Page 76 of Inarticulate

Neither alternative would be appreciated by a bride and groom on their special day. Compensation would be inevitable. A lawsuit likely. The Rydel name would be tarnished with more potency.

“Savannah?” Kelly’s head poked through the door on the far end of the room. “Spencer is here to see you.”

Spencer. The name rolled around her head, tainting everything it touched. She didn’t want to stand up, didn’t want to approach the lobby, but she did, her feet moving of their own volition. Anticipating this moment had filled her with dread, because seeing him stand before her with his dark suit and bright smile had sparked the reaction she’d expected. A reaction she loathed.

“Hey.” He strode for her, wrapping her up in his cast-iron grip.

Relief overwhelmed her. Disgusting, repulsive relief. Positive feelings toward him weren’t safe. They weren’t healthy at all. Yet he blanketed her in comfort and gave her anxiety a slight respite.

“I hate to say it, sweetie,” he murmured in her ear, “but you look like hell.”

She laughed and shoved at his chest. “Nice to see you, too.”

He pulled back, his hands sliding to her hips. “What can I do to help?”

She broke away from his potent stare and focused over his shoulder. “I’m not…” Her words trailed as three guys with small duffle bags entered the lobby. They were followed closely by numerous young women and men, around eight or so, all immaculately dressed, their hair flawless. Her stomach dived at the thought of them being enforcers for a bride who’d caught wind of the impending catastrophe.

But their intentions were worse, far worse. Penny and Keenan came in behind them, drawing the group’s attention with merely their presence.

“Fuck.” Her whisper was filled with horror.

“What’s wrong?”

She glanced at Spencer and then grimaced at the instinct to seek his guidance. This was her show. Her problem. Her punishment to take. “They’re from Grandiosity.”

“What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head and met Keenan’s scowl across the other side of the lobby. He spared her the briefest flicker of acknowledgement before his attention turned to Spencer, his scrutiny falling to the hand possessively on her hip. She should’ve jerked from her ex’s touch or shoved his arm away, but his palm was filled with support, the warmth and strength the only thing keeping her upright.

“I better find out.” She progressed toward her doom, Spencer still at her side, his hand still marking what he thought was his territory.

“Can I help you?” The group turned toward her en masse while she drilled Keenan with her stare.

“We heard you’re in a bind.” Penny’s tone was sickly sweet. “We’re here to help.”

Savannah kept her focus on Keenan, not wanting to turn to her cousin and see the look of superiority chiseled into her make-up covered face.

“Three chefs and nine wait staff. Just point them in the right direction so they can get set up before returning later this afternoon.”

Silent oblivion washed over her. A wave of indecipherable nothingness filled her head. Her knees threatened to buckle. She was going to be sick. Vomit was literally going to volcano from her nose in a display of utter relief and unmanageable rage.

“What’s going on?” Amanda’s voice dissolved the crescendo.

Savannah straightened and dragged her attention from an unreadable Keenan, to her apprehensive event manager. “Amanda, this is—”underhandedness at its finest, “staff from Grandiosity. They’re here to…”fuck with my sanity and make me go post—

“Help,” Penny cut off her internal diatribe. “We’re here to help.” Her cousin smiled, a fake, beaming smile that deserved a snarl in return.

“Really?” the event manager gasped. “Oh, my God, that is such good news.”

Yeah, roll out the celebratory banners and confetti.

“You don’t seem pleased,” Spencer whispered in her ear. “You should be thanking them.”

She wanted to scoff, to laugh, to guzzle a bottle of something high in alcoholic content. “Thank you,” her words were etched with sarcasm, but nobody seemed to notice. Not even Keenan who kept eying the hand on her hip with disdain. “Amanda, I’ll let you take it from here. I’ve got things to sort out.”

She faced her ex and tried to shrug him off. “Can you give me a minute?”

He seemed perplexed, like he’d always been when endeavoring to read her. “Sure.” He pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her temple, marking his territory in the subtlest way possible. “I’ll go get a room… Unless I can share yours.”

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