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She looked up at Bryce from beneath her lashes, a smile curving her lips.
“She reallyisa bitch, isn’t she?” Kelli marveled. “I mean,come on. She just doesn’t quit!”
It was a good thing Kelli was holding me back. Felicia smiling at my husband made my blood boil! But just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, just when I thought I’d hit my limit, there was anewall-time low.
Bryce smiled back at her, his eyes raking over her dress.
And in that moment, I was certain he had never loved me at all.
THIRTY
decoy
Kelli glanced at me,but there was nothing to see: I felt numb inside. My features were likely slack. I stuffed another crab roll into my mouth, chewing and swallowing without ever tasting it. I watched as Bryce and Felicia talked for a minute. There was a lot of mutual smiling. She continued to gaze up at him from beneath her lashes, which I decided then and there was a troll move if I’d ever seen one.
Finally, Felicia left to join her brother and another friend. Bryce finished his drink and then waved for another one.
“I’m going to go to the ladies’ room. Okay, Kelli?” My voice came out small.
“It’s in the barn—over to your right.” Kelli motioned toward a gray shingled building decked out in fairy lights. “Are you okay?”
I shrugged. “I’m fine. Thanks, Kelli. It’s a nice party.”
“My foundation helps wounded veterans if that makes me any less of a jerk.” Kelli sighed. “I’m sorry, Chloe.”
“You’re not a jerk, and you don’t need to apologize. I’m glad Gene’s money is going to vets—I think it’s awesome that you have a foundation that helps people.”
I straightened my shoulders as I headed for the barn, keeping to the edges of the party. I didn’t want anyone looking at me, feeling sorry for me. After all, nothing had happened. My husband had talked to his ex-fiancé for a few minutes, nothing more. The stuff on the internet—about Felicia putting the “ex” back in “sex”—it was all nonsense. It was manufactured by our team for the purposes of driving public interest. That was all.
If there were tears pricking my eyes, it was only because of my allergies.
I didn’t look in Bryce’s direction. I didn’t want to see if he was chugging another drink, ignoring me, smiling at someone else, or all of the above. I took my time in the gorgeous barn bathroom, fixing my makeup and smoothing my hair.
Just as I was about to leave, Felicia Jones sauntered in.
Motherfucker!Could anything else go wrong tonight?
I almost tripped over my own feet. “H-Hey.” It was only the two of us in there, it wasn’t like I could ignore her.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t make a scene, okay?” She brushed past me and went to the vanity. She whipped out her expensive lip gloss and began dabbing it on her already glossy lips.
“What?” I clenched my hands into fists. “What do you mean, don’t make a scene?”
She rolled her eyes, then kept glossing. “The last time I saw you, you chased me out onto my boat. Remember?”
“I was trying to talk to you.”
“Whatever.” The way she said it? It was like she was talking to someone else’s annoying, ill-tempered child, who was about to have a meltdown.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong…
“Can I ask you a question?” I teetered in my heels. Whether I was about to crumple into a ball on the floor or launch myself at her, I still wasn’t sure.
She sighed. “What.” She didn’t make it sound like a question.
Why are you such a fucking cunt?“Why are you here tonight?”
“Because I was invited, silly.” She rolled her eyes again, which nearly pushed me over the edge. “You really are just a decoy, aren’t you?”
