booth washed in midday light.
There he stood, a raptorial grin drenched in hair gel and wrapped in Armani.
Jesse.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Sweetheart!” Serena called, long legs eating the rest of the distance.
Jesse’s eyes briefly met mine over her shoulder as she threw her arms around his neck. My grip tightened around the strap of my purse and I shared a look with Georgie. She looked hopeless, her wide gaze flitting between them and back to me, cheeks already flushed by the grotesque kiss the couple shared.
I cleared my throat. They seemed unable to hear me over the sound of gnashing teeth and swapped saliva. I cleared my throatagain, ready to hurl the nearest water glass at his head.
When they finally broke apart, Serena at least had the good sense to look a little embarrassed by the spectacle. Any longer, and I was sure there’d be a workplace accident—either from a distracted server or from me personally hurling Jesse through the nearest window.
“I thought it would just be us,” I started, eye twitching as he smirked and wiped his lips. “Girls’ day, remember?”
Serena sighed the sigh that told me she had mentally disappeared to wherever real-life Disney princesses vacationed. “I didn’t know he’d be here, I promise. But now that he’s here…”
Jesse wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she placed a hand on his chest. Her rock glinted in the light.
The picture-perfect country club bride and groom.
I swallowed thickly. No point in hiding my annoyance—something told me Jesse was well aware that I didn’t like him—but I couldn’t shake the feeling that itentertainedhim.
“Well, I’m going to call a taxi home,” I replied, turning to Georgie. “You’re welcome to come with me.”
Serena frowned. It tugged unnaturally on her features. “I didn’t realize it would upset you, but you’re right. Honey, would you mind if we just had a private lunch?”
The droop of his lips told me all I needed to know.
“It’s perfectly all right, S,” Georgie blurted, “It’s your wedding week, after all. The bride and groom should have lunch alone together. Right, Margot?”
I sucked in a sharp breath and forced myself to nod. Georgie frequently saved me with her uncanny ability to feign a smile and find a positive where there was none. So, maybe they could work out my thoughts from my expression—but I didn’t need to say themout loud.
Candice would call that progress.
“I’m inclined to agree,” Jesse breathed without a glance at either of us.
It occurred to me then that he hadn’t even said hello.
I clapped my hands together, the universal signal for I’m-going-to-leave-and-don’t-know- what-to-say. Serena jumped into action. She bestowed us both with a tight hug and a long-winded apology, swearing to see us both before the rehearsal dinner. I thought that if Jesse had a say—which he always did—that promise wasn’t going to come true.
Outside, I dragged in two lungfuls of brine, squeezing my eyes shut for a second to relish the sound of waves lapping over rocks and the distinct lack of Jesse’s saccharine voice.
“He’s just terrible,” I finally muttered, tapping my phone to hail us a ride.
Georgie shifted on her feet and wrung her hands together. “He was… interesting.”
