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“Not good.”
His shoulders sag along with my mood.
“Not good because they didn’t like that the engagement wasn’t real?”
“Not good because I didn’t tell them the engagement wasn’t real.”
“Larry…” he exhales.
“I know, okay? It’s just… ah! Mama was so excited about shopping for dresses, and Dad would have tracked Jarvis down and messed up his hair if I told them the truth. Plus, you know how it is. They would’ve blabbed and everything would have blown up. We’re not ready for things to blow up, right?”
I’m not a huge fan of the way Steve is looking at me. He should really save his ire for the next part.
“I didn’t talk to Jarvis yet either,” I say, peeking through my fingers.
His death stare does a great job of lasering through the gaps.
“So Jarvis still thinks you meant yes when you said yes?”
“Well...”
“Larry!”
“I was going to tell him at lunch, I swear! But there was this Meyer lemon crisis and then he had to go do some cardboard photoshoot thing? Not sure. And now he’s been in hair and makeup since. You know what would’ve happened if I disturbed him while he’s being pampered.”
Steve grunts, but his expression softens slightly. “I don’t like this for you, Larry. Any of it.” He waves his hand and deposits his fist on his hip.
“I know. I don’t either.”
“Well, we need to get you unengaged as quickly as possible. I get that we’re not ready to go public, but there’s no way my Larinda is marrying a man who’s running a fundraiser to re-landscape his estate.”
Oh. Okay. That explains the orange charity bandana Jarvis was wearing. I guess it makes sense since the puppy ropes course construction probably destroyed his lawn.
“I’ll schmooze Mallory and see if I can get a read on his schedule,” Steve continues. “There has to be a time we can get him alone.”
I return a corroborating nod, but my pulse is racing at the thought. My brief brush with standing up for myself and saying “no” the other day seems forever ago. I was so proud of myself, and look where it got me—exactly the same place as if I’d said yes.
Because you did say yes.
Not the point.
A knock at the door draws our attention, and my heart thumps for a different reason when Val pokes his head in.
We haven’t seen each other except in passing since the meeting with my parents yesterday. I’ve been desperate to talk to him about what happened, but it’s been one thing after another. Even arriving in Little Rock didn’t help. An industry brunch followed by an interview and radio appearance mean we haven’t had the chance to connect even for a brief chat, let alone the soul-searching purge we need. The second I got to the green room to relax, I sent him a text to come find me.
“Hey. Sorry to barge in. Is now a good time?” he asks me. His gaze crosses to Steve. “You want to, uh, work on that song?”
“The song! Yes. Of course. The song. Do you mind?” I say to Steve. “Maybe go check on Coriander and Sage and make sure they don’t buy too many hot tubs?”
Val lifts a brow, and I shake off his question.
“You sure?” Steve says, firing an irritated look at Val. “You don’t want to finish discussing… the business stuff?”
“No, I’m good on the business stuff.”
Steve grunts and stomps toward the door.
“Do I want to know about the hot tubs… and business stuff?” Val asks once we’re alone.
