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With her free hand, Maggie pushed her hair behind her ear. “I do. I mean, I used to go back to Southwood for a break every year and to disconnect, but now it’s different.”
Because of the family finances, he thought. “Because you’re totally disconnected from the world now?”
Maggie nudged him with her elbow. “I do still vlog.”
“Oh yes,” Caden chuckled. “With your green-screen background so everyone can play Where in the World Is Maggie Swayne.”
“Hush.” She nudged him a little harder. “I make it work. I don’t hate living in Southwood now. Just don’t tell my parents, and don’t tell them it’s been nice getting back to basics, such as letter writing.”
Caden nodded, recalling Maggie seated at her table writing out invitations rather than electronic invites and email. She might have put herself on restriction, but Caden had not. He’d reached out to the Ravens Cosmetics group to his frat brother, Will, and secured a judge and donations of cosmetics. He already had the guest emcee, basketball star turned sports announcer at MET Dalton Knight. Dalton had confirmed by text just this afternoon, and Kit continued to green-light all their ideas.
“So you just don’t want to live in Southwood forever?” Caden asked her.
Next to him her body shifted as she shrugged her shoulders up and down. “I love traveling—sue me. Which is why me being president of SSGBP is important.”
Caden felt his slow smile creep across his face. Under the light of the passing lampposts, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. “I already told you, I’m offering you a job.”
“Just not the seat?” Maggie pulled away.
“The seat is mine.”
He did recognize her eye roll, even in the dim light. “And you’re not going to tell me why you have to be the one to run it. Not Kofi? He struck me as the business end of A&O.”
“I’ve seen what these pageants can do to a family,” he replied in the dark.
“Your cousins?”
“My dad,” Caden answered honestly. “That time we were together years ago, remember when I went to get ice?”
Still on her side of the seat, Maggie nodded. “Yeah, and you never returned.”
“I caught my father coming out of a contestant’s room.”
Tires bumping against the potholes of the road filled the silence between them. Maggie covered her face with her hands. Her green eyes stretched wide. “Oh Caden, I’m so sorry.”
Caden shrugged his shoulders. “Thanks, but he’s also the reason I swore I’d never get married. I saw the anguish my mother went through when she found out.”
“Poor Kit. But I’ve seen them together. Are they working things out?”
“Maybe,” Caden sighed. “But just like you, I don’t like sticking around home too much. When I am at my house, I don’t always reach out to my brothers, who were all very aware of our father’s behavior.” Caden reached for Maggie’s hand. “So don’t you think our desire to not be home, our love for traveling and going to new places makes us the ideal couple for this fake engagement?”
As the words came out of his mouth, he felt an awkward feeling pass over his body. Shame almost. He knew it wasn’t true. They were perfect together, regardless of their charade.
After their heavy conversation in the back of the cab, both Caden and Maggie were ready to break the grim mood with a lot of wine tasting at Second Vine Wine on Touro Street. They talked more about the pageant than what Caden wanted. Mesmerized, Caden watched Maggie absentmindedly twirl a strand of red hair around her index finger as she spoke about the itinerary she came up with and how if her final ideas were approved, it would end with the main Miss Southern Style Glitz Beauty Pageant and a huge party after, where she, of course, would be named president. Caden had different ideas how the evening would end—preferably in bed and with no hard feelings, other than the intended ones.
Once they emptied out their bottle of red—aptly named Toast of the Tiara—they headed on out to go back to the hotel. The heat lightning from earlier turned into storm-warning flashes. Light rain began to fall. Caden looked down at Maggie, who inspected the sky as well. They were almost five minutes away from the Melrose Mansion.
Maggie’s eyes met Caden’s. “We can make it.”
“We can call a cab,” Caden suggested. “We have been drinking.”
“There’s no such crime as tipsy walking,” she said with a hiccup followed by a surprised giggle. Her laugh was infectious. Maggie lifted the hem of her skirt and stepped out onto the street. “Don’t be a chicken,” she called out to him.
Never one to avoid a challenge, Caden followed. Most normal people began to run and take cover. Not Maggie. She ran down the center of the street, avoiding the cars and the puddles, screaming with joy.
?
?Are you crazy?” he yelled out to her. “If you get waylaid with a cold, I’m not going to give you any credit when I speak with Aunt Em next time,” he teased, knowing good and well his aunt would figure he didn’t come up with all the ideas by himself.
