Ruby lifted her eyebrows in question as she set the platter on her dresser and started spreading out blankets for them to sit on. Her cats, Simon and Oliver, hopped up, sniffing at the covered tray.
“I thought we might need extra wine to accompany all the gossip,” Elle said. “And also, Theo left for London this morning, so I figured I might as well have a few glasses while I panic about how I have to get married in front of the whole Langdon family at their fancy estate in England.”
Megan turned to her friend in surprise. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“It is, but it isn’t,” Elle said with a shrug, her shoulders stiff. “I mean, you know I’m totally in love with the idea of a fairytale wedding, but I just…I never quite feel like I fit in when I visit their estate. Everyone’s so proper and cultured. They’re all born and raised in the aristocracy, and I’m…not. Some of them look down their noses at me.”
“I’m sorry, Elle,” Ruby said, resting a hand on her arm. “That’s lousy.”
“It is,” Megan agreed.
“And then there’s Theo’s uncle George, who thinks he’s making a huge mistake by living here in America and never misses a chance to rub his nose in it.” By now, Elle had opened the first bottle of wine and was pouring glasses for each of them.
“Well, you can rub alltheirnoses in it when you become his wife,” Megan said, wrapping an arm around her friend. “And you’ll have us, and your dad, and lots of other friends and family there that day to support you.”
“Yeah,” Elle said with a smile, her shoulders relaxing. “That’s true. It’ll all feel so much better with you guys there beside me.”
“We’ve got your back, always.” Ruby joined in, and they held on to each other for a group hug.
“Thanks for the pep talk, ladies.” Elle swiped at her eyes. “I needed that.”
“Any time,” Megan told her. “That’s what we’re here for.”
“And also for gossip,” Ruby added as she raised her wineglass for a toast.
Megan and Elle leaned in to tap their glasses against hers.
“And what are we gossiping about tonight, exactly?” Megan asked.
“You and Jake,” Ruby told her. “We want all the details on what happened last night in the barn. Did you guys literally go for a roll in the hay or what?”
“No hay,” Megan said, swirling her wine gently, watching as it coated the glass in its ruby tint before sliding back into the bottom of the glass. “But there might have been a horse blanket involved…”
“Oh my God,” Elle said with a delighted grin.
“A lot of kissing and groping, but not much more than that,” Megan said. “I mean, we were there watching over Bug while she was sick, but I’m not sure we would have gone much farther anyway. He’s got a lot of emotional baggage from what happened with his wife.”
“And you’ve got some emotional baggage of your own,” Elle said as she uncovered the trays, and Ruby’s tower bedroom filled with the delicious scent of chicken marsala.
“What? I do not.” Megan reached for a plate and began serving herself. “I’ve been with more guys than the two of you combined. I enjoy sex, and I make no excuses for it.”
“Yeah,” Elle said gently. “And how many guys have you been with since the accident?”
Megan slid her plate onto her lap, keeping her gaze firmly on the chicken. “I’ve been focused on my photography.”
“Okay,” Elle said with a shrug, “but if and when you want to talk about it, we’re here.”
Megan had a sudden, vivid memory of the Fairy Tails Ball they’d hosted here at the castle just a week or so after the accident. She’d flown home to recuperate with her family, making the last-minute decision to come back for the party just a few hours before it began.
She’d been in so much pain, physical and emotional, and she’d felt like Frankenstein with the bandages and makeup on her face, hiding the stitches and bruising. Ruby and Elle had held her, laughed with her and cried with her, picked her up when she felt like hiding in her bedroom for the rest of her life rather than facing the world.
“I’m fine,” she insisted now. “Really.”
“So, are you and Jake exploring a relationship or what?” Elle asked.
“We’re having dinner tomorrow night to answer that question,” Megan said. “We were going to have dinner tonight, but Ruby suggested girls’ night, and I guess I used it as an excuse to postpone things.”
“No harm in that,” Elle said. “Besides, I think we all needed this tonight.”
