Page 57 of Marrying Off My Husband

She crinkled her brow. “What was it you said before? That seems to be consistently proven?”

I laughed as she recounted my exact words. “That’s what I said, yes. But we’ve unproven it.”

“So we have,” she said, a little wistful. “Sorry, I’m…my perception’s a little colored by my past.”

“Oh?” I asked, prying a little bit. I wondered if she’d be upset by that.

She dusted her hands off and pushed up to sit. “Yeah. My sister is…the seductive, sultry type. My last boyfriend actually dumped me for her.”

My features twisted at the story as she gave me a smile filled with sadness.

“I told you I’m not that lucky in love.” She glanced up at Louise’s table. “Oh…something’s happening up there.”

I grabbed my binoculars and peered up at the table. Henry rose and sliced a hand through the air, leaving Louise behind at the table. “Uh-oh.”

“That doesn’t look good.”

“She’s drinking wine alone. Maybe he’s coming back.”

We waited a few moments as the sun continued to set, the lights of the restaurant glittering off the darkening water.

Henry never came back, and, after finishing her wine, Louise rose and left the table behind. Looks like her first date was a bust.

“Well, that doesn’t seem good. We may be back to the drawing board.”

Eve nodded as she polished off her wine. “Well, I guess we’ll try a new one after the trip to Savannah. Oh, maybe it would be helpful if I vetted some since you only pick male models.”

I offered her a wry glance. “Very funny, Eve.”

We climbed to our feet, dusting the sand from us.

“Well, I guess–”

Another voice interrupted my words.

“Eve?” a female called. It wasn’t Louise.

I flicked my gaze in its direction, spotting a woman who resembled Eve but with a lot more makeup and an extremely low-cut top.

The woman grinned at us as she closed the distance. Eve seemed to stiffen as she spotted her. “Audrey.”

Audrey? Wasn’t that her sister’s name?

The brunette ran a hand through her hair as she giggled. “Hi. Imagine running into you here. Who’s this?”

She slid her eyes to me, and I spotted exactly what Eve meant by sultry and why Louise didn’t like her.

“Uh,” Eve said, shifting her weight as she shoved a lock of hair behind her ear, shooting me a panicked glance.

“I’m Spencer,” I said, thrusting my hand forward as I stepped slightly in front of Eve, my protective instincts kicking in, “Eve’s boyfriend.”

My voice carried a hint of defiance, bolstered by the strange urge to shield her from any discomfort her sister might cause.

The way Eve’s eyes went wide, I wondered if she was mad about what I’d said, but it had escaped before I could stop it. Louise’s dislike added to her seductive stares and compounded by what Eve had just confessed snapped me into protective mode.

“Boyfriend?” Audrey answered, her voice husky. “I thought this was only your second date.”

“Actually, it’s our third,” I answered, surprised by my own forcefulness, “and…maybe Eve would disagree, but I sure hope she’d say boyfriend. She is out of my league though.”

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