“He’s been missing for days.”
“That’s not…” Tears start collecting in my eyes. “No, he can’t be missing. It’s the rehearsal dinner tonight, and I sent him a calendar invite.”
“I can find you another date if you want.” Grayson sounds distracted. “I searched the penthouse—he’s not here. He’s not at the mountain house. We don’t know where he went. We can’t find him.”
He sighs heavily.
“I was half hoping he ran off with you, but then I found his phone.” He looks concerned. “He’s never done this before, but ever since he met you, he’s been like a different person.”
I slump against the kitchen counter. “This is all my fault.” I slide down onto the floor.
“He never should have snatched you off the street,” Grayson says quietly. He looks tired.
“He didn’t want to stay with me. He tried to get rid of me—you were there. I pushed him. He tried to warn me,” I babble. “It’s just… he said he loved me, but obviously under normal circumstances, that never would have happened. Like, he would never have seen me on the street and decided he was in love.” The tears come then.
Grayson probably doesn’t want me crying over his brother. They’ve known each other for—what? Thirty years? They’re family. I’m just the girl who ruined his life.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you ruined his life,” Grayson says gently.
“You said he was different,” I choke out.
“Different doesn’t mean bad.” Grayson pats my shoulder awkwardly. “I have to leave… Finn thinks he has a photo of him at a toll booth in Pennsylvania.”
There’s a long pause.
Right. He needs to lock up after me.
“Can you please text me or something if you find him?” I ask him. “I… I’m really worried.”
“Yes. Me too.”
“Dani, watch out!”
I catch the punch bowl before I can knock it to the floor.
“Sorry, Colette.”
She glares at me.
She’s wearing cropped white trousers, impossibly tall silver heels, and a long sheer overdress with lace flowers along the train. She looks chic and bridal, especially with the blowout and flanked by the Girl Squad all in dove-gray jumpsuits and heels.
I don’t look like anything.
Even the waiters buzzing around the cocktail hour in their crisp black uniforms look more put-together than me, the sister of the groom.
“God, you’d think after everything you did to me, you’d at least try to make sure I have a nice rehearsal dinner,” Colette snaps. “Honestly, people keep whispering whenever I walk by.It’s embarrassing. You humiliated me on national television. You set me up on purpose,” Colette says accusingly. “I know you did it on purpose, too, because you’re jealous. You always wanted to be me, and I was nice—I let you be my friend.”
“Youhumiliatedme?” I choke out.
“It’s funny, though.” Colette tosses her perfect blowout. “Karma gets you in the end.”
“My mom heard from your mom that Graham dumped you,” Nora adds.
Maya smirks. “You’re lucky that Colette’s already in a relationship, too, because it’s so obvious that Graham would have come running to her after having to subject himself to you.”
“I’m surprised he lasted this long,” Greta adds.
“Can you imagine if he’d married you?” Colette throws her head back and laughs.
