“You sent Tripp to come get me. You sent an enemy into friendly territory. Why would you do that?”
“Oh, come on. Clearly it wasn’t all bad. The way you guys have been looking at each other?—”
Wendy cut Serenity off with a startled grunt of surprise. “What? We’re not looking at each other any differently than we usually do. Any sort of camaraderie you’ve witnessed between us is strictly for your benefit.”
“Yeah right,” Hallie joined in. “You can’t fake something like that. Well, maybeyoucan, but Tripp…” She exchanged a knowing look with Serenity.
They didn’t give Wendy a chance to ask what Hallie meant by that statement. Serenity popped her hip out and placed her hand there. “Okay, I’ll humor you. If this is some agreement so you don’t ruin the wedding festivities, then what’s next?”
“What do you mean, what’s next? We’ll tough it out for the wedding then go our separate ways.”
Hallie chuckled but she didn’t comment.
“You sure about that?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Wendy could feel the heat rising to her face. She should have known better than to believe her bestfriends wouldn’t notice she was actually getting along with Tripp. Ugh. She shouldn’t have allowed him to sucker her into a dance. They’d spent far too much time in each other’s company this evening.
As if against her will, she glanced in Tripp’s direction. She didn’t know why a sudden pang of jealousy chose that moment to rear its ugly head. Nor did she know why she expected anything less from Tripp.
There he was, standing by another woman. She was gorgeous, dressed in a red dress that was probably a little too short for a party like this one. Her lips and her shoes matched the dress, and her honey blonde hair was pulled up into a flawless updo. She was everything Wendy wasn’t, so of course Tripp had gravitated toward her.
Wendy swallowed down the sharp tang of disgust in her throat and turned back to her friends. “See? He’s not interested and neither am I. He’s over there hitting on whoever that woman is.”
Both women set their attention on the couple. Hallie frowned. Serenity cocked her head as if confused. But neither one of them argued with Wendy’s description of the scene. Tripp would forever be a lady’s man. He’d forever chase the next beautiful creature in a skirt, shallow as he was.
She’d known this from the start.
So why did her assessment feel so wrong? Because of a couple deep conversations? Ha. That was laughable. A zebra didn’t change its stripes just because it had the ability to fit in with the horses.
They’d had a nice evening leading up to this point but that was all it was. Now that they’d parted ways, she’d steer clear of him.
“Anyway, are you excited?”
Serenity didn’t immediately turn to her, still staring at Tripp and that woman. Then she startled and met Wendy’s eyes. “Hmm?”
“The wedding. It’s in two days. You excited? I know you were married before, but…” She attempted a smile that she prayed made her look thrilled for her friend. Because she was. Wendy was so happy that Serenity had found someone to love after losing her first husband. The twinge of disappointment she felt was personal and never to be brought to light.
Her friend nodded, her eyes shining as they found her fiancé in the crowd. “I’m very excited. This week has been a dream come true and I’m so ready for our future.”
“That’s great.”
“And what about you?”
Wendy scoffed. “What about me? Nothing’s changed in my life. I’m still… just Wendy.”
Serenity rolled her eyes.
“I think what she’s trying to ask is what’s next for you?” Hallie jumped in.
Nothing. There was nothing that Wendy was running toward. The book she wanted to write had been put on hold until she could get past whatever it was that blocked her. Work was the only thing that filled her days. She wasn’t interested in seeking out a relationship that would inevitably end when they realized she’d prefer to stay at home and watch movies. This crazy wedding extravaganza week had led to the most time Wendy had spent out of her apartment in months.
Sure, it had been nice to get out, but now she was suddenly feeling drained.
“What about that book?—”
Wendy stifled a groan,
but it was too late.
