Page 56 of Groomsman to Groom

“Twelve stitches and enough bruising to make me look like I’ve been paintballing with professionals.” I pour creamer into my cup. “All things considered, I’m lucky it wasn’t worse.”

“Hayes certainly seemed concerned.” Kavita’s tone is almost casual. “Rushing to your rescue like that. So heroic.”

I take a deliberate sip of coffee before responding. “He would’ve done the same for any of us.”

“Would he?” Gabby snarls, her earlier softness toward me evidently expired. Her smile turns predatory. “And spending all night at the hospital with you seems excessive, don’t you think? Especially when there were perfectly capable medical staff.”

I lean against the counter, partly for support and partly to project calm I definitely don’t feel. “I needed stitches. Hayes felt responsible.”

“So responsible that he personally drove you back in the wee early hours of the morning?” The trap springs shut around Kavita’s words.

“He wanted to make sure I got back safely,” I say carefully. “The doctor gave specific instructions to monitor bleeding.”

“How thoughtful.” Gabby’s tone suggests it was anything but. “And was it also medically necessary that he kept you in the car for, what, fifteen minutes after you arrived?”

So she hadn’t just seen us arriving—she’d been watching the whole time. Creepy.

“I wasn’t feeling well.” The lie sticks in my throat. “The medication made me nauseous. We were waiting for it to pass.”

“So kissing is a cure for nausea.” Gabby exchanges a knowing look with Kavita that makes my stomach twist.

“Look, at this point, we’ve all kissed Hayes. So what?” I shake my head.

Gabby slides off her stool, crossing to rinse her mug in the sink with unnecessary force. “Sure. Butjustkissed.”

The insinuation hangs in the air between us. She knows, or at least strongly suspects, what happened earlier in that SUV.

“Look,” I inject steel into my voice despite the anxiety churning beneath. “Hayes was being a decent human being after I was hospitalized after a challenge. We all want a man who wouldn’t leave someone in that condition, right?”

“I guess.” Gabby shrugs me off, which only shows I made a good point.

“I need to lie back down.” I’m suddenly desperate to escape this inquisition. “Doctor’s orders include plenty of rest.”

“Of course,” Gabby says sweetly.

I grab a chicken wrap out of the refrigerator, and I don’t miss the way all three women exchange glances as I turn to leave. The short walk to the door feels like crossing a minefield, their eyes boring into my back with each step.

In the hallway, I allow myself a shaky exhale. They don’t know anything concrete—just suspicions and circumstantial evidence. But it’s enough to be dangerous, especially in the hands of women who want to destroy me.

“There you are!” Skye’s voice startles me so much I nearly drop my coffee mug. She emerges from the production office, her outfit today a relatively restrained turquoise jumpsuit with matching eyeshadow. “I’ve been waiting for Sleeping Beauty to wake up. How’s the arm?”

“Still attached. Though the rest of me feels like it went through a meat grinder.”

Skye studies me, her gaze traveling from my pale face to the death grip I have on my mug. “And how was your kitchen welcome committee? I noticed the three amigas circling like sharks outside your room this morning.”

I need to talk to her alone, so I nod to her office.

Once we’re inside, door closed, she says, “Is this about the early morning return with our dashing star?”

A chill runs through me. “You know about that?”

“Honey, I know everything that happens in this villa.” She gestures for me to sit on one of the wicker chairs, and after I do, she continues, “And Gabby saw you and Hayes returning together.”

“We were at the hospital.” The excuse sounds weak even to my own ears.

Skye holds up a hand, cutting me off. “Save it. I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize the look of a woman who’s been thoroughly ravished. And you, my dear, have it all over your face.”

Heat floods my cheeks. Denial feels pointless in the face of her certainty. “Okay, yeah, you’re right. What do I do now that Gabby saw us? And she’s lying, telling the other women we were intimate, even though she didn’t see that part. But it does happen to be true.”

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