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Marley glanced around, afraid someone would over hear, but the hum of too many voices drowned out their conversation. “Be careful. You don’t want her to overhear and ban you from all the fun.”
Kendall waved her empty hand a little sloppily. “Please, I’m about ready to cause a scene just so she’ll kick me out. Being here around these snobs is like being waterboarded.”
“Okay, I think no more mimosas for you for a while and we should get you some of those delicious little finger sandwiches.” Marley took Kendall’s glass and led her across the room to the buffet.
Kendall pouted and for a second, she resembled her older sister. “I’m not hungry.”
“If you eat some of these, I guarantee you will start to feel better. My friend Rylie designed the menu, and she is amazing.”
Kendall popped one of the sandwiches into her mouth and paused chewing, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head. “Good God, what is that?”
“Yummy, huh?”
“It’s amazing.” Kendall grabbed two more greedily.
“I know. She’s a genius when it comes to food, so grab a plate,” Marley said, pointing to the end of the buffet where the plates were stacked, “and eat up. And stay away from the alcohol for a while.”
Kendall made a face at her. “You’re bossy.”
“So they tell me. I’m just looking out for you.”
Kendall sighed, and picked up another sandwich. “I know.”
Marley left Kendall and went in search of Sonora, who was probably ready to go off on her for something she thought was wrong with the shower. It seemed as if the closer they got to the wedding, the more demanding and dissatisfied Sonora became.
She rounded the corner and heard Sonora’s voice coming from one of the rooms. Just before she opened the door, she heard a man talking and stopped. “Come on, Sonora. It was a little fun. It didn’t mean anything.”
“It meant something to me. I think I’m falling in love with you, Dustin.”
Marley’s stomach rolled violently. Dustin? As in Dustin Kent?
“You’re lying to yourself and to me if you believe that. For one thing, I am not even remotely ready for marriage and if I was, it would be with a simple, docile little woman—not a spoiled, hysterical brat.”
“How dare you—”
“You sought me out at my family’s vineyard, during your bridal shower while you are engaged to another man. Believe me, Sonora, there is no way in hell you will ever be more than a fond memory. Don’t ruin that by throwing a tantrum.” Marley peeked in and saw Dustin chuck her under the chin condescendingly. The move actually made Marley want to slap him on Sonora’s behalf, forgetting for a half second that Sonora had cheated on her fiancée .
“Besides, the most important quality I look for in a woman is loyalty to me, and we both know you’re as loyal as a cat in heat.”
Marley covered her mouth to hold in a gasp as Sonora slapped him across the face.
Dustin rubbed his cheek before giving her a dismissive nod. “Enjoy the rest of your shower.”
Marley ducked out of the way as Dustin left the room, and waited for Sonora to come out. When she finally did, she was wiping at her darkly lined eyes frantically.
Marley stepped in as though she’d come from the patio.
“There you are. Are you ready to open gifts?”
Sonora sighed heavily. Must we do it in front of everyone? If I hate something, I just don’t think I have the energy to fake it.”
Why you self-centered, ungrateful—
Marley meant to take a calming breath and coax her, but instead she snapped, “Stop that. Now you wanted this big party, and all of th
ese people, so put on a smile and open your gifts. Your guests are waiting.”
Sonora’s blue eyes met Marley’s and Marley was taken aback to see tears spilling over her lashes and down her cheeks. “I didn’t want this. Any of it. I wanted to continue to hit the clubs with my friends, and focus on revamping my career, but when the great Brent Harwood started looking for a wife, my parents and agent saw a way for me to move uptown. My parents only agreed to pay for the wedding if I reimbursed them with interest and convinced Brent to invest in more locations for their stupid restaurant.” Sonora’s face scrunched up. “I should just walk out the door now. To hell with all of them. I don’t need their money. I’ll put out a few singles and be back on top.”
