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“Ready to do this?” Aunt Dottie asks, looking a little pale herself, as we grab a few plates full of food and turn toward the dining room where Ivy and Julian are waiting for us.

“I don’t know. Are you?” I’m not feeling anywhere close to okay, but I have to keep a straight face and be polite to Julian for Ivy’s sake. After some time to think about what Dottie said this afternoon, I realized she was right. As much as I want to rush in and whisk my sister away somewhere safe, she has to make the decision but as soon as she does, as soon as she’s sure she wants to leave, nothing will stop me from helping her. I have to believe she’ll come to her senses eventually because Ivy is smart and it won’t take her long to come to the realization that this relationship isn’t good for her.

She shakes her head. “No.”

“All right,” I sigh, trying to psych myself up. “Let’s do this.”

Dottie leads the way, stepping into the dining room with a smile on her face as she sets a platter of food down in the middle of the table. “Hope y’all are hungry. I made plenty.”

“Thank you, ma’am. This all looks delicious,” Julian says, charm oozing out of every word he says. It’s easy to see how my sister fell for him. If I had met him before I saw that bruise on her arm, I would have been equally as charmed by his southern gentleman routine but now I see the snake beneath his mask.

We all sit down and fill up our plates in silence before Ivy nudges me under the table. When I glance up, she shoots me a look that implies I should talk to Julian but, for the life of me, I can’t think of anything to talk to him about. Actually, that’s not true. I could ask him what made him believe it would be okay to hurt my sister, but I have a feeling Ivy wouldn’t appreciate that.

“So,” Dottie says, cutting the tension in the room. “How did you two meet?”

Julian smiles, glancing over at my sister as her lips tip up and it makes my blood boil. “I saw her at a charity function and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen but I needed a little liquid courage before I could go talk to her and by the time I was ready, she had disappeared. For days afterward, I couldn’t stop thinking about her and I tried just about everything to find out her name but came up empty, so imagine my surprise when I spotted her as I was grabbing lunch one day. Of course, she wouldn’t even give me the time of day but I was determined to win her over, so I kept coming back to the restaurant every day after that, hoping she would show up and when she finally did, I convinced her to give me a chance. The rest is history.”

“What a lovely story,” Aunt Dottie says, smiling at Julian, but I can see the insincerity on her face. Julian asks her a question about the house and I turn to study my sister, my gaze immediately going to the spot where the bruise was yesterday. I can barely make it out but it’s still there like she tried to cover it with makeup. Glancing up at her face, something catches my attention and I stare at her upper arm, just under her shirt, where a fresh bruise colors her skin.

I turn my gaze to Aunt Dottie, who casually glances over at me before following my gaze to Ivy’s arm. She skirts over the area, keeping up her conversation with Julian and I wonder if she even saw it until I notice her knuckles turning white. When I glance over at Ivy, she’s watching me warily, so I flash her a smile and she relaxes back into her seat a little.

How can she just sit casually next to him after he’s hurt her?

“Ivy tells us you work for your father?” Dottie asks, slipping a dainty bite of food into her mouth and chewing slowly. I know how she feels. The thought of eating right now makes me feel ill also.

Julian laughs and shakes his head. “Ah, not really. I’m a political consultant so I do help my father out from time to time, but I don’t work for him.”

“Oh, I see,” Dottie replies and glances over to me like she wants me to help out with this façade of a dinner but all the things I want to say to this man would upset my sister.

“Carly, Ivy said you’re a writer?” Julian says, turning on the charm as he stares at me, waiting for my answer and I try not to glare. Clearing my throat, I fold my hands in my lap and nod.

“Yes, that’s right. I work for Mercedes Richmond at Champagne Dreaming.”

He nods, taking a bite of food. “Yes, I know her father. Excellent golf player.”

I force a smile to my face, hoping that it doesn’t look like a grimace. It’s not surprising Julian knows Mercedes’ father since he’s one of the wealthiest men in the city. I have to wonder, though, why they always bring up how well someone plays a sport like I give a damn. It’s like some kind of measure of their manhood. What am I even supposed to say to something like that anyway?

Ivy gives me a pleading look and when Julian looks away to talk to Dottie about something, I shrug. I really don’t know what the hell she wants from me. I’m doing my best here. Besides, there isn’t much I don’t already know about him since I googled him as soon as I got home from my nail appointment today.

“Carly, could I see you in the kitchen?” Ivy asks and my gaze snaps up to her. I nod and she stands, tossing her napkin to the table before she calmly walks out of the room. Dottie and Julian watch me carefully as I follow her.

“What are you doing?” she seethes, twisting around and pointing a finger at me.

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Are you trying to sabotage this? You promised me you would help convince Dottie that he is an okay guy.”

My jaw drops and I shake my head. “Yeah, well, that was before I saw the bruises on your arm and don’t think I didn’t notice the new one.”

Her hand flies to her upper arm before she can stop herself and I nod, vindicated.

“You don’t understand,” she hisses, stepping closer to me and lowering her voice.

“What I understand, Vi, is you’re in a dangerous situation and I’m so worried about you that my stomach is in knots most of the time.”

“Car, you don’t understand…”

“Ivy.” Julian’s voice cuts through our conversation, hard as steel, as he stands at the entrance to the kitchen. “I just got a call from my father. I’m afraid we have to go.”

She tears her gaze away from me and nods at him. “Okay. Let me go grab my purse.”

Her hand falls from her arm and she brushes past both of us, leaning up to give Julian a kiss on the cheek as she passes, before disappearing into the dining room. Julian smiles, his gaze lingering on my chest for just a bit too long.

“It was lovely meeting you, Carly.”

Ivy comes back to the kitchen, saving me from having to respond and wraps her arms around me.

“Talk to you later, okay?” she whispers in my ear and I nod. As she pulls away, Julian takes her hand and gently pulls her out the front door. Dottie rises from the table and goes to the window, pulling the curtain back just a fraction to spy on them. I join her, peeking through the other side as my heart climbs into my throat. Julian’s body is tense as he leads Ivy to his car, rougher than he was just a moment ago. She looks like she’s pleading with him and he stops in the middle of the street and slaps her across the face. Dottie and I both gasp. My hand flies to my mouth and my eyes burn as a tear slips down my cheek.