Page 81 of A Newport Christmess

Landon dipped his chin in greeting, not denying her claim. “Did you ladies have a good night?”

“Julie threw a stellar bachelorette party for Nikki. They’re still going strong over there.” She placed a hand on the bed—his bed—and leaned back with a seductive smile. It might not have been intentionally seductive, but the very essence of sexiness seemed to emanate out of her. “How was the bachelor party? Nothing too eventful, I hope.”

“It was good.” Landon’s gaze remained locked with hers for a moment longer, before it dropped to the floor. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure they’re done for the night either. I drove a couple of the guys home who’d had a few too many. The rest will be dropped off soon.”

“Thanks for the head’s up.” Rachel stood. “Nothing ruins a night like the unwanted attention of intoxicated men.” She handed me back my stack of papers. “Will I see you tomorrow at any of the planned festivities?”

I wrapped my arms around myself. Standing next to Rachel, I felt frumpy and short in my blouse, jeans, and low-top sneakers. “Possibly. Depends on how much I can get done on Rosecliff.”

“I hope you come. It’s been so much fun talking with you. And thanks for letting me peek at the centerpieces.” She turned to Landon, running a hand through her silky, straight hair and pulling it over one shoulder, leaving the other completely bare except for her thin strap. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Maybe I’d imagined it, but there was something in her eyes when she looked at him that made my insides churn.

Landon gave her a closed-lipped smile. “You will.”

She gave a finger-wave over her bare shoulder and headed out the door, her heels echoing along the wooden floor as she went.

“So you had fun tonight?” Landon asked.

I gave an absent nod, still trying to lift my spirits from the pits of despair. “I couldn’t believe how many people were there.”

“That’s one thing about Nikki. She hates excluding anyone, which gets hard when you have as many friends as she does.”

The sound of the front door opening and closing carried up the stairs. “Rachel is really nice.”

His gaze was set on me. “She is.”

“I didn’t realize you’d met her.”

“She was over visiting Kade at my dad’s this morning.”

And he hadn’t thought to mention that he’d been introduced to the girl Nikki had actually wanted to set him up with? “Fun.”

“Did she want to see your designs?” He pointed at the papers gripped in my hands.

“Yeah. She did. She’s an architect, but you probably knew that already.”

Landon took a step toward me, his hand brushing along my arm. “You okay?”

I forced my gaze to meet his. “Perfectly. Everything’s great.”

His eyes narrowed. “You sure?”

“I’m just stressed. I have a lot to do.”

He glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed. “It’s almost midnight.”

“I know. I just need to get more done on Rosecliff before I go to sleep.” I took a step back, still wearing a false smile. “I’m going to change real quick, and I’ll be right down.”

“I guess I’ll go check and see if the rest of the guys arrived.”

He shut the door behind him, and I dropped onto the bed. Why hadn’t Landon told me he’d met Rachel? It seemed insignificant but also monumental. Was he regretting not having listened to Nikki? Did he want to ask Rachel to the wedding instead?

No. I was being petty. I knew that.

But that didn’t mean the thought hadn’t gone through his mind once or twice. And honestly, I wouldn’t blame him if it did. Rachel didn’t only look fresh off a Milan runway, but she had a successful career and was kind. And she loved to travel, just like Landon. They even wanted to go to some of the same places. I, in contrast, was chaos personified. And an uncultured chaos at that. I hadn’t even had the sense to bring more than one presentable outfit to wear on a three-week trip. It was only a matter of time until Landon realized all my faults, just like Cody had.

My phone dinged. I stood up and grabbed it from the corner of the dresser where I’d apparently left it. As if Cody had sensed my thoughts turn to him, his name appeared on the notification for a new text. I felt not even a hint of excitement.

Cody: Thinking of you. When can we talk?