Whatever tasks Creighton has sent his son in pursuit of, they’re obviously taking a lot longer than expected. The text sayshe’ll catch up with me at breakfast… or before class if he runs even later.
Left to my own devices, I shower, get into the clothes he left for me, then nosey about his room.
The keys on the table spark my memory. With the few brain cells I had operating last night, I’d left the room then couldn’t get back inside. Lachlan explained… something? They belonged to someone else.
Kari seems a logical bet.
I briefly consider stashing them somewhere impossible to find, then fight back against the urge. When Lachlan doesn’t turn up, I go to breakfast by myself, hoping to see him there.
No such luck.
“Hey, George,” Greta calls out, patting the empty seat next to her.
I slide into it with a grateful smile, then bite back a groan as I see who’s opposite me. “Morning, Kari.”
She barely flicks me a glance. Despite her customary perfection, she seems a bit down. I wonder if that’s because I’m here.
“You should thank me, you know,” she says out of the blue, eyes so unfocused I take a second to work out that yes, she’s talking to me.
“Thank you for what?”
“If I hadn’t stood Lachlan up that night, you wouldn’t ever have met.”
I shrug, unsure where this is going. “I guess, although he was standing in my kitchen at the time you called, so maybe not.”
“He was what?” Greta asks, her interest piqued.
“Stop eavesdropping,” Kari says, baring her teeth. “It’s not polite.”
Issy rescues her friend, calling her away to another tablebefore whatever infected Kari’s mood has the chance to spread. I’m already in its clutches, so it’s too late for me.
“You won’t win. I don’t know what lies he’s spinning to you, but there’s absolutely no chance our parents are going to change their minds. Come near him once we’re married, and I’ll have my father or brother kill you.”
Her voice is mild but judging from the harshness of her gaze, the threat is real. The room closes in on me, sweat beads along my temples. My hands clutch each other for comfort in my lap and I stare at the edge of the table, scared to meet her gaze. It’s nothing I don’t know but coming out of her mouth now, it feels far more real.
It hurts.
When Lachlan’s beside me, I can pretend that everything’s okay. The moment he leaves, I know it’s not. Our relationship is impossible. A couple of carved lines on our chests won’t change that. It’ll just be an anecdote for him to tell his future children about a girl he knew once upon a time but hasn’t seen in years.
If Kari carries through, that’ll be because I’m long dead.
“Oh, what?” she says with a vicious snarl. “You gonna cry?”
Probably. It’s my number one reaction to most news, good or bad. But a kernel of steel extends along my spine, pushing back against the reaction. “I’m not the one whose future husband wants another woman. Why would I cry?”
Greta sends me a startled glance, obviously not having learned her lesson. Kari’s hand clutches her fork so tightly I can only imagine she’s planning where to stab it into me.
“I don’t have any argument with you,” I continue softly. “My dad’s an absolute shit sometimes but he’s never dictated who I can and can’t be friends with, let alone who I can and can’t marry. It must be awful but it’s not my fault.”
“I told you to stay away.”
“And I did.” My voice comes out louder than expected, drawing a few curious glances and I duck my head. “I tried staying away, but it didn’t change anything.”
“He doesn’t even want you,” Kari continues like I haven’t replied. “You’re nothing more than a symbol of his fight against Creighton. You should fall onto your knees and thank me for not stepping aside, because the moment he’s free to date you, Lock will lose all interest. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t even know your name. If it weren’t for me, you’d just be some poor girl whose dad owed him money.”
The jibe hits home, landing a strike because it’s true. If Kari hadn’t cancelled, Lachlan would have gone on his way, leaving me and my dad to collect the wreckage of our lives and flee to the next town.
And the next.
