1
Meghan
“Icannotbelievehe brought her here,” I hissed.
“He does have terrible taste in women,” Susie agreed. “Except you, of course.”
“Guests of guests don’t bring guests,” I said, scowling.
Susie reached over and jabbed me in the forehead. “You’re going to be sad when you get wrinkles. Besides, she’s a plus-one,” Susie drawled as the fit, toned young woman clutched at Hunter’s suit sleeve, giggling loudly over the chatter of the crowd.
We were throwing an eightieth birthday party for my great-uncle Barry at the Harrogate city hall. In addition to a large portion of the town, the Svensson brothers were in attendance. They were all tall, blond, and entitled, and Hunter, with his toy girlfriend, was the worst.
“I need a snack.”
“You need a drink,” Susie corrected.
I tried to concentrate on the delicious food my younger sister Hazel was serving: deep-fried squash blossoms, grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches on bread she had baked herself, and cheddar, bacon, and potato soup. Though tasty, it wasn’t enough to make me forget about how smug Hunter looked with his new girlfriend.
“I thought you were over him anyway,” Susie reminded me as we loaded our plates. “Youbothagreed to mutually move on.”
“Yeah, but not like that,” I seethed.
Over the past few months, Hunter had paraded svelte, ditzy models and bosomy young actresses through Harrogate.
“He’s doing it on purpose,” I said, angrily eating a lobster puff.
“Yeah, but you totally hate him,” Susie reminded me.
“I do,” I agreed around the food. “I despise him. Look at him. He ruined my life, yet now he’s over there with some Instagram thot, and the best I’m able to date is Chance, who has all those feral rabbits living in his apartment.”
“Are you still going out with him?” Susie asked apprehensively.
“No. His chunky rabbit gave birth in my purse, then I had to fight with her when she tried to eat the babies.”
“Lord have mercy.” Susie snorted, then went over to talk to a fellow police officer while I glared at the side of Hunter’s head.
As if he knew I was watching him, he turned. Gray eyes caught mine, then Hunter swaggered over to me. His date trotting next to him, not taking her eyes off the handsome billionaire, the smile huge and crazy on her face.
“I hope she slashes the tires on your expensive fancy fucking car,” I whispered.
“Now, Meg, voicing such violent thoughts is unbecoming of the deputy mayor of Harrogate.” A smile played around Hunter’s mouth.
“Oops, did I say that out loud?” I said flatly.
Hunter cocked an eyebrow. “You’re supposed to give my girlfriend a big small-town welcome.”
“Food’s back there—mind the feral cats in the parking lot—and you used to be able to buy sex toys from that lady over there, but one of her products almost killed a gal, and the company was sued into bankruptcy. But the giant vegetable festival is going to be in a few more months if you can hold on. I know Hunter has his charms, but nothing beats a big cucumber.” I stuffed two more lobster bites in my mouth.
Hunter scowled. His date was shocked.
“Fleur, this is Meg,” Hunter said. “She’s trying to block my big residential development. Meg, this is Fleur. She’s a fitness model.”
“I run a Pilates class!” Fleur told me brightly. “Online. You can sign up and pay, or I do a free one every Tuesday. We have a lot of heavier-set people in the class, so you should feel right at home!”
If I didn’t want to eat my cheddar, bacon, and potato soup, I would have drowned her in it.
“I also have a meal plan,” she continued.
