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A look of hurt flitted across Noah’s soft brown eyes, but he covered it quickly.
“Vicky is still a close friend, and her well-being is absolutely my concern.”
But even as he said it, Vicky wondered if it was really true. They’d moved past the breakup. And she really did believe they hadn’t been well suited for each other romantically. Their business partnership was intact. And after those first few rocky months, they had definitely settled back into cordial. Friendly even. But close?
No. She realized now that she thought about it, they were not close. Not anymore.
And that made her sad all over again. She had lost not just a boyfriend, but her oldest friend.
Ryder leaned past her to get in Noah’s face. “If you were so concerned about her well-being, maybe you shouldn’t have—”
“Say cheese!” Cheryl stepped in front of them holding a camera and an expression of forced cheer. Thank goodness. If Vicky had thought the Prince brothers didn’t get along before, that was nothing compared to how much they didn’t get along now that the one thought she was dating the other.
She smiled a grateful smile at their mother, who offered her a conspiratorial wink in response.
Cheryl had always been one of her favorite people, but right now, she could just kiss her.
“Okay, children, squish in closer so I can get you all in the picture.” Mrs. Prince eyed both her sons. “And no pinching!”
On either side of her, the Prince boys groaned in unison, sounding so much alike that she almost laughed. Well played, Cheryl.
But instead of taking the shot, the older woman raised her gaze to look behind them. “You too, dear! Don’t be shy. You’re part of the family now.”
“Um, okay, I’ll just . . .” Noah’s tiny fiancée attempted to squeeze into the group as unobtrusively as possible, stepping in next to Noah. “Sorry. Okay. Is this good?”
Cheryl studied them and shook her head.
“No, no. It doesn’t look right with you way over on the end like that. Let’s get the girls in the center together.”
Sabrina slid past Noah to stand next to Vicky, making her feel like an Amazon. The smaller woman smiled up at her as they pressed in together. “Sorry. Hi.” She laughed nervously. She leaned over, and added in a whisper, “So, is it just me, or do I look like one of the munchkins here with you all?”
Sabrina was trying to be friendly, and Vicky wanted to respond in kind. She did. This evening couldn’t be all that comfortable for Sabrina either. But Vicky had her own problems to worry about, so all she managed was a tight smile.
“Hold still!” Cheryl’s flash went off, nearly blinding them. “There!”
Warren now wandered in blissfully oblivious, presumably having been working in his study until the last second.
“Ah, good. Everyone’s here. Let’s eat!”
* * *
They were halfway through the main course, and his dad had failed to acknowledge his presence, which, frankly, was just fine by Ryder. His mom was mostly busy fussing over her daughter-in-law to be.
But even though this was the first family dinner he had attended in years—and admittedly, he had missed Armand’s cooking—Ryder was mainly concerned about Vic.
She was trying to make out like none of this bothered her, but clearly it did.
Did she still have feelings for Noah? Was that it? He didn’t think so. It was more like she was just painfully uncomfortable being there. Who the hell could blame her?
They did seem to be trying to make her feel welcome, but he of all people knew what it was like to endure a forced evening in this house, acutely aware that you didn’t really belong.
He could only imagine how hard this was for Vic, not only having to sit here and pretend she was involved with the likes of him—that had to be a joy—but also to celebrate Noah’s happiness, even though it had come at her expense.
Deep down, he knew it wasn’t Noah’s fault. Well, it was because the idiot had gone after her in the first place. But they’d never been right. Ryder had known that from the start. Vic had always been passionate and strong-willed, even if she hid it under a layer of propriety. Way too much for his poor sweet, perfect little brother.
It was good for all involved they were no longer together. But he still wanted to punch the guy in the face for breaking Vic’s heart.
“So”—Noah eyed him suspiciously three bites into the beef Wellington—“when did you say you two got together?”
