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“I do not.” In fact, I’d rather have had my wisdom teeth pulled without any anesthetic that discuss that particular incident. “I ran into Cam yesterday at Drip. She mentioned that you two still talk.”
Not my smoothest work, but I was desperate to change the subject and my run-in with Cam had been on my mind ever since it had happened.
“We’ve kept up with each other over the years.”
His lackluster response was devoid of the juicy details I’d been hoping for, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and do some even less subtle prodding.
“It just surprised me that you two would stay close after Macon chea —”
I clamped my mouth shut mid-sentence, regretting even hinting at the cheating situation. This wasnotsafe territory for us. It might lead to me confessing what I’d overheard that summer and him confessing that he thought my family was the equivalent of the dirt beneath his designer shoes. Neither of those confessions seemed like a great way to start a sibling bonding dinner. At least not a dinner in public anyway.
Our server showed up with our drinks just then, saving me from cramming any more of my foot into my mouth. I decided I would be leaving her a very generous tip. I might also be buying the most expensive Uber ride of my life later.
I picked up the menu with one hand, idly twirling the stem of my wineglass with the other. Rereading the menu seemed safer than talking. If I was lucky, we could wait for Sissy and Macon in total silence, punctuated only by anxious eating from the breadbasket.
“Cam’s great. I didn’t see the point in discontinuing our friendship just because Macon behaved badly.” His thumb traced a lazy pattern on his glass. “Frankly, I think their breakup was the best thing that ever happened to her, and she would probably tell you the same thing. Although my family felt differently.”
“What does that mean?” I slapped the menu onto the table a little too aggressively. Something about his comment didn’t settle right with me.
He quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “What does what mean?”
“That comment implying that Sissy isn’t good enough for your family.”
Holden jerked back in his chair like I had slapped him.
“What? That’s not what I meant at all. We all loved Cam and we were sad that things didn’t work out. That’s it.”
I knew that Sissy was the villain in this story — and frankly, in most stories — but this wasn’t about Sissy, really. What she had done was indefensible; I didn’t want her to get her happily-ever-after with Macon any more than his family did. It was about that afternoon when I’d hidden behind a tree and listened to his family call mine trash. Call the people who had loved me — perhaps imperfectly, but unconditionally — trash.
The older I got, the more I recognized that my parents were just people doing their best to figure out how to raise their kids as they went along. They didn’t get everything right, but my God, did they love us so fiercely — and I would be damned if I let anyone talk badly about them.
“And if things had worked out with Cam, you wouldn’t be stuck with trash now, right?”
I was too angry to appreciate that I had managed a feat few people could claim: I had stunned a St. James into silence.
“Sutton, I don’t — ”
“So sorry we’re late!” Macon’s voice broke the ugly spell we had managed to weave around the table. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
Just long enough for me to ruin the entire evening,I thought as I took a long drink of my wine, then forced a smile onto my face.
“Sissy’s always fashionably late,” I commented, hoping it came off as sisterly affection and not annoyance.
“Perfection takes time.” Macon winked at me, and Sissy’s answering laugh grated on my already-raw nerves. I saw Holden reach for his own glass and take a healthy drink.
“Did we miss anything?” Sissy asked, scanning our faces as if she could sense some lingering tension between us.
I smiled reassuringly. “No, Holden and I were just catching up.”
“We’re so happy you two could join us this evening.” Macon reached across the table to take Sissy’s hand. “We want our best man and maid of honor to spend some time together before the wedding.”
I almost spat my wine back into my glass.
“Maid of honor?”
Sissy let out a laugh, removing her hand from Mason’s to slap me lightly on the shoulder. “Sutton’s always joking around.” She turned her attention back to Macon. “Babe, we should order a bottle of champagne to celebrate, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely, babe.” Macon waved down our server, reaching for the drink menu.
