Page 15 of Wicked Love

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I bobbed my head. “Yeah…huh…sure. Just got lost in my mind for a second.”

His cheek grazed mine when he spoke in my ear. “By the way, you’re looking fucking hot tonight. Stop trying to impress me. It won’t work. I’m not playing your games anymore. Stay away from me.” He adjusted the cuffs of his black dress shirt and kept his smile anchored to his handsome face as if he’d just complimented me. In a way, he had.

We all followed the hostess to our table. The place was chic and yet rustic. I was certain it wasn’t my mother’s choice. Black carpeted floor, square tables covered with red tablecloths, and leather chairs. Other than the few wall-mounted lights, candles flickering in the middle of each table provided the illumination. Quite romantic. Classical music played in the background. Not what I expected for our first “family” dinner—quote marks required.

Philip sat by my mom, which forced me to sit next to Joe. Why couldn’t we all sit on a different side of the table? The last thing I wished for was to have him in my personal space all night.

“Joe used to play here every weekend when he was still in high school,” Philip said, pointing to the grand piano in one corner of the room. “It has always been one of our favorite restaurants.”

“Oh, I forgot you’re trained in classical music,” my mother said. “I adore Frédéric Chopin.”

I snorted, and she murdered me with her eyes. My mother knew nothing about music. She was just trying to look interested. I was sure she’d searched “Best pianists of all time” on the internet before coming here, to sound smarter than she was.

The server brought us a bottle of champagne, and Philip nodded when the server presented it to him before proceeding to pop it open and serve it in four crystal flutes.

Philip raised his glass. “I’m so happy we’re all together because tonight, we’re celebrating.”

Mom lifted her left hand and blurted out, “We’re getting married,” smiling like a fool. She wasn’t a woman prone to showing her emotions too often, so it took me by surprise when her eyes brimmed with tears, and she fanned herself with her hand.

Beside me, Joe stiffened.

My mouth fell half-open like a fish, and all the thoughts mixed together in my head.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” my mother exclaimed. “The four of us will be family. Officially.”

Time stood still. We all stared at one another, but nobody said anything.

“Aren’t you guys going to say something?” Philip asked.

“Wow,” was Joe’s only reply.

I tried to appear more enthusiastic. “Great. When’s the wedding?”

“End of November,” my mother said. “I know it’s in five weeks, but we couldn’t wait.” She stared at her future husband as if he had hung the moon for her. “We love each other so much.”

Philip took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

Without another word, Joe pushed his chair back, threw his balled napkin on the table, and excused himself. “I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder, padding toward the bar area.

“I can’t wait to see you wear the maid of honor gown I chose for you, Grace. You’ll look fabulous, you’ll see.”

“She always looks fabulous,” Philip chimed in.

I offered him a hint of a smile as a thank you.

While our parents got lost in their own love bubble, I surveyed the restaurant for the one person who could understand how I felt but had vanished almost twenty minutes ago. No sign of him anywhere.

I served myself another glass of champagne, and nobody seemed to care I’d be drunk by the end of the night if they didn’t stop me.

Philip ordered a bunch of dishes to share and more champagne when he noticed the bottle was empty.

And I kept drinking, trying to understand my mother’s strategy. Was she really in love with Philip, or was he just another pawn in her game? So far, I couldn’t tell for sure.

As predicted, Mom ate almost nothing while I fixed my plate with a little bit of everything.

The seat next to mine remained empty, and I got up in the pretense of going to the ladies’ room, deciding to explore the restaurant to find my new stepbrother. Just the word gave me the creeps.