AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Quiet again.
“Yeah? You too, Ramos. You fucker.Bye.”
I glimpsed him through the door—Cole tossed his phone onto the island, glaring at it. “Fuck!” he said.
I returned to the bathroom, locked the door, and texted Lewis Bryson everything I’d heard. I included every last detail, including Cole throwing his phone down.
Received, Lewis Bryson texted back. And then,Keep it coming.
I definitely didn’t look at myself in the mirror after that.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
jenny
My text conversationwith Cole’s father left me rattled. I felt like I was doing something wrong—and that’s because I was. I plastered a smile onto my face and held Cole’s hand on the way to Logan, but I felt like shit. I hated liars. Right now, I hated myself.You’re doing it for the right reasons,I thought. It was true; I had people I loved that I needed to protect, including Cole. But there was no denying that lying felt like carrying a smoking gun; it felt so heavy, hot, and noticeable that I was worried I was going to set off a smoke alarm.
But I just kept smiling and holding Cole’s hand.Fuck.
James was waiting for us at the airport, looking as dapper as ever in a suit that I’m sure was custom. “Audrey’s buying some magazines—she’ll be right back.”
“I have to make a call right now.” Cole scowled as he marched off to a quiet corner of the lounge. On the way to the airport, he’d apologized, saying he had a deal about to go sideways that would require his attention. As I’d just secretly repeated every detail of his business conversation to his scheming, blackmailing father, I could hardly be mad.
James turned to me. “Hey, Jenny.”
I smiled at him, happy to distract myself from my tortured thoughts. “Hey, yourself. And congratulations!”
James grinned. “Thank you. And thanks for agreeing to be Audrey’s maid of honor. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“Aw, thanks.” His words touched me. “I’m getting emotional just thinking about you guys getting married. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Jenny.” James smiled, but it wavered as he watched Cole. “How is he?”
“Cole? Um… He’s good.” I nodded. “He seems good.”
“He was a mess without you,” James said quickly. “He wouldn’t want me to say that, but it’s true. He was a wreck.”
“Huh.” I didn’t want Cole to be upset. I wished that things were different—that I was different, a different person. “Well, he seems okay now,” I said, brightening my voice.
“Good,” James said. “Ah, here she is.” His face visibly brightened as Audrey appeared in the terminal, hustling toward us, an enormous stack of magazines in her arms. She wore a pale pink sheath dress that showed off the vestiges of her tan and pulled her hair back in a low bun. She looked classy, beautiful, and elegant.
I grinned at my best friend. “You sure clean up nice, girl!”
“Jenny!” She practically threw the magazines to James and pulled me in for a big hug. “Oh my God, I missed you so much.”
My eyes filled with tears. I clutched my friend, inhaling the scent of her familiar perfume. “I missed you, too.”
“How many bridal magazines did you get?” James asked, teasing. “I didn’t realize they made this many.”
Audrey’s cheeks flushed. “I thought Jenny and I could look at them on the flight.”
“And you should.” James beamed at her. “Do you want me to hold on to these?”
“No! We’ll take them,” Audrey said, grinning at him like a kid in a candy shop.
I glimpsed the cover ofBrides, which showed a model in a long, formfitting gown. “Ho my frickin’ God, Audrey, you wouldah-mazing in that dress!”
“You think so?” Audrey’s eyes lit up. “I saw another one in here that was pretty, too…” She started whipping through the pages.
