Page 39 of The Marriage Mistake

“Ember doesn’t joke,” Darby said.

“Hey!”

“What! You’ve never told a joke since you’ve been here.”

“That’s not true.”

“You told me I was going to die of rabies.”

I clicked my tongue. “I did not. I said rabies had a hundred percent mortality rate after symptoms appear. There’s a difference.”

“Ladies,” Jack cut in. His fingers lifted off the steering wheel in a placating gesture. “Let’s just—focus on what’s important.”

There was a pause. Then, “Why would someone want a picture of your feet?”

“Darby,” Jack interjected, “that’s—um⁠—”

“He just really liked feet,” I provided, which wasn’t a lie.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” I said.

“As I was saying,” Jack said, giving me a meaningful glance. “We’ll just play it cool. We’ve known each other a week. We don’t need to do any grand declarations in front of the whole family. Got it?”

I reached into my purse and pulled out a scrap piece of paper. “I shouldn’t do my speech, then?”

The car jerked again, Jack’s eyes going wide. “No. No, definitely don’t do a speech, Ember.”

I flipped the paper around to show him a grocery list, then glanced in the back seat to arch my brows at Darby. “See? I joke.”

Her lips trembled with the force of holding back a smile, but all she did was roll her eyes to look out the window. I did the same, hiding the curve of my lips where no one could see it.

We drove onto Etta’s property to find a cluster of cars already parked outside the garages and on the patch of lawn beside them. Jack parked behind another company vehicle, and the three of us got out. I closed the passenger door and clutched my purse with both hands, taking in the estate where I’d first met Jack only six days ago.

The estate where we’d been married.

It seemed gloomier today, with the skies overcast and a light drizzle falling down on us, the tail end of yesterday’s storm. Noises were muted and the wind shivered through the trees, reminding me that winter was on its way.

I definitely wanted to be back in Chicago by the time the snow started. Remote areas of coastal Maine seemed far too perilous a place to spend the colder months. I wanted plowed streets and public transportation.

Liar, a little voice in my head whispered as I took a deep breath of the freshest air my lungs had ever experienced.

We trudged up the path and entered the home through the front door. It was just as grand as I remembered, with a double sweeping staircase framing the foyer, a gigantic chandelier, and ornate rugs. We stripped our jackets and handed them to a housekeeper who appeared in a side door, then headed toward the back of the home, where I could hear the murmur of many conversations.

The family was gathered in a big living room that led out to the same plant-filled solarium where we’d first spoken to Etta. All eyes turned to watch us enter, and conversation swelled. A big man with scars on his neck and the side of his head came up to us, smiling broadly. This was Gideon, whom I’d met one morning on our daily be-seen-by-the-townspeople-and-act-like-we-love-each-other outings. He had his arm around his wife, Sadie, and he disengaged to hug Jack while walloping him on the back. “Congrats,” he said.

Sadie smiled at me as she flicked her long brown hair off her shoulder. “I’ve been where you are,” she confessed. “Don’t worry. It gets easier.”

A tremulous smile pulled at my mouth, and I took a quick glance around the room. So many new faces. So many new faces looking at me.

“I’m not really good with new people,” I admitted.

“I’m basically new here too,” she said, hooking her arm in mine as she towed me toward a table of refreshments. “You’ll feel like you’re part of the family in no time.” Her gaze was assessing as she added, “I heard Jack took one look at you and decided he did want to get married, after all.”

“Um. Sort of,” I hedged as we reached the snack table. I glanced up to see Darby giving me a look. A teenage-girl look. A look that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“What do you think, Darbs?” Sadie’s husband said as he joined us, his hand coasting up Sadie’s back. She turned toward him, tilting her head into his chest.