Page 113 of Puck and Prejudice

He stares at me for a couple beats, serious as hell. Then his lips curl upward. “You got it.”

Frederico frowns. “You guys are acting super weird.”

“You criticize me when I’m rude to Izzie, but when I’m civil, it’s weird. Make up your mind,” Jackson retorts.

Frederico opens his mouth, but the waiter stops by our table, cutting him off. He takes everyone’s drink order, and he’s about to walk away, when Jackson says. “We’re ready to order dinner too.”

“We are?” Grayson raises his eyebrows.

“I can come back in a bit,” the waiter replies.

“The lady and I will have the surf n turf,” Jackson says.

Lady. I snort out loud, earning a curious eyebrow raise from him.

“How do you like that cooked?” the waiter asks.

“Medium for me,” Jackson replies and looks at me, waiting for my answer.

I get lost in his blue eyes for too long and forget to answer the waiter. “Ma’am?”

“Oh, right. Same.”

Frederico and Grayson order next, but my ears are buzzing, and I don’t know what they get. All I know is that I don’t want this dinner to drag on, and I don’t think Jackson wants that either.

“So… Darcy. Did you memorize all your steps?” Frederico asks after the waiter leaves.

“Yes,” he grits out.

Frederico arches his brows. “Really?”

Grayson laughs. “Do you believe him, Izzie?”

“Well… Jackson never lies… or so he claims. We shall see tomorrow.”

Suddenly, Frederico sits up straighter in his chair. “Holy shit. You’re not going to believe who just came in.”

We all turn to see who got his attention. My jaw drops when I recognize Emma London, one of the biggest pop stars of the moment. She’s as petite as I thought she was, but much prettier in person. “Lydia loves her.”

“Great,” Grayson mutters, turning as stiff as a board.

Emma glances at our table, and her eyes widen before she walks over.

“Do you guys know her?” I whisper.

Before anyone can answer, Emma is standing by us with her hands on her hips. “Grayson Knight, I have a bone to pick with you.”

Oh, things just got interesting.

“Hi, Emma,” he breathes out as if it costs him.

Did Grayson and Emma have a fling that ended badly? My imagination is going wild, trying to guess what’s going on.

“Don’t ‘hi, Emma’ me. After two years of avoiding family events, the least you can do is to get out of that chair and give me a proper hug.”

Grayson’s face is pained as he stands up. Emma hugs him first, and he seems reluctant to return the gesture, but eventually he reciprocates.

When she steps back, she’s beaming from ear to ear. “I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you.”

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