Prologue
Audrey
What am I doing here?
It wasn’t the first time such a thought had popped into her mind while at one of her parents’ parties, but it was the first time she felt like she might actually do something about it.Her fingers tightened around the champagne flute she was holding as she kept the smile plastered on her lips.At least the champagne was good.
Of course, it was.Her mother would accept nothing less at one of her parties.
The ultimate hostess.That was her mom.Or at least what her mom aspired to be among their social set.Audrey eyed the dessert table across the room.None of the women was venturing near it.If she dared to, she would have to listen to some targeted comment about her weight.Either a direct one from her mother or an underhanded one from someone else, about how ‘brave’ she was to eat sugar.
At least her boyfriend, Cash, was smart enough not to make a comment, not after that one time.Audrey didn’t lose her temper often, but that had been their first and only fight.
The men didn’t have that problem.They got to eat as much as they wanted at these things, regardless of their size.
Audrey just wanted to know if the little bite-sized delectables were good or not.If they were, she might have a few questions for the caterer… but how to get to them without notice?
Easing her way to the side of the room, smiling and nodding, she slowly crept closer to the dessert table.Profiteroles, petit fours, macarons, and something she thought might be a stickless version of a cake pop.If it was, she was curious and also amused that the caterer had gotten any kind of cake pop past her mother.
Cake pops were not up to Francie Bower’s standards.
Not much was.
“Hey, Audrey.”
Audrey turned, trying not to feel guilty.She hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.Yet.She hadn’t even gotten to the dessert table.
Beside her was the rebel of their social set.Lorelei was Cash’s older sister and Audrey’s favorite of his family.Unlike Cash and his younger sister Emily, Lorelei didn’t toe the family line.She rarely showed up at these events, and when she did, she had a tendency to drink too much, talk and laugh too loudly, and call the old men out when they said something misogynistic.The older generation shuddered to see her coming.
“Hi, Lorelei, I didn’t know you were here.”Audrey felt her smile relax into a more natural one.Lorelei could be very judgmental of the people around them, but she’d always been nice to Audrey.Often, Audrey had the thought that Lorelei and Audrey’s brother, David, would get along well.Neither of them fit in with their parents’ plans and social maneuvering.Of course, David had moved away from their parents and this whole social scene and had a new girlfriend he seemed to be enamored of.Lately, Audrey had been envying him more and more.
“Yeah, well.”Lorelei huffed, looking around and flipping her dark hair over her shoulder.She looked uncomfortable in the conservatively cut dress she was wearing.Whenever Audrey had seen her casually, she tended toward ripped jeans and vintage t-shirts.If she dressed up, it was in more of a pin-up style.In fact, she’d been the one to show Audrey how to do her hair and makeup that way when Audrey had wanted to try it.“Your mom always throws a good party.But what happened to the crab puffs?”
“Mom switched caterers.”
“Damn.The crab puffs were good.”
“I can give you the caterer’s contact information if you want,” Audrey offered.
“Sadly, I don’t think I’ll have an occasion to use a caterer anytime soon,” Lorelei said dryly.
“I can ask her for the recipe.”
Lorelei’s expression lit up.“Yes, please.”She hesitated, the light in her hazel eyes dimming.“If you still want to pass it on to me after this.”
“After what?”
“You should go to the coat closet.Well, I don’t know if ‘should’ is the right word.But I know that if it was me, I would want to know.If you don’t want to know, or if you already know and you’re fine with it, then don’t go.”
“Know what?”Audrey’s confused question was asked to no one, though, because Lorelei had already turned and darted off through the crowd.
An unhappy, sick feeling started to rise in Audrey’s stomach.
Because she did know.At least, she’d suspected.But she hadn’tknown.Hadn’t had proof.She hadn’t gone looking for it because it was going to throw everything into upheaval.
Her stomach twisted.
Audrey didn’t want to go look.She didn’t want to know.She didn’t want to think about what she would have to do once sheknew.
