He scoffed. If Serenity only knew about his attempt to get Wendy to accept a truce, then she wouldn’t be suggesting that. Wendy was as stubborn as they came. He dragged a hand down his face, fully prepared to make another excuse, but Serenity’s words stopped him.
“Wendy doesn’t trust people easily. She’s quiet and reserved. On the outside she can put up a good front when she needs to, but it’s all surface-level. But the thing about Wendy is once you get past her defenses and she gives you that trust, then you’ll have her in your corner for good. Maybe you need to try another approach. If what you’re doing isn’t working…” She lifted a shoulder and tossed her fiancé a smile. “Then go at it from a different angle.”
“And how, pray tell, do you expect me to trust her when she clearly hates my guts?”
Serenity worried her lower lip. “I know it doesn’t sound fair, but maybe you should focus on killing her with kindness? No matter what she says or does to you?—”
“Or your truck,” Reese interjected with a smirk.
Serenity rolled her eyes. “No matter what she says or does, you should find a way to turn the tables on her. Surprise her by being the charming person I know you can be.”
An idea popped into Tripp’s head at her suggestion. Was he interested in befriending the woman who didn’t seem to have boundaries? Not really. But he was definitely into messing with her. What better way to make her turn into a paranoid mess than to fight her fire with a different sort of fire of his own? He could only imagine how Wendy would become a frayed ball of nerves, waiting for him to retaliate after all she did was tear him down. And that sort of mental warfare would totally be worth it.
“Tripp?” Serenity’s soft voice dragged him from his thoughts. He glanced at her then to Reese who didn’t look nearly as smug. He knew better than to think the slight tilt of Tripp’s lips was anything but sinister.
Clearing his throat, Tripp flashed Serenity a smile. “Kill her with kindness. Got it.” He nodded to them both. “Thanks for the chat.”
He hurried down the steps, ignoring Reese when he called out to him, his tone suspicious.
Tripp wouldn’t do anything inherentlybad. He simply wanted to get past Wendy’s defenses and make her wonder what he had up his sleeve.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Wendy stood beside Jane.Out of all the women here, she knew Jane the most—probably because she was Serenity’s sister. Jane had been kind and outgoing when they’d first met. It was no wonder people were drawn to her.
Currently, though, Jane didn’t seem the least bit thrilled about going on an overnight camp outing. Sure, they were only minutes away by horseback, but they were still expected to rough it for a night.
Jane uncrossed then crossed her arms before huffing. “Okay, even I have to admit this is a bit much.”
Wendy bit back a smile, cutting a glance in Jane’s direction as the guys loaded up horses and an ATV with a trailer. It looked like all the women would be staying in one tent while the men were in the other. “Not much of a camper, huh?” she murmured.
Jane huffed again. “I’m not against sleeping under the stars every once in a while…” The way she trailed off made it more than clear that might have been a true statement once upon a time, but now? Jane wasn’t interested. Maybe being marriedto one of the wealthiest men this side of the Mississippi had changed her even if it was a little bit. “What happened to going to Vegas or Hawaii?”
Hiding a smile behind her hand, Wendy shrugged. “I don’t know, but I would guess that Serenity and Reese are just happy with sharing their joy at home—with the people that matter most.” That, and they were probably being considerate of financial restraints. Wendy certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford leaving town.
Jane’s expression remained pinched, but she nodded. “Yeah, I can understand that I guess. There’s something nice about being part of this big family, you know?”
Wendy knew just how wonderful it was to have a large, close family. And not people who were related by blood. Some of her family back in Georgia were chosen family—friends who she would donate a kidney to without a second thought.
As if against her will, her focus slid to Tripp. It was really too bad that he was such a player. She couldn’t help but wonder if he treated his family like he treated the revolving door of women in his life. Olivia had told her about Tripp’s tastes when they’d been in college to which Wendy had warned her to be careful.
It didn’t help matters much to find out that Tripp was seen with another girl not even a week after he’d broken things off with Olivia.
If steam could have erupted from Wendy’s ears, it would have. She’d gone from enjoying Jane’s company to seething mad in less than five minutes. Her face felt hot and was likely flushed. She needed to breathe. Tripp might have hurt Olivia, but herbest friend was doing better now. She was married. Had one kid and another on the way.
Wendy knew Olivia well enough to know she wouldn’t want Wendy holding this grudge. At least that would be what she’d say out loud. Didn’t mean she meant it, though. Wendy had been there when Olivia had been broken hearted over that sorry excuse for a man. How he’d managed to make her fall in love with him was still beyond Wendy’s understanding.
An elbow dug into her side and Wendy jumped and looked over to find Jane giving her a strange look. There was a little concern, but more amusement in those eyes. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?”
Jane snickered. “Because you’re staring at Tripp like you want to bite his head off. I can tell you right now, he’s not as delicious as he looks.”
And now Wendy was blushing for an entirely different reason. “I’m not—he’s not—I hate him,” she finished lamely.
Jane full out laughed. “Really? That’s the story we’re going with here?”
“What?” Wendy demanded. “I do. He’s not a good guy.”
