Holy mother of God.
“Well, Carolina’s fingers are much more slender than my mom’s were,” Rand chuckles. “We have to get the family heirloom ring sized for it to fit. They said it’d take, what? Five days?”
Rand is looking at me for an answer. I’m staring at him with my mouth hanging open.
“Did I hear Carolina Saber is engaged?”
Craptastic. Could this get any more awkward?
I turn to see Abigail Wilkie standing behind me. Time has not been kind to my former friend. Her black hair is now gray. Wrinkles surround her brown eyes. And I swear, she’s shrunk.
“Hey, Abigail,” I wave with my free hand. “This is my fiancé Rand Kestrel.”
Abigail, always our high school’s biggest flirt, comes in for a Rand hug. “Oh, my goodness! You are a tall drink of hot water! Carolina and I were the best of friends in high school. I even introduced her to…”
“Lina,” the voice sends chills down my spine. I tighten my hold on Rand’s hand and look longingly at the departing Tesla. I wore jeans and a v-neck shirt today, which meant loafers that could double as running shoes. I appreciate Rand being here and throwing himself on the grenade that is my high school life. But I’m about to leave his ass at the valet stand. I will run away and never look back. I calculate how fast I could escape from the shit show that’s about to get shittier.
“Puffin? Who’s this?” Rand whispers in my ear, then lightly kisses my neck.
I shudder and can’t decide if it’s from the kiss or…
“Dash Malum,” the 6’4” blond-haired, blue-eyed devil introduces himself. “Lina and I used to date in high school.”
“Lina? You mean CARO-lina?” Rand tilts his head at the worst man on the planet. “Hmm. She’s never mentioned you.”
Dash is incensed. He believes he’s unforgettable. Everyone should remember him - the golden boy next door. Women want to be with him. Mothers hope their daughters end up with him. But if they only knew that his fool’s gold facade hid the heart of a monster.
I hear Rand suck in a breath as my nails dig into his arm. I take a deep breath to even out my heart rate.
I smile sweetly at Dash. He’s frowning at me, and it’s then I notice scratches on his cheek. I point them out.
“My new girlfriend is a bit of a,” Dash pauses with a smarmy wink at Rand. “Wildcat.”
“Wow, I didn’t realize they started making blow-up dolls with fingernails,” Rand chuckles.
Ivory glares at him. “How rude!”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you. It was just a huge bonus,” Rand winks at her.
The panic attack that threatened moments earlier dissipates quicker than a D.C. rainstorm. I smile at my Imaginary Fiancé. “Well, this has been educational. But we must check into the hotel. I’m afraid my fiancé has been insatiable since we got engaged.”
With that, I head toward the check-in desk. Thankfully, Rand was still attached to my hand.
“What the hell, Rand?” I hiss at him when we’re out of earshot.
He yanks me to a stop. “I was trying to help. I thought you appreciated the backup!”
“Well, you’ve done it now,” I complain. “We can’t have separate rooms without raising a bunch of eyebrows.”
Rand smirks. “About that. I already took care of it.”
I glare at him. “What?”
“You’ll see.”
We approach the check-in desk.
“Welcome to the Don CeSar Resort,” a young woman, wearing a gray blazer, smiles from the desk. “Are you here for the reunion? Do you have a reservation?”
