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Chapter 14
Whatinthenameof denim-clad Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears was this? I looked over at Scott, and he looked just as confused as me.
“This is Blake Taylor,” Amy’s father explained. “She’s Nicholas Taylor’s niece.”
My pulse sounded in my ears. Why had I never put that connection together? Granted, Taylor was a common last name, but I still should have figured out the connection. Taylor, as in Scott’s boss and Ethan’s father. Which made Blake…Ethan’s cousin?
She headed for Amy’s father first, shaking his hand daintily (and in my opinion, a little too flirty). She shook Amy’s mother’s hand, then beelined for Scott.
Oh.
Oh.
This was a setup. For Scott. They invited Amy and Lucas to make sure he’d be there. And they invited me to be the weird, twisted common ground between us all. I was going to be sick.
Scott shook her hand politely, his questioning eyes on mine. I shook my head slightly, communicating that I had no idea she was related to Ethan. She turned to Amy and Lucas, gushing over their common connection to Stella Knight. I had forgotten that Blake was a backup dancer for Stella. My mind whirled as I processed everything.
She turned to me next. “Hello, Ivy,” she said brightly. “It’s so good to see you.”
Of all the lies. . . .There was no way I could reciprocate those sentiments, even if I was supposed to be on my best manners.
“Blake. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
She laughed. “Oh, Ivy. You’re so funny.”
I blinked furiously. Amy caught my eye and mouthedI’m so sorry!Yeah, not as sorry as I was. I couldn’t believe we’d been suckered into this.
Blake floated back over to Scott and held onto his arm. My eyes widened as I watched her stick onto him like a leech. His arm stiffened, and he looked down at her in surprise, then back at me again.
Amy’s mother said, “Let’s all sit down. We have a few more minutes before dinner is ready.” She guided Scott and Blake to sit on the tiny, cramped loveseat. Everyone filled the spots on the couches, and I was left with a stiff chair that was only used for decoration. We sat awkwardly in silence for a couple minutes.
Amy’s mother cleared her throat. “Lucas, would you like to play the piano for us?”
Bewildered was the best description of his expression. “Um, sure?” Poor Lucas had the tendency to make every statement sound like a question when he was nervous. He stood, wiped his palms on his pants, then walked over to the piano and sat down. “This is a Chopin nocturne.” Slow, beautiful notes emerged.
“I figured it would make for a lovely,romanticatmosphere,“ Mrs. King explained, looking over at Blake. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Blake nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes. It’s so romantic.” She looked up at Scott. “Don’t you think so?”
Scott cleared his throat and nodded, staring off at the wall.
I tapped my toes frantically in my shoe. Sitting still was impossible, and the music was making me more irritable than anything. I just wanted to get out, but my stomach was yelling at me to at least enjoy the delicious dinner. If I remembered anything, it was that Marta was an amazing cook.
“Dinner is ready,” Marta called into the sitting room, interrupting Lucas.
“No problem,” he said, ending the piece early with a couple closing notes.Bless him.“Let’s eat.”
Our awkward group walked single file into the dining room. I stood in the back, waiting to be assigned a seat. Mr. King sat at the head, his wife on one side, then Blake, then Scott. Amy sat on Mr. King’s other side, then Lucas, then me. Right across from Scott.
We unveiled our dinner, and I was so glad I stayed. Marta made stuffed shells, and the smell of tomato sauce, garlic, and basil wafted up to my nose. Even sitting across from Blake couldn’t take away my appetite for a meal by Marta. I busied myself with taking dainty bites while observing the most uncomfortable King family dinner unfold in front of me. Well, of the ones I’d been to, at least.
“Fern,” Amy’s dad called to me.
I looked over at him, trying to hide the amusement in my face.
“It’s Ivy, Dad,” Amy corrected him. “For the five hundredth time, it’s Ivy.”
He waved his hand at her. “How is your family doing? Your father was in a car accident, right?”
