There’s nowhere to run or hide. I feel like a deer caught in headlights, facing an oncoming semi with no hope of escape.Just as they’re about to reach me, Ford appears out of nowhere. “Gina says she needs you. Something about a photo op?”
I smile and nod. “Thanks.”
“What kind of photo op?” Kenzie asks, her tone dripping with curiosity.
“Like I know. She might’ve said, but I’m a dude. Besides, my idea of good photography is not having my finger over the lens on my phone,” Ford replies, shrugging.
Kenzie sneers and flips her flattening hair over her shoulder. It never fails that she tries to curl it for any event that seems remotely dressy, yet her stick-straight hair refuses to hold a curl. Even the perm she attempted in ninth grade lasted only three days. Still, she persists, and it gives me a small sense of satisfaction to walk away knowing she looks a little disheveled.
Gina beams when I approach, but her smile quickly falters. “Why are Asher and Kenzie here?”
“I figured you invited them. Are they crashing?” I ask, almost amused.
“Obviously. Why would I invite them? I want this to be a happy occasion, not a horror flick.”
I laugh. “So what’s this photo op you want?”
“What?”
“Ford said you needed me.”
Her smirk is knowing, but she doesn’t elaborate. “I didn’t even know Ford was here. I think he might’ve saved you.”
Sneaky.
“I invited them,” Mom says, walking up and wrapping an arm around both of us. “I’m on the holiday committee with Dorothy, and the Andrews family has been intertwined with ours for years.”
“Yeah, because Harper was going to become one. Now she’s not. So there’s no need to include them anymore. Cut thecord, Mom. Just let them plummet to their death. Gory, bloody death.”
I can’t help but laugh as Mom stares at her, horrified. “Gina Marie!”
“She’s not entirely wrong, Mom. Why can’t we just keep our lives separate after our horrifically failed relationship? I don’t need him shoved in my face more than he already is,” I say.
“Sometimes, Harper, it’s better to fight with sugar than acid.”
“I don’t agree. If there were a cup of acid right on this table, I’d walk up and throw it at Kenzie.”
Mom shakes her head, small strands of gray hair slipping from her clip. “I can’t with you right now, Gina,” she mutters before walking away.
“You know what I find interesting?” Gina asks.
“That you can make Mom walk away in frustration at your own engagement party?”
She sticks her tongue out and shakes her strawberry-blonde head, laughing. “No, that’s too easy. I don’t even have to try anymore. It’s almost boring now. What’s interesting is how Asher’s best friend swoops in like a superhero to keep you from talking to your ex.”
I wave my hand dismissively. If he hadn’t been avoiding me for days, I might’ve considered it more, but I think he was just being kind. “I think he just feels sorry for me.”
Her gaze locks onto Ford as he steps away from Asher and Kenzie to grab a drink and lean against the wall. “Take that pity sex. He looks like he could give it better than Asher ever could.”
Mom gasps from behind us. We both turn to see her wide-eyed, hand over her mouth. “Gina Marie! You’re almost a married woman!”
“I’m not married yet,” she replies. “And that’s the truth. Just look at the two of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Asher’s smaller than Ford in more ways than just height.”
To my surprise, Mom taps a finger to her chin, tilting her head to study Ford before glancing back to Asher. “He does have remarkably large hands, doesn’t he?”
“Mom!” I gasp.
She shrugs. “It’s true. And they say that large hands mean—”
