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“You know, I’ve always thought you’d make a wonderful teacher.”

“Really? In my state?” she looked down at herself in disgust. “It’s not very lucrative.”

“Teaching is a noble profession,” Charlotte countered. “Who cares how much you make as long as you’re happy and fulfilled? You always loved kids. Plus, you were so smart growing up; tutoring half the class and charging fees.”

Charlotte chuckled, remembering their mother’s scandalized fury when she discovered Lilah’s side hustle. It brought a small smirk to Lilah’s face too.

“Mama took away my allowance for sneaking out. What’s a girl to do?”

“You were very resourceful,” Charlotte agreed, bumping Lilah’s shoulder again. “Think about it. After the wedding, we’ll make a plan.”

Lilah brightened, shoulders lifting at the prospect. She just needed support and she would find her way, Charlotte was certain of it.

27

CHARLOTTE

Victoria strolled in from the kitchen, wine glass dangling between two fingers.

“We’re not sitting here all night, are we?”

Charlotte exhaled, mourning the end of a relaxing day. Everyone was tipsy from the endless supply of wine and fruity cocktails that never seemed to run out. They’d spent the morning sprawled on the beach, followed by lunch, relaxation, and grazing through an array of snacks.

“I’m a surgeon. I’m thirty-six. I’m exhausted. I’m happy right here,” Lizzie mumbled from Sasha’s lap. Sasha spent the last hour at least stroking her hair in slow hypnotic sweeps, lulling her into a state of bliss.

“No, no. Lizzie, this is your first marriage. We have to do something memorable!” Victoria insisted. “And Sasha, your first bachelorette party was far too sophisticated.”

Jasmine scoffed into her wine. Sasha mirrored her expression… unimpressed. Giselle’s eyes played tennis as she popped another grape between full lips.

A smug little beast curled in Charlotte’s chest.

“What do you have in mind?” Sasha asked, lifting an eyebrow in warning.

Not even two hours later, Charlotte found herself in a low-lit club, sliding her credit card across the bar to open a tab for the entire party.

Charlotte wasn’t opposed to strip clubs… beyond the obvious exploitation and objectification concerns. This one was far from the grime-coated dives of her early twenties. Still, she’d have preferred sipping wine back at the beach house next to Ali, obsessing over the fact they’d skinny dipped… on a whim. Something Charlotte would never do… except apparently with Ali.

“We should get a private room,” Victoria purred, sidling up beside her, brushing her chest against Charlotte’s arm.

Charlotte gritted her teeth so hard she feared they might crack. Her skin crawled beneath the point of contact. It was all she could do to keep her attention on the bartender. Clinging to the hope that if she ignored her long enough, she might get bored and leave her alone.

But she knew better.

The longer Charlotte went without giving Victoria what she wanted, the harder Victoria pushed. Too self-absorbed to recognize it only cultivated Charlotte’s growing resentment like a well-watered weed.

Victoria leaned in, voice dipping into the sultry register she weaponized when attempting to seduce Charlotte. “Somewhere a little more… secluded.”

I would rather die.

Charlotte could think of an infinite number of activities she would rather do. Root canals. Watching interns be inefficient without correcting them. DMV lines. IRS audits. Catching the flu. Getting a hair in her eye and being unable to remove it.

Literally anything.

She clutched at the maid-of-honor sash draped over her body. A contingency she hadn’t thought of as both Sasha and Lizzie said they just wanted to relax. She’d thought that was that, no going out. She wondered now if that was the entire reason Victoria needled everyone until they came out here, to get under her skin because she knew how much Charlotte hated changes in plans. But she also wondered if Ali had seen that coming. Because, when everyone agreed, Ali sprinted upstairs and produced a kit filled with sashes, tiaras, veils, and goodie bags that came with surprise penis-shaped lollipops that gave everyone a good laugh. Natasha and Imani were making use of the lollipops to participate in some kind of strange challenge. Charlotte could only mouth a quiet thank you to Ali as she draped the sash over her, in awe of how well they worked together sometimes.

Ali’s shoulder nudged against hers, snapping her right back into the club’s atmosphere. She leaned forward, voice deceptively light and edged with steel. “That’s so sweet of you to think about members of our party who might be overstimulated by this kind of environment.”

“Excuse me, the adults are talking,” Victoria snipped in a voice dripping with saccharine sweetness.