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“Oh.” I clucked my tongue. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“I bet,” she scoffed. “It’s fine. We were ill-suited for each other and besides, I’ve been busy.”
“That’s great. Staying busy after heartbreak is essential. Work going well?” I smiled.
Gale pressed her lips together, physically vexed by the pleasant conversation.
“Just who exactly do you think you are?” Gale’s hand was grippingher glass so hard, I thought it might break. I loved it. She was openly challenging me at my own retirement, I mean,engagementparty. Maybe I would end up having a little fun at this dull affair after all.
“Why don’t we go get some air?” I suggested. She paused before answering. I don’t think she was expecting such an invitation and perhaps she was weighing the odds of actually getting clocked in the middle of Elizabeth Street. As for me, I’d been salivating over getting another moment alone with Gale Wallace-Leicester since our showdown in the restroom at trivia night.
Gale and I stepped out of the restaurant and began to walk around the block in silence. I towered over her yet again, wearing my red bottoms, a gift from Collin. Gale was in mules. All heft, no height, true to form. I decided to speak first. “To answer your question, I am a lot of things, Gale, but as it pertains to you, I’m Collin Case’s fiancée. And you need to come to terms with it because soon enough I’ll be his wife. And there’s no coming back from that.”
“Oh, right. Hence the need for the prenup.”
“What do you know about it?”
“Haven tells my mother everything and my mother tells me everything. We’reclose.” Gale cocked her head to the side, examining my face, seeking a reaction, a tell. Was she gloating about her relationship with her mother?
“A prenup is completely standard,” I said, though I wished in vain that Collin would have thrown all caution to the wind. Not on Haven’s watch. “I don’t need to talk about this with you. What kind of person attends an engagement party to harass the bride?”
“I’d hardly call it harassment, but a confrontation has become necessary. I tried to be kind about it with you, but you’ve left me with no choice, since you’ve come this far and did not heed my advice toretreat. Don’t you think the Cases have a right to know exactly what kind of woman their son wants to spend the rest of his life with?”
“Collinloves the kind of woman I am, and frankly, that’s all that matters.”
“That’s romantic, but unrealistic. The Cases have a sterling reputation in our circle and you’re quite a mystery, hmm?”
“I have it on good authority that Collinprefersthat I don’t hail from your incestuous little East Coast dynasties. I excite him.”
“And does he excite you?” Gale asked, as if she knew the truth, tapping her fingers alongside her cheek in faux curiosity.
“Collin and I are in love.”
“Well,Ihave it on good authority that the Cases expected their son to end up with—”
“You?” I interrupted, allowing a single guffaw to escape my lips. She was not pleased. “Gale, before you go any further with your little tirade, Iknowyou’re in love with Collin. Everybody knows. It’s excruciatingly obvious and I’m sorry that your biggest secret isn’t much of a secret at all. I’m sure it must be uncomfortable to feel so exposed now, but ‘your circle’ has been well aware for quite some time. And yet, no arrangements were made to push it forward by Collin’s parents, or yours for that matter. Didn’t you say you were close with your mother?” I went for the jugular, yearning to throw down. I hoped she would take the bait.
“I bet they’re all regretting that now, since they left him to his own devices and he wound up down your dark alley,” she hissed. “Never mindmysecrets. What about yours?”
I was momentarily stunned. Gale had this aroused look on her face, like she knew something about me that she shouldn’t. That shecouldn’t. She wasn’t quite smiling, but there was something unseemly about her. What did she know and how could she know it?Howcouldshe possibly know? She couldn’t pose a real threat to me, could she? This was supposed to be fun, but now I wasn’t so sure, not that I would let her see me sweat.
“Collin and I don’t have secrets.” I smiled.
“I could tell them, you know? Atanytime,” she replied cryptically. Tell them what? My tracks had been covered. I made sure of it. Didn’t I?
“Like I said, we don’t keep secrets from each other.” I had to stand my ground. It was the only move to make until I was able to gather more information. Gale’s body appeared to be humming in anticipation; she was practically shaking. I could see the vibrations via her matronly displayed arms. Cap sleeves flatter almost nobody. Certainly not Gale.
“Let me put it this way. The Cases don’t want someone like you on their family tree. It’s only a matter of time before they all find out the truth and the whole thing gets called off.” Gale sneered.
Thesepeople. Theirlegacies. Theirtraditions. All for what? A perceived sense of superiority to lord over the rest of us? How jejune. The Cases should be so lucky to have someone like me in their family. Couldn’t they see I was a star? I could be a real asset to them. But they would always be blind to that, wouldn’t they? The only language they spoke was money. Meanwhile, Gale truly believed Collin was her birthright. Her imagined stake in Collin wasn’t just personal, it was practically patriarchal, running deep in her bones. Not only would she not have Collin, but someone like me was going to get him. An affront like no other.
I hated to admit it, but perhaps I’d underestimated her.
How far she might go...
“So why haven’t you pulled the rug out yet, Gale? What are you waiting for?”
She smiled at me. I instantly knew why. She was havingfun. She wanted to draw out our feud as long as possible. Torture me. Screw me over at the last possible second.
