Page 4 of The Engagement Party

“I’m tired of pretending, Cas. It’s going to take all of my energy not to mess up or say the wrong thing during this trip.”

Her hands fell as she stepped out of his loose hold. “It’s one weekend, counselor. You can handle it.”

“Daddy!” The high-pitched little girl voice floated into the room from a play area twenty feet away.

Zara... the reason he stayed. Well, one of them. The other reason was much darker.

He started to leave then stopped. “This conversation isn’t over.”

Cassie shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Alex? How about the truth?Notgoing is more dangerous. We can’t control the conversation if we’re not there.”

She might be right, and he hated that.

“Daddy!”

Cassie nodded in the general direction of Zara’s voice. “Go be superdad and let me handle the travel arrangements. We’ll contain any damage.”

Alex admired her confidence because he worried they were about to lose everything.

Chapter Four

Sierra

For the first time in her life, Sierra seriously considered throwing herself out of a moving vehicle. Mitch’s college friends had that effect on her. Alex and Cassie possessed awe’re in- syncouter shell that clashed with their actual vibe. Everything about them screamedwe fought on the way to pick you up.Silences stretched between them until they became barbed.

The couple drove in from Rhode Island and spent a night in Boston before Sierra and Mitch joined them for the rest of the drive. They all piled into the SUV Alex had rented for the excursion and started on the hours-long merry ride to the engagement party that everyone but Sierra seemed to dread.

Good times.

One benefit of the togetherness was that she now knew whatsmart casualmeant in terms of a dress code because these two embodied it. No jeans and T-shirts for them. But the current running under therightclothes and big sunglasses for her and a fancy sports watch for him skimmed along a toxic edge. They smiled and said the right things until they looked at each other. Then their wide grins fell and silence crept in.

Mitch had filled her in on the basics. Hyper-focused anddetermined Cassie met superjock Alex during freshman year at Bowdoin College. They dated through college then law school before getting married. They excelled at overachieving. Neither came from money but they had stacks of it now.

Alex practiced maritime law. Sierra wanted to make a joke about pirates but wasn’t convinced either of the two people in the front seat had a sense of humor. Cassie’s corporate law career sounded less convoluted. Boring and technical, but comprehensible. But how two desk-job, stockpile-money types with every hair in place and not a wrinkle in either of their starched cotton shirts were friends with always-outdoors, never-on-time Mitch made little sense.

Alex smiled at Mitch via the rearview mirror. “Happy you lowered your standards and joined us.”

Cassie turned in the leather seat and looked at Mitch. “Years ago, we agreed to meet up once a year, but we’ve never managed that. Until this weekend, Mitch has graced us with his presence exactly twice in twelve years, and one of those times was for our wedding.”

“He was in it. He didn’t have a choice,” Alex said as he eased the car from one lane to another despite the lack of traffic.

Mitch ignored the pressure tactics from the front of the car and looked at Sierra. “Cassie threatened to come pick me up, force me into the car, then sing to me during the entire ride to the church. You haven’t heard her sing.” He whistled. “No one could survive that.”

Cassie snorted. “The tactic worked, didn’t it?”

For the next stretch, the talking stopped. The only noise came from the radio and the thump of the wheels as Alex drove over a section of road the state’s construction crews had forgot. Cassiecontinued to sneak peeks into the back seat. Her gaze slid over Mitch in the same way she might look at her young daughter. Protective. Caring.

Sierra decided to ease up on the judgment and give these two a chance. They might suck at hiding a spousal argument, but they clearly cared about Mitch, alternatively dragging him out of his sulky state into conversation and smiling at him.

Cassie let out a small huff as if she’d given herself some sort of pep talk. “Okay, spill. Have either of you met Ruthie? They’ve only dated for a few months.”

“The newest possible Mrs. Will Mayer?” Alex laughed at his own joke. “Possiblebeing the most important word in that question.”

“A guy buys engagement rings in bulk and right away his friends question his ability to get the deed done.” Mitch mumbled the joke as he looked out the window. When the round of supportive laughter died down, he spoke again. “Sometimes I think Will’s determined not to be happy.”

Alex shot Mitch another look via the rearview mirror. “So, you recognize that sort of thing in others just not in yourself?”

Mitch answered with an eye roll. “Does that dad-glare trick work on Zara?”

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