Page 56 of Reckless
My mother sighed.“Charlie.”
Charlie crossed the terrace to clap me on the shoulder, still grinning.
“What time is she getting here?”
“Six.”Mother said and waved everyone to the foyer.
The next ten minutes were a useful reminder of why the arrangement had been necessary in the first place.The second a possible romance entered the room, everyone invested in each others lives, like it might either bloom or explode.
Kelly would feel every inch of that.And I tensed.She was vulnerable when it came to my family.Minutes ticked past and I’d decided two things.
One: I was not leaving her alone with the first wave of family reception.
Two: if Charlie said one stupid thing before she got her feet under her, I was throwing him into the Atlantic.
At 6:02, one of the staff crossed the terrace doors and said, “Kelly khanom is here.”
I jumped to be first at the door.
Kelly stood just inside, one hand on her bag strap, wearing a dress that made me forget about the idiots behind me.
Charlie appeared beside me.“You want to fu-claim her right now.”
“Charlie.”
He laughed and urged me closer to the door.“Go.I’ll distract maman.”
I shook my head.“You can’t distract maman.”
He patted my back.“No, but I can be loud enough that she chooses to manage me instead of you.”
I glanced behind my shoulder.“That is the most useful thing you’ve ever said.”
He shook his head.“I know.I’m saving it for the speech at your wedding.”
“There is no wedding.”I said and reached for the door.
“Not yet,” Charlie said, and vanished into the crowd.
Her eyes widened the second she saw me.And I felt the impact of it in my spine, clean and immediate.
Across the foyer, Hope and Avril had appeared from the dining room side hall and were clearly one badly timed comment away from ruining what little calm Kelly was carrying.
Britney was behind them, thank God, looking like a woman fully prepared to body-check anyone who got too sentimental.
Hope opened her mouth first.Kelly cut her off without even looking at her.“No.”
One word.Hope blinked.
Kelly turned her head enough to include all of them in a sweep of cool warning.“Nobody is making this a conversation in front of him or his family.”
My mouth nearly moved.
Britney’s gaze slid to me, caught that almost-smile, and flattened with immediate suspicion.Then she looked back at Kelly and gave one tiny nod.
There.
“Hi,” I said to her.“You survived the drive.”
