Page 42 of Alice & Meg, Girls Trip

The woman blushed, probably thinking she’d done something wrong. “Oh, uh, I’m Carrie. It’s nice to meet you guys.”

God, this chick was fucking clueless. She had no idea what she’d just walked into.

Meg leaned forward, her eyes boring into Carrie. “I’m Meg. That’s Alice, and this is Wrecker.”

Alice gave a little wave, her smile sweet but her eyes cold. “But there’s more of us,” she added, motioning to the pool. “Greta, Raven, Karmen, Nikki, Wendy, Cyn, Reva, Paige—”

“And,” Meg cut her off, her voice dripping with a mixture of satisfaction and menace, “my daughter-in-law, Lennox, with her husband, Jonas.” Meg turned back to me, her eyes glinting with triumph. “Right, babe? It’s so nice having a beautiful and intelligent daughter-in-law.”

I watched as the blood drained from Carrie’s face, her tan skin going pale as she realized what she’d just said about Lennox earlier. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, and for the first time since she’d approached me, she seemed completely speechless.

“But you met Lennox yesterday, right?” Alice asked. “I actually think it was right over there, right?”

I couldn’t help the smirk that spread across my face. This was too perfect. Carrie had no idea who she was dealing with, and now she was paying the price for her big mouth.

Meg tapped her finger on her chin. “What was is that you said to Lennox yesterday? She told us, but it’s slipping my memory.”

Alice snapped her fingers, a huge smile on her face. “Trash!” she called triumphantly. “She called Lennox trash.”

Carrie stammered, her words tumbling out in a rush. “I-I didn’t mean—I mean, I didn’t know—”

“Didn’t know what?” Alice asked, her voice sharp. “That Lennox was family?”

“I…” Carrie trailed off, her eyes darting between all of us, clearly searching for a way out.

Wrecker leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Carrie’s face. “Maybe you should think twice before you talk shit about people you don’t know,” he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight that made Carrie flinch. “Maybe don’t judge someone by the way they look.”

Carrie looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She let go of my arm, taking a step back as if she could somehow escape the mess she’d just made.

But there was no way out of this. She’d dug her own grave the moment she opened her mouth about Lennox, and now she was paying for it.

“You know,” Meg said, her voice light but with an undertone of steel, “we don’t take kindly to people who disrespect our family.”

Carrie’s eyes filled with tears, her hands shaking as she tried to come up with something to say, something that would make this all go away. But there was nothing she could do. She’d crossed a line, and she knew it.

“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered, her voice trembling.

Meg didn’t say anything; she just stared at Carrie with a look that could’ve frozen hell over. Alice crossed her arms, her expression one of utter contempt.

“Yeah, you’re sorry now. How about in the future you keep your vile thoughts to yourself, and hope your daughter doesn’t get your shit personality,” Wrecker said quietly, his tone making it clear that this conversation was over.

Carrie nodded quickly, tears spilling down her cheeks as she turned and practically ran back to her friends. I didn’t bother watching her go. She wasn’t worth my time.

Meg looked over at me, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Nicely handled, babe,” she said, her voice warm again now that the drama was over. “But maybe next time you can give me a heads up about your plans, yeah?”

Alice nodded in agreement. “You played that perfectly, King, but Meg and I were about two seconds away from gouging her eyes out if she laid one more finger on you.”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool, but I couldn’t help feeling a little satisfied with how things had turned out. “Just doing my part.”

Wrecker gave me a nod, his eyes full of approval. “You did good.”

We’d dealt with the problem, and now we could get back to enjoying our day.

Meg reached over and squeezed my hand, her smile widening. “I need to see Lennox’s face when she hears about this.”

Alice chuckled. “I bet she’ll love it.”

Lennox was still floating in the water, completely oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded. As we approached, she looked up and smiled, completely unaware of the chaos Carrie had almost caused. Having Jonas here with her had totally turned her day around.

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