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“Gemma is counting on you,” Londyn says.
Okay, okay, I know she’s right. Gemma and I met at Penn State and I have been looking forward to her bachelorette. It came much faster than I thought, but then again, I have lost all track of time.
“Will there be wine?” I ask.
“Yes,” both Carly and Londyn say at the same time.
“You don’t have to yell.” I saunter to the bathroom, take one look at myself in the mirror and cringe. I rub the corners of my mouth. Londyn was right. I am channeling the Joker. Carly and Londyn are whispering something in the other room, but the shower drowns out their voices when I turn it on. I scrub off with hot, soapy water and head to my room to pack a bag, only to find it’s already packed for me.
“Who did this?”
“I did,” Carly says, her arms crossed as she leans against the door.
“How did you know what I wanted to pack?” I’m about to open the duffel bag but she stops me.
“Don’t.”
I frown and narrow my eyes. “Why are you acting so weird?”
“I’m not acting weird,” she says lightly as she brushes me off with a wave. “You just had too much wine.”
I nod. “That’s fair.”
“Everything you need is in that bag. Trust me.”
Trust me. Isn’t that what Roman asked me to do once. Where was his trust in me?
I eye her. “If you’re sure...”
“I’m sure.”
Londyn stands by the open door. “Come on, we need to go now.”
One hour later, I’m on my brother’s plane, ready for the long four-hour flight to Belize. I yawn, and my muscles relax. It’s been a long time since I’ve slept well. Whenever I close my eyes, visions of Roman dance in my mind. I swallow hard. Is he relieved I never went through with the marriage?
He said he’d do anything to help me get the job, but agreeing to marriage, or rather being the one to suggest it, seemed a little over-the-top. That alone, not even taking into account all the other things he did for me, is why I thought he might want more. Why I thought that this was not about my job, and more about the two of us and how great we were together? I guess I was wrong.
Were you, Peyton?
I recline my comfy seat, let my lids fall shut, and the next thing I know, Cason is shaking me awake.
“What?” I say groggily, and blink my eyes into focus. Both Carly and Londyn are gathering their things.
“We’re here.”
“That was fast.”
Cason’s eyes narrow on me and he pats my hand gently. “Everything is going to be okay, Peyton.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, knowing, deep in my heart, that nothing is ever going to be okay again. I’ve lost everything. Cason doesn’t know the whole truth, though. I kept my promise and never said a thing about my relationship with Roman. He only knows I didn’t get the position.
“You trust me, right?” he asks.
“Of course I do.”
“Then you know everything I do is with your best interest in mind, right?”
“Cason, what are you talking about?” I shake my head to clear the rest of the sleep away. “You’re freaking me out a little here.”
