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“Yoga retreat?” Rhett says, raising an eyebrow. “Sounds—”
“Boring?” Colton finishes. “How many days do we have to be silent again?”
“It’s just four,” Selina says. “You can handle that!”
“I’m not the one I’m worried about,” he teases. To Rhett and me, he says, “Selina’s never met a conversation she didn’t like.”
“That’s not—” Selina considers it. “Actually, he’s not wrong. Well, it’ll be good for me then.”
“I give us two days before they kick us out,” Colton says with a grin. “Which is fine by me.”
“I hope that’s not scheduled for next week,” Bill cuts in. “The party’s still on.”
All four of us look equally surprised. What party? I want to ask, but manage to stop myself. There’s nothing more uncomfortable then being told about an exclusive event that doesn’t include you.
Selina and Colton appear to know exactly what party he’s talking about, but they seem uncomfortable for a different reason.
“You’re still having it then?” Selina asks. She immediately looks like she regrets speaking.
“Of course,” Marie says. “Why break tradition?”
Why indeed. The unspoken answer is on everyone’s minds, though I try my best to look innocent. Apparently the divorce secret isn’t as confidential as Sloane made it out to be.
Thankfully, the table moves past the awkwardness of the moment when Rhett, lacking decorum as usual, asks my question for me.
“What party?”
Bill and Marie both start to speak at the same time.
“It’s nothing.”
“We have it every year. You’re welcome to come.”
Nobody misses the look of annoyance that passes swiftly over Marie’s face. She doesn’t want us to come, though if it’s because of Sloane or Rhett, I can’t tell.
Bill continues like she hadn’t said anything, explaining, “Back in the ‘90s, it was just to celebrate pulling this conference off year after year. Now it’s the unofficial end to the weekend.”
We definitely have to make this party. I’m about to ask for more details when Selina asks a question that causes me to choke on my wine.
“So how long have you two been together?” she asks.
Rhett had just taken a sip of his water, and he coughs just as loudly.
“Oh no—”
“We’re not—”
“We’re just—”
We stumble over each other. I can feel the blush creeping up my neck. Did everyone think that we were together?
I don’t like the way Selina is smiling. It makes her look way too beautiful, for one, and it’s entirely too knowing, as if she’s perfectly read the situation from our reactions.
Thankfully, she doesn’t poke, though I can tell by Colton’s reaction that he knows she wants to. “So you just work together,” she says.
“Yes,” Rhett says, just as I say, “No.”
We look at each other. We could have agreed on a backstory if you weren’t trying to be the biggest douche on the planet, my eyes say.
