Page 72 of No Headlines Please

Hell no.

Sloane had made a huge production of claiming that her family was too traditional to let the groom or his family pay.

Screw that.

I'd insisted on paying anyway, covering the honeymoon and the reception. And I'd done it in spite of the fact that most of that money eventually ended up with Sloane.

I paid. She got it for free.

How? By those suppliers funneling my payments straight back to her.

Of course, I didn't know this at the time.

Who knows, maybe I had bought a few hundred servings of lobster bisque.

Delaney asked, "So, who was paying? I'm guessing you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well…because I guess you look a little bitter, like you couldn't get a refund."

I couldn't tell if she was joking. "A refund, huh?"

"I mean…it's not like you can return soup. But you never actually said. Were you the one paying?"

I considered what I'd learned far too late – or some might say just in time. "Now that's a funny question."

She shifted on the couch. "Because it's personal?"

"No. Because the answer's hilarious."

She studied my face. "Well, it can't be too hilarious, because you're not laughing. But I think I got you off-track. After all, nobody cancels a wedding because of bisque. And you never did say why you cancelled."

Funny, I'd never answered her question about who called it off. But maybe some things were obvious. I let out a humorless laugh. "It was closer to bisque than you'd think."

"Really? How so?"

"The short version? I found out she was lying about money."

29

Not That Kind of Side Hustle

Maddox

In the rented penthouse, my last statement hung between us like a loose thread. For months, I'd been avoiding this conversation. Obviously, not with Delaney.

With anyone.

As for Sloane, lying about money had been only the tip of the iceberg. Or more accurately, it was the cherry on the marriage sundae that I'd refused to eat, no matter the family pressure.

The family was complicated. But the money stuff was easy – even if the explanation would lead to more questions, not fewer.

Sure enough, Delaney's forehead creased. "So, like…she had a lot of debt and never told you?"

"No. That I would've learned before the wedding."

"But how?"