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“Let me help you cle—”
“No,” I insisted, cutting her off rudely, then touching her belly to try to cover it up. “You need to get off your feet.”
“You heard her, baby.” Beck wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her cheek. “You need to rest.”
Bristol rolled her eyes at him but didn’t argue. She leaned over and gave me a hug with a promise to call me tomorrow, and Beck gave me a hug goodbye and then led her to his truck without another word.
It didn’t take long before I was the only one left, and I found a large trash bin and dragged it around with me as I cleared the garbage. The irony that I was picking up trash from the women who called me the same wasn’t lost on me.
Nor was the fact that I was never going to have a husband who worshipped the ground I walked on because I annihilated everything and everyone in my path. Bristol was truly my only friend, and that had stipulations. Her other friends had known me since kindergarten and refused to be around Bristol if I was there, so I never showed.
I hated that she was in that position, and I’d told her a million times she didn’t have to associate with me, but her friendship never wavered. I grabbed an unused napkin off a table and dabbed my eyes, thinking how truly lonely I was, how lonely I had been my entire life.
“Paris, hey?”
I jumped in my skin, and when I turned, I looked through the curtain of my hair to see Frankie had returned with a box. Crap, I forgot she had to get the rest of her things. “Yeah, hi. I haven’t gotten to your stands yet, sorry.” I sniffed. “I’ll do that now.”
She came alongside me at the table and started removing the few remaining cupcakes with me. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” I moved down and began dumping the rest of the leftover food into the bin while she broke down her display rack.
“Are you sure?”
“Yup.”
She touched my arm, and I finally looked at her. I saw what I thought was concern, but because it was something rarely shown to me, I was skeptical that it was genuine. Her voice got soft. “You’re not fine.”
“Sure I am.”
“Paris, your brother is married to my sister. I know we’re not close or anything, but I’d like to at least be friends.”
I laughed. My history with the Ryder brothers was one of my biggest regrets. “Yeah, I’m sure Wilder would be thrilled for you and me to get facials together.”
“Wilder and his family don’t dictate who I can be friends with.”
“Trust me, it’s not worth even trying.”
“Why are you crying?”
I shook my head and wiped an invisible crumb from my shirt. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Austin is worried about you.”
My chest decompressed at the mention of my brother. “He doesn’t have to be. As I said, I’m fine, and he’s happily married with his own successful businesses, so he has no need to think about me at all.”
“You’re his sister.”
“What do you know of it?”
“Piper and I were talking at The Tap the other day, and she told me. She said Austin has tried to get ahold of you but you won’t answer his calls.”
That was because I blocked his number. He didn’t need the drama that followed me wherever I went. I’d hurt him beyond repair when I nearly cost him and Piper their relationship. The only reason he wanted to speak was so he could make sure I stayed out of his life. “Piper hates me, as she should. So does Austin. Tell them not to worry. I won’t be a problem ever again.”
“Why were you crying?”
“Jesus, Frankie. Stop pretending to give a shit. Bristol wanted you for her cupcakes. You know as well as I do that the only reason you’re talking to me is because we happened to work together a handful of times. But as you’re aware, I lost all of my clients months ago, and this was my last ever event since bullshit rumors destroyed my already shaky reputation. Our siblings are married, but we’re not family. You and I will never have to see each other again, so just drop the fake concerned act.”
“Piper’s pregnant.”
