“I’m fucked.” Julianna’s face is suddenly in front of mine, blocking the view of said brother. Her long, silky, maroon dress hugs her curves, and it has a long slit driven up the length of her leg.
“Julianna always knows how to make an entrance,” Charleigh mutters jokingly from the corner of her mouth, but Julianna doesn’t find it amusing.
Asher and West are no longer standing in our circle. They must have left while I was distracted by Holt.
“What do you mean, you’re fucked?” London asks.
Julianna presses her hand to her forehead and quickly looks at each of us. “One of the women that was supposed to be up for the auction got sick in the bathroom. Literally vomit everywhere.”
The three of us scrunch our noses in disgust.
“I hope she’s okay,” I tell Julianna. I can’t fight the urge to see if Holt is still behind her by tilting my head.
He’s gone.
“I do, too,” Julianna sympathizes. “We have EMTs here, so they’re tending to her now, but this means I’m short an auction participant.”
“Can’t you just continue the auction without her?” I ask. “I’m sure you’ll still get a considerable amount of donations.”
Julianna looks around, as though scanning the room before snapping her mouth shut. She wrings her hands in front of her.I’ve never seen her like this before: unsure, anxious, fearful, even.
“Jules…” Charleigh senses her uncertainty, pressing a reassuring hand to her arm. “What’s going on?”
She sighs. “I can’t really go into the details right now, but major news broke out about Holt and the magazine being sued for an article that was published anonymously.”
Charleigh lifts her hand to her mouth, and London’s jaw drops. The blood drains from my face, and without another thought, I’m searching for Holt again. The attendees have filled the room, and at this point it’ll be impossible to find him from where we’re standing. But now that I’m taking a moment to look around, I notice a few more hushed conversations happening around us, everyone cautiously looking at our group circle, their mouths barely moving to hide their whispers.
“His publicist told him to remain out of the spotlight tonight, which is fine, but I know if anyone gets even the slightest hint that the auction is falling apart, the media will be all over it and it’ll make this shit worse.” She chews on her bottom lip.
“What do you need us to do?” Charleigh asks.
Julianna’s face turns hopeful. “Can one of you fill in for her?”
The three of us stay silent. Too long. Excruciatingly long.
“Come on.” Julianna clasps her hands together. “Please.”
“Can’tyoujust fill in for her?” Charleigh asks.
Julianna worries her lip again. “I’m the organizer. Plus, I think if I were to go up there, it would only add more fuel to the fire that’s blazing about Scribe and this lawsuit. I’m too close to the gossip. I need someone else.” She swallows nervously. “Charleigh?”
Charleigh scoffs. “You know I can’t,Jules. Could you imagine someone bidding on me for a date? Asher would kill the poor innocent soul.”
Julianna turns to London and me.
London holds her hands up, laughing in disbelief. “West wouldn’t even let the man draw another breath if he tried. Remember how Club Verona turned out?”
My stomach flips. I do remember that night, even though it led to West and London confessing their true feelings for one another.
My mouth spreads into a ghost of a smile. I may not trust love, but I love that my sister does. I’m glad both she and Charleigh found love.
Julianna hasn’t found that kind of love, and for months I remember her paddling deep into the dating pool. It seemed every few weeks she was introducing us to someone new. But she’s apparently swam back to shore for now, too preoccupied with work and dampening family scandals.
“Selene?” Julianna’s voice strains as it passes her lips.
All three women are staring at me with bated breath. The air is tense, and suddenly, I’m wishing I could fade into the background like I usually do.
“What?”
