“I need to be in on all this drama.” Thea puts her hand on her chest. “I, for once, will not be causing the family drama.”
“I’ll be there,” I say and stuff away the dismay that I might not get Campbell alone like I thought. We’re so close, and she’ll have too much family there. But my gaze collides with hers, so she knows that I won’t just be hoping for sex. “Team Campbell.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Campbell
I’m standing in the pavilion with a sister flanking me on each side and Thea circling us like a bulldog. January called Jamison and invited her to the luncheon. She practically begged her.
Mom’s avoiding her sister-in-law. Every time the woman comes close, Mom unapologetically darts in a different direction. Mom’s taken to standing by me, since my aunt keeps a wide berth around me.
I love my family.
For the millionth time, I peek over my shoulder at the handsome bartender mixing a cocktail for one of January’s childhood friends. The woman’s flirting with him, but his expression is impassive as he rattles the metal shaker. As if he senses my attention on him, his gaze slides over. Like every other time, he gets the barest hint of a smile. The girl across from him probably can’t tell. But I know, just like I know it’s for me.
He’s been making me feel like the sexiest woman alive. I’m in a subdued gray dress with white trim, sandals, and my sunglasses perched on my head. I’m not a guest. Avery and Thea are dressed like they’re going to the derby, minus a fascinator, although Thea’s cowboy hat could almost count as one. Avery’s taller than me and Jamison, her wedge sandals boosting her even higher, and her linen baby-pink romper shows off her tan and her highlighted hair.
Thea always shocks me with the way she can style her hair to make her cheekbones and eyes intimidating. Maybe I should cut my hair short. Wear a power romper. Then maybe I would tell off someone who screws me over instead of absorbing all the blame because that’s what I’ve always done.
Jamison pushes at her boobs. She’s wearing a maternity dress she had for Kacey and flip-flops. She’s dressed for comfort and gives zero fucks. “I can’t believe how fast these things fill up.”
Iverson’s at my parents’ house with Tavis. It’s not a long drive, and if he needs to bring my nephew here for some food, Jamison can ditch this show and nurse in the lodge. So far, she’s sticking it out.
Staff dressed in black polo shirts and black jeans bustle into the pavilion with wagons of food they wheeled from the lodge. Chef is probably in his element, but stressed at serving so many people so far from the kitchen.
I glance at the sky. It’s beautiful outside. No chance of rain. The logistics would’ve been hell with a thunderstorm, but it’s not fair that cloudless skies and perfect June temperatures are forecasted for the next several days of wedding festivities.
So far, the couple’s time at the Hawthorne Ranch couldn’t have gone smoother. I’m the only wrench in their plans, and that’s self-inflicted. I can’t be blamed for that without them seeming like the villains they are.
“I’m going to make you sit.” Mom cups Jamison’s elbow and glances at me, Avery, and Thea. “You guys coming or are you going to chat for a while?”
Thea dips her head. “I’ll come with you. We got dibs on the table in the back, right?”
“It’s our assigned spot.” January’s family is supposed to be up front. Sydney hasn’t arrived yet, but that sister drama isn’t mine. Other than my aunt and some cousins from her mom’s side, January has no other family with her.
Avery and Thea exchange a look.
Thea shoves a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m gonna go sit.”
I’m alone with Avery. Warning prickles over my skin just as Avery crosses her arms.
“You and Durban?” she barely asks as a question.
I stiffen and hug my tablet to me. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean the way he undresses you every time he lays eyes on you. Or how you blush when you two exchange a look that would give Mom a heart attack. I bet if I check him out right now, he’ll be focused on your ass.”
“There’s nothing going on.”
She stuffs her hands in her pockets and casually turns around, putting her back to everyone else. Her gaze lifts to Durban for a second. “Yep. You’ve never been able to lie well.” I scowl at her, but she only shrugs. “I can ask him.”
“Stop it,” I hiss. I’ve lost this game before it evenstarted. Avery’s cunning and observant, and she won’t drop something when she thinks she’s right. “We’re just using each other, okay?”
Her eyes go cold. “He’s using you?”
There are times I appreciate her older-sister protectiveness, but not today. “We’re using each other. I’ve been so wound up with this whole month-long wedding celebration, and he just got out of a long relationship.”
“And you two are in a situationship of your own?”
