Page 22 of Forsaken Trail (Runaway 4)

Grandmother’s eyes widened into saucers. “Brody, you embarrass me by bringing a random stray to your brother’s wedding.”

Aria flinched at the word stray. It was small and thankfully Grandmother didn’t notice how her word choice had hit a nerve.

Aria opened her mouth, probably to deliver another snarky retort, but I spoke first.

“Then I suppose we’ll just be leaving.” Maybe this evening would end much, much sooner than I’d planned. No disappointment here.

“You cannot leave.” Grandmother frowned. “You know how that would look. Keep her quiet and well away from me. Tonight is not the night for an unseemly display.”

“We’re not sitting at the same table? Bummer.” Aria’s voice dripped that fake sugar I’d heard so many times.

For the first time, it tasted delicious.

Grandmother’s eyes narrowed and I knew we’d be discussing this on Monday. Then without another word, she disappeared to mingle with her cronies. Namely, Heather’s grandmother. Those two were the best of friends and had been for years. I think my broken engagement would have been upsetting if Heather hadn’t traded one Carmichael male for the other.

“She’s lovely,” Aria deadpanned when Grandmother was out of earshot. “Thanks for jumping in there and coming to my rescue.”

“You didn’t need rescuing.”

“True. Is your entire family that kind?”

“That is my entire family. You’ve met them all.” Yes, I had some distant cousins and aunts and uncles, but I’d stopped communicating with them ages ago. When one of them contacted me, it was only for a loan they wouldn’t repay. Why bother?

“It’s only your brother and grandmother?” Aria asked.

I nodded. “My parents died years ago. In a car accident.”

“Oh.” The bravado on her face melted away. In its place, a deep sympathy. “I’m sorry.”

The murmur of voices filled the ballroom as more people filed inside.

I took Aria’s arm and guided her toward a hallway. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” She skipped to keep pace.

“This is where we’ll have cocktails. Then we’ll be shuffled into another space for dinner. And probably a third for cake and dancing.”

“Okay,” she drawled. “You didn’t answer my question.”

No, I didn’t. She’d see soon enough.

The guests paid us no attention as we disappeared from view and slipped into the adjacent room. It was twice as grand as the space where we’d been.

A sea of tables covered in china and silver and enormous floral centerpieces filled the room. Golden lights hung from the ceiling. Archways of more flowers hugged the walls. Their perfume clung thick to the air as we weaved past chairs and empty tables.

I marched us straight for the front, to the row of tables closest to the head table.

It only took me one guess to find my tented place card. I picked it up, along with the one etched for my guest. “Be right back.”

Aria leaned in to inspect the centerpiece, a tall bouquet of blooms that speared from a gold-dipped vase, while I jogged to the far end of the room and located the table closest to the exit. I searched for two place cards with the same last name. Finding them, I swapped them for my own, then rejoined Aria.

“What did you do?” she asked as I put the tented cards beside Grandmother’s.

“Mr. and Mrs. Johnson just got a table upgrade.” I held out my elbow for Aria’s arm. “Come on.”

“You’re not worried they’ll switch us right back?”

“And make a scene? Never.” The wedding planner might be reprimanded for the blunder, but I suspected Alastair would know that I was responsible for the swap.