Page 89 of Love is a Game

Crisis management mode kicks in.Breathe, Penelope. I was already thinking about making changes, right? This is just forced inspiration. A whole new bodice. Yay.

I need a distraction. I need a shift. I need—

“A bachelorette party!” I blurt.

Mia blinks. “What?”

“I mean, are you doing one in LA?” I probe.

“Er, no.” She frowns.

“Well, Jess just said you fly in just two days before the wedding? That’s mighty tight. So…why not tomorrow?” I fling my hands wide. “A proper send-off before married life. It’s practically essential.”

Slowly, deliberately, Mia folds her arms and turns—not to me, but toTuck.

Her glare is pure, simmering fury.

Tuck senses it immediately. He cuts his eyes to me in a silent:What did you just do?before instinctively leaning back, as if putting a few extra inches between them might save him.

Mia’s voice drops to a lethal calm. “Perhapsthis guycould explain why I mightnotwant a bachelorette party? Huh, Tuck?”

He blinks. “What’s that now?”

Mia just stares, waiting.

Realization dawns, and Tuck winces.

“Oh, you mean Mason’s bachelor party. That it kinda…went off the rails?” He scratches his jaw. “Yeah. That was…unfortunate.”

“‘Unfortunate’?” Mia explodes. “He ended up in thehospital, Tuck!”

Tuck’s sheepish look elevates as he scratches his neck, viscerally uncomfortable. “Well—yeah. And we wereallreally worried, but, uh…luckily, he made a full recovery.”

Mia’s eyes practically shoot sparks.

“And you know it was Brady’s friend at fault, right?” Tuck tries. “He spiked the drinks. He’s the reason—”

“Andwho,” Mia cuts in icily, “got the call-up to be best man, Tuck?Youor Brady? Who became such close friends with Mason through all those years sharing a place in New York?”

Tuck shifts uncomfortably.

Mia flattens a hand on the table. “You were the one in charge of planning the party. And ensuring nothing went wrong. And yet—” She gestures wildly. “Collapsed. Unconscious. Hospital.”

Wow. She has been holding onto this fora while.

Tuck flicks me agee, thanksfor nothinglook, and I really do feel bad. But mostly, I feel relieved that the topic of the dress is well and truly buried.

Still, I should probably step in before Tuck gets burn scars from Mia’s thorough roasting.

“Don’t you see?” I say quickly. “This is exactly why you need a successful bachelorette party. Balance the scales.”

What does that even mean? No idea. But I’m rolling with it.

Tuck, wisely, keeps his mouth shut.

Luckily, Violet steps in. “Actually, Mia, maybe Penelope has a point. You did say you wanted to embrace the whole Blue Mountain experience. I’m not suggesting a full-scale party, but a small, intimate gathering could be a lovely pre-wedding experience.”

Mia hesitates, her fury dissipating slightly.

---