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“That only happens to people who drive pickup trucks as big as their ego,” Elisse spits back with a grin.
“Don’t be saying mean things about Jessie.”
“And don’t get me started on that name!”
Everyone laughs at their friendly banter. “How do you all know each other?” I ask.
They exchange glances.
“It’s a small town.” Lucy shrugs. “Everyone knows everyone. But we all went to high school together, and we’re the ones who stuck around.” She points at Jordan. “Except for him. He left, but knew what was good and came back to us.”
Jordan playfully tosses a crisp at her. “Of course I did. All my favorite people are here.” He nudges Marilee.
They are just the cutest. Taking a thick pretzel stick from a small bucket container in front of me, I turn to Jordan and Marilee. “So, parents’ night out, eh, you two? I love that you guys take time for that.”
Their brows knit together, and silence descends on the group before they all burst out laughing. What did I say that was so funny?
“Oh!” Lucy is finally the one to stop laughing first. “You thought Jordan and Mar were a couple? I can totally see how you’d think that since I never said any differently when I introduced you.”
Huh. I scan my memory and indeed, no one ever said anything about them being married. “Sorry,” I smile sheepishly. “I just assumed.”
Marilee chuckles again and elbows Jordan. “You’re not the first to ask. We’ve been friends forever.”
“But notbestfriends”—Lucy interjects, waving her finger in the air—“because that title belongs to me.”
“Always.” Marilee winks at her. “But yeah, Jordan is a great dad and hates to leave Ryder at home. We have to force him to come out with us.”
I notice Jordan isn’t laughing anymore, just crunching on some crisps like he hasn’t eaten anything in ages and crisps are his favorite food in the world. Then he downs his entire glass of water in one long gulp.
Interesting. I’m tempted to ask if he’s married to someone else, if Ryder’s mom is in the picture, but maybe that’s better left to another time.
“Well, sorry for the mix-up.”
“Don’t think anything more of it.” Marilee steals one of Jordan’s crisps and he slides his entire plate of nachos in front of her. “So, how did your first few days of wedding planning go?”
“Well, we got a few things marked off of our list.” With some effort, I break the pretzel in half. I could really use a drink right about now, but I haven’t seen a server at all. Maybe we have to order at the bar? “But the biggest obstacle is the venue.” I fill them all in on the drama of finding a venue only to be let down. Everyone groans for me and promises to think about alternative options we could check out.
“That’s a very quick turnaround, though eloping is definitely romantic,” Kelsey (the other twin) says. “How did you two meet?” She seems quieter than Elisse, more contemplative. If I remember correctly, she’s the one who works for Janine at The Purple Seashell. Perhaps I’ll see her there later this week.
I’m so busy thinking about this that I forget to process what she’s asking. Drat. We can’t very well say that Frederick is my brother’s bodyguard, can we now? How did we not consider what story to tell everyone? “Um,” I begin.
Frederick places a hand on my knee and squeezes. “Her brother and I were in the armed forces together, and are still best mates.” His thumb rubs circles on my skin, making it hard to focus. Does he realize he’s doing that? Likely not, but you won’t hear me telling him to stop. He continues with the story. “After we both got out of the service, I visited his home, and it happened to be Chloe’s eighteenth birthday.”
Ah, I see what he’s doing. Taking pieces of the truth, not revealing their full extent—like the fact that we’d known each other, at least as acquaintances, long before that, since his father had worked as an advisor for mine. In fact, his entire family line has served our family’s in some capacity for over a century.
I’m curious where he’ll go next, because I well remember the night he’s talking about. My parents put on a smashing coming-of-age bash and invited the royalty and dignitaries of all our surrounding countries. I wore a black gown that I’d had commissioned from a little shop in downtown Kellerton. The front of the dress had been rather conservative and plain, with a sweetheart neckline and long sheer sleeves, so that any official photos of me would show the world I was someone to be taken seriously. After all the undeserved chatter to the contrary, I was determined to change my public image.
Of course, I hadn’t been able to resist adding a bit of rebellion by asking the designer to make the gown completely backless. I wore my long hair down, so it wasn’t readily apparent to all, but I’d hoped that if any of the handsome gentlemen Father had invited were really paying attention, they’d notice. It had made me feel secretly powerful in a way, with some semblance of control in a world that seemed to control me more and more every day.
Frederick’s really selling this, because everyone’s attention is fully on him. Lucy’s got her elbows on the table, leaning over with her chin settled on top of her fists. Despite his insistence that he’s rubbish at this, it appears there is notrywith Frederick.
“So anyhow, my mate invited me to hang out at his sister’s party—he was required to attend and is a bit of a recluse when it comes to crowds and parties. Well, I took one look at Chloe all glammed up in this stunning gown and I just knew. She was it for me.”
I freeze. That sounded so … genuine. Could it—could he actually have real feelings for me?
No, no, no. He wouldn’t have been able to hide it all this time, right? Perhaps he’s actually not a rubbish actor at all. That’s a much more likely explanation, considering that I’ve never seen a hint of true flirtation from him. Maybe his military training included lessons in subterfuge.
Elisse lifts an eyebrow. “And your friend didn’t care that you went after his baby sister?”
