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“Pfft, we’re not going to let some big shot organization just show up in a woman’s life and tell her who to marry,” Shelby said. “No way. That’s just wrong. They can go take a hike.”
“Yup!” Tansy agreed. “Plus, Gunnar’s a great guy.”
I looked down at my hands. “I know.” I told them how he had offered me his number, refusing to take advantage of my drunkenness. “I almost wish we’d met under different circumstances. Then maybe we could’ve ended up as something real.”
The two exchanged a look.
Tansy spoke first. “It’s not too late. Give this a chance. And don’t believe Gunnar’s reputation of being the wild, irresponsible Redrock brother.”
“Yeah.” Shelby started to gather the other dresses up in her arms. “Gunnar likes to pretend that he doesn’t care, and that life is just fun and games, but he can’t fool me. The guys might not notice it, but he watches his brothers, and I swear he wants what they have: a mate. He just doesn’t admit it.”
I shivered. Could it be that Gunnar Redrock was looking to settle down? What if this fake relationship ended up as the real deal? Could I really be that lucky?
“Now, let’s take the photo that’s going up on my company’s socials right after the wedding tomorrow. I’d like one photo of the fitting and one of the event.”
I posed awkwardly with her dress form in front of the arched windows, hoping my extra chins wouldn’t be too obvious. She checked it, frowned, then took a few more, moving her phone around to get the right angle.
“Perfect!” she grinned, turning her phone around to show us.
I smiled and only pretended to look at it. Most photos of me just made me feel like shit. It was particularly upsetting when I felt super hot or beautiful, like I did in this dress, only to have the photographic evidence shatter the illusion. I didn’t need that punch to my self-esteem right now.
“If The White Claws think they can sneak in and sneak out again with you in tow, they’re in for a surprise. The whole town is going to be talking about this wedding, and aboutthem, in a few days. They won’t be able to move without reporters breathing down their necks.”
I paled at the thought of all the attention.
“You suddenly look a bit overwhelmed. Getting cold feet?” Tansy asked.
“I loathe being gawked at, and I hate photos,” I admitted. “Like legit hate them. I always have multiple chins. Or, if it’s taken from a high enough angle that you don’t catch all my phantom chins, I look like I’ve got no legs. I think this whole making it public idea is a solid plan, and I’m sure it’ll work, so I know I have to suck it up and deal with my insecurities. Just don’t show me any of the pictures.”
“What? You look amazing!” Tansy exclaimed.
“Oh, trust me, I feel amazing too, especially in this dress. But I’m not photogenic, and I know it. I can look like hot stuff in real life and end up a sasquatch in the photos.”
Shelby sighed. “Okay, I know I’m supposed to tell you that you’re wrong, that it’s all in your head, that you look great in photos and all that jazz, blah blah blah. But I know how you feel, so I won’t. Some people’s faces just look better in person. I’m like that too. In most of my photos, I look like this,” She scrunched her face up so she was all chin and made a face. “Even when I look like a million bucks in the mirror.”
I laughed, relaxing. She got it. That must be why she bothered to adjust the angles when taking the photo of the dress.
“Yeah.” I made the same face as her. “Just like this.”
That had both her and Tansy cracking up. Tansy made a face too, and soon we were all laughing our asses off. It was refreshing that she understood and wasn’t insisting I looked fine, like everyone else always did. I had eyes, damn it; I knew how I looked in photos. I also knew I was a hottie in real life, so there.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Shelby said through the giggles. “My gram’s a green witch. She wants to do the flowers.”
“A green witch?” I asked.
“Yeah, she’s phenomenal with plants.”
I was great with plants too, but I was no witch. Just a defective snow leopard. “I thought maybe we could use some of my plants as greenery. I don’t have a lot of flowers, but I have tons of big, leafy plants. It would be different, but very me.”
“Why not both? I’m sure she can incorporate them.”
Her mention of her grandmother had me thinking of my parents. I was supposed to call them today. They knew The White Claws were coming for me and had tried to convince me to get on a train to head over to them. But I hadn’t wanted to put them in danger.
“I really need to call my parents and let them know what’s happening, but I worry The White Claws will be able to tap my phone. I know I’m being paranoid, but they did manage to find out where I lived, even though I never post online.”
“You’re not being paranoid at all. That could totally happen. You can use one of the Redrock phones; they can’t be tapped or traced, even if they’ve bugged your parents’ line,” Tansy said. “I’ll go grab one for you from the offices downstairs.”
Back in the main living room, the one with all the couches, I mentally ran through how I’d explain everything that was going on, then texted Dad, telling him to pick up the next incoming video call from a strange number. They never picked up any call from a number they didn’t recognize now.
