Page 3 of Seven of Hearts

She laughed into her drink. “Must be pretty boring leaving Chicago and coming back to Beaufort.”

I couldn’t peel my eyes away from her. Not as her throat constricted and flexed as she swallowed the whiskey. I hadn’t even touched the glass that the bartender slid my way, and I felt intoxicated.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t go out,” I said.

“So, you’re a workaholic too?” she said as she rested her back on the bar and surveyed the dance floor.

I cracked a smile and took a sip. The liquor burned like hell. It had been a while since I’d had more than a few sips of something strong. “It keeps me out of trouble.”

She let out a light laugh. “A little trouble is fun sometimes.”

“Really.” I flicked my gaze down to her nearly empty glass. “And here I thought you were a good girl.”

Her laugh was louder this time. “I have thirty-four more hours before I have to be a responsible adult again.”

Like she had conjured it, two little kids ran up to Leah, tackling her in a hug. I caught her glass before it fell.

Giovanni DeRossi and Eloise Lawson were hyped up on the buzz that only came from copious amounts of wedding cake and frosting.

Leah threw her arms around them in a group hug. “I’ve barely seen you two all day. Are you having fun?”

I had known Gio and Ellie since they were born. Their parents, the DeRossis and the Lawsons, were long-time friends of Kristin and Will. Leah was their shared nanny, bouncing from house to house with the ever-demanding schedules of billionaires and millionaires.

On cue, Luca DeRossi, Gio’s dad, hurried over. “Sorry, Leah. I told them you were off the clock.”

Her smile was kind. “That’s all right. I’ll never pass up hugs from my favorite kids.”

“See you Monday,” Luca said as he led Gio and Ellie away.

Leah brushed her hair away from her face and smoothed down her dress. “Sometimes I can’t believe they still want hugs after all this time. They’re growing up so fast. I remember when they were babies.”

“Must mean you’re a good nanny.”

Her cheeks turned crimson, matching the dress that clung to every supple curve. “Thanks.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see where my sister was.

From the looks of things, the wedding was winding down and the happy couple was getting ready for their send-off.

“You know,” Leah said as she got a fresh drink from the bartender. “I’ve been a bridesmaid in”—she let out a heavy breath as she mentally counted—“ten weddings? Fifteen weddings, maybe? The groomsmen are usually awful. It’s like herding cats.”

I chuckled as I took the bartender up on the offer of another drink and slipped him a tip. “I hope I wasn’t that bad. You’ve done a good job of putting up with me all week.”

“You’ve been great,” she said as she smoothed her hand down my arm.

Thirty-four hours . . .

What was I going to do in the next thirty-four hours other than wait for my flight back to Chicago on Tuesday?

Kristin and Will would probably sleep until Monday. Hunter had moved out of their house and was living with his girl. Zoey would probably be out with friends or the aforementioned punk...

“Sorry,” Leah said as she backed away slowly. “I was trying to say thank you for making my life easy this week. Didn’t mean to make things weird.”

I shook off the thought. “What? No, you didn’t make it weird. I was just lost in thought.”

Leah clinked her glass with mine. “Tell me about it.”

“No!”Leah laughed, tossing her head back. Liquor sloshed in her cup as she teetered toward me. “I swear, I had no idea!”

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