AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We laugh. Charlie steps away from me, now that we’re alone, and I’m reminded that this is all pretend. Teammates: us versus wedding season. That’s all.
“Having a good night so far?” he asks, as we go rejoin the party.
I nod. “I am, actually. The city is so gorgeous from the water.”
“Not too shabby,” he agrees. “Me and the guys rented one of these last year, trying to impress journalists for our launch.”
I’m just about to ask more about his friends when someone—no, two people—appear, and I stop dead right there in the middle of the deck.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie asks.
How about everything? Because standing across the deck, chatting it up in full costume, are Miles and Nadia.
The exes, right here on board.
I gulp. They haven’t seen me yet. They’re too busy showing off Nadia’s engagement ring to some friends, who ‘Ooooh’ and ‘Ahhh’, but it’s only a matter of time. And if the reunion with Nadia was excruciating, I can only imagine what this will be like.
In an instant, all my confidence melts away. I glance out over the water, briefly considering a swim to shore. Somehow, I managed to not spot them on this enormous boat before now, and now there’s no escape.
Nadia starts to turn, and I panic.
“Papaya.” I blurt. “Papaya!!”
“Oh.” Charlie looks stunned.Damn. They’ve spotted us, and Nadia is dragging Miles this way. He quickly looks around. “Moppy hair guy?”
I don’t have time to answer before they’re on us.
“Grace, oh my gosh!” Nadia coos, sashaying up to us. She’s in a white dress, which is kind of inappropriate for someone else’s wedding, no?
Then again, Nadia doesn’t really care about appropriate, unless she’s appropriating someone else’s boyfriend. “What a small world! I wouldn’t have expected to see you here. Not exactly your crowd,” she adds with a laugh.
“Really?” Charlie asks smoothly, offering a hand to shake. “Grace is quite the social butterfly. But some people are like that, I guess. Making friends everywhere they go.” He smiles down at me, sliding an arm possessively around my waist. “Hi there. Charlie Fox.”
“Nadia,” she says, sizing him up with clear surprise. Probably wondering how did her glittery-pants-wearing, dog-shampooing failure of a former friend land a guy likehim. “And this is Miles, of course. My fiancé.”
“Nice to meet you,” Charlie says, with minimal possible interest before being outright rude. I could kiss him. Again.
“Fox…” Miles repeats, also looking kind of stunned. “I think I just read about you. Nightlife impresario, right? How on earth do you two know each other?”
I glance up at Charlie, who smiles indulgently. “Oh, we’ve been together a while now. I just can’t stay away. Who can blame me, right? Grace is one in a million.”
Give this man the Oscar nomination that Leo deserved forTitanic.
“Oh. How… Nice,” Nadia says thinly. Clearly, she prefers thinking of me as sad and lonely, not off having amazing sex with a guy like Charlie.
“Isn’t it just?” I manage, still clinging on to Charlie—for the act. And somehow, having him here, so sturdy and supportive in every possible way, makes this whole surprise reunion sting way less.
Barely a prick. Which could also apply to my ex.
“Well, you simply must come to our wedding—both of you!” Nadia says.
It takes everything in me not to burst out laughing. The self-delusion! Why on earth would I want to watch that cursed event? Why would I want all our formerly mutual friends to stare at me, waiting for signs of an impending breakdown?
“Our wedding schedule is a little zany this summer,” Charlie says casually. His hand begins to trace a small circle on my back.
My lower back.
I have to focus to keep from gasping at the unexpected touch.
