Page 89 of Surprisingly Us

“I already know who you are and I’m a huge fan.”

“Oh, thank you.” A tinge of pink rises on Lettie’s cheeks.

“You look gorgeous. I love that dress,” Corinne gushes. “You look nice, too, Rhys.”

“Thanks for having us, Corinne.” I drop a kiss to her cheek.

“She’s nice,” Lettie whispers as we make our way into the living area where the other guests are gathered.

The few times I’ve been around Corinne, she’s always been pleasant. She and Jerrod have been dating for years, yet I don’t know much about her, other than that she’s a bubbly, petite blonde and her family owns a national grocery store chain where she’s recently been promoted to chief financial officer.

“There he is.” Jerrod greets me with an aggressive one-arm bro hug. “The man of the hour. Glad you could make it. It wouldn’t be a party without Rhys Spencer, am I right?”

Jerrod’s antics grate on my nerves, but I’m highly aware of the other guests around us. We’re on display with many of the board members here, and no matter how obnoxious he is, I need to be civil.

“Jerrod, this is Colette Davenport.”

“Yes, I remember. We met at Lake George years ago. I was visiting Rhys’s family for a few weeks.”

The last time Jerrod visited me at Lake George was a year or so before my parents died. We’d had a good time taking the boat out on the lake and cliff jumping to impress some girls. Doing stupid shit that fourteen-year-old boys think is cool. I thought it was a turning point in our relationship. Where we were becoming more friends than rivals. But shortly after my parents died, things got more competitive between us. I never knew why.

“That’s right.” Lettie nods. “It’s been a long time.”

Jerrod takes her hand and makes a show of kissing it. “Nice to see you again. And wow, you in that dress,” a low whistle passes through his lips, “just stunning.”

I wrap my arm around Lettie’s waist and pull her close.Mine.

Lettie stiffens for a moment, but then she leans into me, her body fitting snuggly against mine. It’s the best fucking feeling in the world. And damn, she smells so fucking good.

Corinne cuddles in next to Jerrod, but he’s too focused on me and Lettie to notice.

“You make a beautiful couple.” Corinne beams at us before turning to Jerrod. “Don’t they look good together?”

She’s oblivious to the way he’s glaring at us. Either Corinne doesn’t know how competitive Jerrod and I are, or she likes adding fuel to the fire.

“Yes,” he eyes me suspiciously, “they certainly do.”

We make the rounds; I introduce Lettie to the other couples there and as I’d predicted she fits perfectly into the group. Withher by my side, I don’t feel like an imposter. The square peg trying to fit into a round hole.

My grandfather and his second wife, Edith, are among the guests.

“Good to see you again, Colette.” My grandfather gives Lettie a light embrace and polite kiss on the cheek.

Edith, on the other hand, embraces Lettie like a long-lost relative. She’s so happy, she’s nearly in tears. “When I heard that you and Rhys were together, I thought to myself,oh, Edith, can we be so lucky to be blessed with some cute little ballet dancing great-grandchildren?”

Lettie’s eyes widen before finding mine.

I’d argue that Edith doesn’t know when she’s being inappropriate but after years of comments like this, I’ve realized she knows, but she doesn’t care.

I squeeze Lettie’s hip to let her know I agree Edith’s mentioning kids is wildly premature. “I think it’s a little too soon to be talking about babies.”

“Yeah, Rhys, wasn’t it only a few weeks ago you were photographed with another woman on your arm?” Jerrod’s lips twitch, a sly smile pulling at the corners. “No offense, Colette, but monogamy isn’t Rhys’s strong suit. And babies? He’d be cutting you a check faster than you could say ‘baby daddy.’”

Corinne pinches Jerrod in the side.

“What?” Jerrod shrugs. “I’m not wrong.”

I should have known Jerrod’s agenda tonight was to make me look bad. Even with Lettie on my arm, the evidence of my reputation is damning. For a moment I wonder if any of this will matter? If even with Lettie’s help I won’t be able to disengage myself from who I was. Who everyone still thinks I am.

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