Bella nodded. ‘Yep. Roger was his dad.’
A kaleidoscope of butterflies launched inside Sienna. When she thought of Roger Prendergast, she instantly visualised kind eyes and a ready smile. The idea of getting payback on his son made her insides lurch a little. But then she remembered the hell Olly had put Bella through and strengthened her spine.
Paige denied any stalkerish obsession with the late actor and Bella sent word back to Olly. A moment later, with eyes that were round like saucers, Bella gulped. ‘He says fine.’
Paige glanced from one woman to the next, a smile twitching the corners of her lips and Siennafeltit. A connection, a shared sense of purpose and finally, the hint of fun and mischief. God knew she needed that. ‘Okay then. Looks like I’m off to Cornwall.’
Sienna wasn’t going to let the moment pass without celebration. She let out a whoop and got the attention of a passing waiter, holding up four fingers and calling for more prosecco. When it arrived, Astrid grinned, holding hers aloft. ‘To just desserts.’
To just desserts indeed…
1
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
‘Okay, I’ve been thinking.’ Astrid, a hand pressed to her slightly rounded, five-months-pregnant stomach, was the picture of pre-marital bliss, all gorgeous and dewy skinned, hair glossy, cheeks flushed with an overall sense of life-delirium. Even half a continent away, through the pixels of a group video chat, she freakingglowedlike a bulb.
‘We’vebeen thinking,’ Bella interrupted with a wink.
Paige nodded solicitously, so in the space of a few seconds, Sienna had a sinking sensation that she was on the receiving end of a very well-intentioned good ol’ fashioned gang-up.
‘Yeah?’ she asked, eyes lifting to the clock above the door. It was almost five. ‘Well, spill it quickly, ’cause my shift starts in thirty and I still need to shower.’
‘We think you should get your own revenge,’ Paige blurted.
Sienna’s brows furrowed. ‘You know I’m working on that. Harvey the Horrible is well and truly in my sights, believe me.’ It was true. She’d been digging. Planning, for months. The problem was, someone like Harvey was almost God-like in Silicon Valley circles. She wasn’t sure she had any actual way to get to him, even if she could formulate a perfect revenge plan. But no way was she going to break that to Paige. Or Olly, come to think of it, who’d started a separate side chat with Sienna, to help brainstorm ideas for revenge.
Paige’s eyes softened with something like gratitude. ‘I know.’
‘I mean it. I’m going to get him.’ If only she could work out how. This guy was like some kind of digital fortress. Or royalty. Even gaining access to him was almost impossible, but Sienna was determined not to fail. The rat bastard deserved whatever comeuppance Sienna could dish out.
‘Anyway,’ Paige said. ‘That’s not what we mean.’
‘No?’
‘Nope.’ Astrid shook her head.
Sienna’s brows lifted. ‘Then what?’
‘In precisely two weeks, you’ll be at the wedding.’ The wedding of Astrid – who just happened to have fallen head over heels for Blake, AKA Aiden Carter’s twin brother – was highlighted on her calendar in big red ink. Not just because she was a bridesmaid and bestie, but because she knew the moment she’d been dreading since Astrid and Blake found their HEA was almost upon her.
She’d have to come face to face with Aiden again. There was no avoiding it.
Sienna blinked. ‘And?’
‘Annnnnd,’ Bella cut in, her clipped socialite accent ever so slightly impatient. ‘So will Aiden.’
‘Aiden, who broke your heart, Aiden,’ Paige said helpfully.
‘Thank you for that reminder.’ Sienna shook her head, blonde hair flipping softly around her, but one side of her lips lifted with easy affection.
‘And we think you should get your own payback.OnAiden.’
‘Come on, you guys,’ Sienna said, rolling her eyes. ‘Don’t you think he’ll work out what’s going on?’
‘How could he? He has no idea about this.’ Bella did a little circle with her fingers, indicating the Karma Club.
Sienna glanced at Astrid, who nodded her confirmation. She knew Astrid had told Blake everything about theirStrangers on a Train-style plan for romantic retributions, and that Blake and Astrid had agreed there was no point dredging any of it up to Aiden, that instead they’d simply brushed over Sienna and Astrid being friends as one of life’s uncanny coincidences. He knew they’d met at an airport, months before Astrid had met Blake, and for the sake of protecting Sienna, they’d told a white lie: that Astrid hadn’t known anything about Sienna’s connection to Aiden and Blake until Astrid had gone to Ashbury Falls to meet the twins’ father. It was a fudging of the truth, and the only way Astrid had been able to protect Sienna from Aiden knowing the truth about how much his rejection still hurt.
