Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Then before I can stop myself, I send another: Who is Cordelia to you, really? The honest truth!
My stomach tightens when the three dots appear immediately. He’s typing. Why do I feel like I’m sweaty all over?
Caldwell: Can we talk about this in person?
Not the answer I wanted. Not a denial. Not She’s no one, I told you.
Just a Can we talk about this in person? We all know needing to talk is never good news.
I start walking back toward the hotel through the garden. It’s beautiful, controlled, and perfect.
And I suddenly feel like I’m suffocating in all that perfection.
Chapter Ten
CALDWELL
There is no doubt in my mind that something happened at the spa, which now has me pacing back and forth waiting for her to get back to the suite. Mable asked me about Cordelia for a reason, or maybe she had more time to think it all over while not consumed by my presence. I should have had the spa people come up to the suite. Next time I’ll know better.
When the lock clicks open, I’m across the room before she even fully opens the door, pulling her inside, letting the door fall closed behind her, making me feel marginally better.
She looks incredible, her hair falling in soft waves, her skin glowing. They’ve covered her freckles with makeup, and a ridiculous part of me is disappointed by that. I love those freckles. They’re her. Mable is already trying to be a person that she’s not, and I want her to see that she’s perfect as is.
But I push that thought away because she’s here, and she’s beautiful, and relief is flooding through me so fast I can barely breathe. I was worried she might take off, but that would only be temporary because I’d track her down.
“Hey.” I reach for her, pulling her into my arms. “You look amazing.”
She stiffens slightly against me. Only a fraction, but I catch it. I feel it in her shoulders, the way she doesn’t quite melt into my chest. Something is off.
I pull back to look at her face. She’s guarded, a wall having come back up again. That’s fine, I’ll knock it down and all the others she tries to throw up. It’s my fault she’s implementing them to begin with. She’s protecting herself. I’ll have to work harder to prove to her that she doesn’t need to.
“Beautiful? What is it?”
She shakes her head, forcing a smile. Does she not know how much her face gives away? “Nothing. Just tired.” It’s more than that, and we both know it. I study her, something uneasy stirring in my gut. It’s as though a flip has switched and I need to figure out how the hell I’m going to flip it back.
“Hey.” I take her hands, trying to read her eyes. “You asked about Cordelia. What happened? Did someone say something to you?”
She looks at me then, really looks at me, and something cracks in her expression. “I met your mother.”
The words land like a stone between us.
“What?” That’s a surprise to me.
“At the spa. She found me.” Mable’s tone is careful and controlled. “She wanted to talk before the wedding.”
The last I heard, she was boycotting it with my father, but maybe when she realized all the other people that put their lives on hold to come to the last-minute wedding, she knew it wouldn’t look good for her. My mom has her soft and hard spots, but she does worry over public perception. But none of that matters compared to the look on Mable’s face—the hurt she’s trying so hard to hide.
“What did she say?” I ask, dread pooling in my stomach.
“She wanted to give me a warning.”
“A warning?” I can already feel myself getting pissed off.
“That she thought you and Cordelia are, ah—” She can’t even bring herself to say it.
“No.” I shake my head adamantly. “She knows that’s never happening. I’ve told her that before.”
Mom must think Cordelia is going to be hurt that I’m showing up with a date, but I already told her, and she was more than happy for me.
“She told me to come to the wedding tonight, that—”
“See, she wants you there.”
“Right.” Mable glances down and away from me. I grip her chin, making her tilt her head back, needing her eyes back on me.
“I promise you, everything I have told you about Cordelia is true. I told her about you, and she was happy for me. Pretty sure she’s hiding a relationship with her security guard, and that’s why she’s always okay with them saying we’re going together. It’s a nice cover for both of us.” Her tongue comes out, swiping her bottom lip.
“So you two are just friends?”
“Yes.” A small puff of air leaves her lips. “My mom just doesn’t understand yet. She’s going to love you,” I reassure her.