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That didn’t sound like anything I’d be interested in.
“No. I need some time to re-evaluate things,” I said. Which was also true. I needed a way to get out of this mess Vanessa had roped me into, while also deciding what was really important in my life. Could I give up on everything I wanted to be with Lyndsey? Was that whatsheeven wanted?
“Well, we are all staying the night at the manor,” Vanessa explained. “At least the whole family side, and I think Lyndsey’s two friends. She didn’t want us driving home late or whatever. There are plenty of rooms for you, though, if you want to stay. Kyle said something about having a mini poker tournament with Flynn and whatever Lyndsey’s friend’s husband’s name is.”
A knot slowly formed in the center of my chest. It burned, like some deep-seated ember from the depths of Hell. “Flynn is staying the night, too?”
“According to Kyle. I don’t even know why he would be there except to give Lyndsey some emotional support. But you know, like I said.” Vanessa made some sort of crude gesture with her hands. “He’s like her little fucktoy. So, I’m not that surprised.”
My sister was not the most reliable source when it came to Lyndsey. Though, if Flynn was going to be there, and he was staying the night, then there was plenty of cause for concern. What did she need him there for if they were just friends? He had nothing to do with the company. He wasn’t there doing renovations like her friends were, at least she hadn’t said as much in the past couple of days I’d spoken to her.
So why would he be there? Especially to the point he would need to stay the night to accomplish the task.
No, no. Fuck, no! I am not a jealous man. I have never been.
So why the hell was this bothering me now?
“So, you’re going to go, right?” Vanessa asked.
This went against every fiber of my being.
“Yeah. I’ll be there.”
Chapter Twenty
Lyndsey
There are about a hundred people in my house.
One hundred people between the clients who accepted the invites, the catering staff, the office workers, and my personal guests piled all into a few series of rooms in my house.
I felt sick.
“Why in hell did I think this was a good idea?” I asked Flynn, who did little more than shove half a skewer with meat and veggies on it into his mouth all at once.
He shrugged, still chewing when he spoke. “You know, catch a bad guy. Save your house. Stuff like that.”
“This was a bad idea.” I was torn between biting my nails and yanking my hair out. But seeing as I spent nearly an hour on my hair alone, there was no way that was going to happen. I never took so long to get ready in my life. Sure, I may go through five or six outfit changes in one evening on occasion, but finding the perfect look rarely proved a problem.
Except tonight.
And why? Not because I was trying to impress our clients. Not because I was trying to overshadow my cousins and their bland style of clothing. It wasn’t even because I needed to find something both outstanding and easy to run in if necessary.
It was all Hunter’s fault.
That’s right! Of course, I enjoyed getting all dolled up for a man. Who didn’t like feeling beautiful for their date? But he wasn’t even my date. I wasn’t even supposed to act like we were some sort of item. And yet here I was, hoping he’d be at a single’s mixer and see how devastatingly gorgeous I looked in my sapphire dress.
Let’s not even add in the whole heart-wrenching fact that, if he was here, the only logical thing for him to do would be to flirt with all the other women in the room—not me. And that was something I was not equipped to handle at this point. Not on top of the fear my grandmother’s house might implode upon itself at any moment now.
A small part of me wished he wouldn’t come. He had said he might not anyway.
“It’s a brilliant idea,” Flynn said, drawing me back to the whole reason for doing this in the first place. “I mean, I thought of it. So, you know it’s going to work out fine.”
“Right. Because you never—”
“Oh my god. If you bring up Spring Break 2014 right now, I’m going to kill you.”
My lip twitched into an uncontrollable grin. “It’s sad that I don’t even need to say it.”
