“What?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
I stare at Ben. “But that’s in a week!”
“She claims she learned everything she needs to know from you. George told me you gave her a quick lesson?”
“I did. But I have no idea why she’d enter the contest. She’s already called the heroine of Darcy so I guess that means she can pretty much do whatever the hell she wants in this town.”
Ginny mercifully calls to me. “Let’s go eat with Ginny,” I say to Ben as I head toward her.
* * *
This has got to be the longest party in creation. I’m hot and cranky and ready for it to end. Blake managed to extract a promise out of me that I’d go tubing with him, Logan, and Gigi tomorrow. I only agreed because Ginny sounded so excited, and she said Dave would join us also. Those two need as much relaxing time together as possible before their wedding, and I’ll support them as best I can.
So I said yes, and then I tried to leave the party. But the darn gift-giving started, and I knew it would be awkward if I was caught walking out in the middle. Gigi’s mother requested that a small platform stage be set up by the edge of the lake, so the famous, engaged couple is a good two feet above the rest of us mortals. And cameras are everywhere.
I stand in the back of the crowd with Mama and Daddy, hoping Logan will open my gift early on, yell out a thank you, and I can be on my way.
Daddy turns and catches my eye. His eyes are clear, so I know he’s sober, but he keeps fidgeting.
“So Gigi’s mother is married?” he asks me in a low voice.
“Daddy! She’s married to Gigi’s father.” I give him a stern look. “I thought you only flirted with other women when you were drinking.”
“True,” he says, his gaze shifting to the ground between us. “I just…she looks familiar.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ve never met her before,” I say. “She lives in New York City and has never been to Texas.”
“Never?”
“No.” I pause to think. “I mean, her husband’s obviously been to West Texas because he was there with Gigi. And he’s from Texas originally. So I suppose there’s a chance his wife could have gone on one of his business trips with him.”
Daddy looks up, and his face pales. “You don’t say.”
“Daddy, what are you…”
Gigi’s loud cry interrupts us.
“Open my present,” she instructs Logan before she whispers something in his ear and giggles.
Logan searches through the presents until he finds Gigi’s gift.
Before he can open it, Gigi grabs the gift out of his hands and hides it behind her back.
“Logan’s fiancée sure likes the attention, doesn’t she?” Mama comments.
“Mama, hush.”
My mother just cannot whisper.
Logan reaches out to grab the present back from Gigi. She takes off across the stage running, and he follows her. The cameramen are having a field day with their antics.
“Oh, my gosh,” I say to Daddy. “Let it end already.”
“It will, darlin’.” He pats my shoulder. “It will.”
Gigi tosses the wrapped box to one of her sisters in the front row, but Miranda’s not ready for it, and it hits her in the arm. Logan jumps off the stage and with his apologies to Miranda, picks the box up from the ground and jumps back up on the platform, opening it as he goes.
