Page 53 of Let Me Say It Again

He lost the grin, his expression stoic. “Fine, I won’t.”

“Thank you.”

“You look like an ugly duckling. Better?”

I narrowed my eyes at him and formed a thin slit with my lips. “Why don’t you spend less time complimenting me and explain why in the world you’re wearing the same color as me?” To catch you up, he was wearing a thin light blue shirt.

He didn’t even blink. “Didn’t know you owned rights to the color blue.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You okay, Jade? You’re looking a little. . . green.”

“Yeah, because I feel sick to my stomach.”

“Hmm.” He tilted his head and looked off to the side like he was deep in thought. I wanted to knee him in the balls forhis obnoxious behavior. “Is it something you ate? Stomach bug? Flu?”

“If I answer yes to any of those things, will it get me out of going today?”

He shook his head. “You can be sick in the water. It gets washed away.”

“Then, in that case, my nausea is the direct result of us matching.”

He shrugged. “We’re engaged.”

Duh, that explained everything. Were you seeing things clearer now? Because I sure as shit was. Peering down at the ring on my finger, I uncrossed my arms and lightly swatted my forehead. “Of course. It slipped my mind.” Then I paused and looked heavenward, taking a page out of his book and seeming deep in thought before continuing. “Oh, wait. That doesn’t explain anything.” I pursed my lips and placed a hand on my hip.

“Engaged couples match, especially at events like this.” He started walking toward the door. “Come on. You’ll see.”

He officially unlocked my new biggest fear—being on a boat with dozens of disgustingly cute couples wearing matching outfits.

* * *

A part of me wondered if Regina would have been at an event like this. Something told me she would have because this was her world, it was what she knew. It wasn’t a bad thing, either, but for someone like me this was a fantasy. It was a dreamworld that had a timer attached to it.

My sisters had grown up in this world, so they would have fit right in, too. Not that you could tell I didn’t fit in. My ensembletook care of that. Although, it was all smoke and mirrors because the way I felt was like a fish out of water.

Nate’s poisonous words rang in my ears no matter how many times I tried to ignore them. They weren’t going away. When Red placed his hand on the small of my back and lit up like a lightbulb on a Christmas tree as he spoke about me to these people, the ringing finally subsided. I’d be the first to admit I felt a sense of belonging when Red was with me. Only, he was part of the dreamworld that wasn’t meant to last, so I couldn’t get used to the feeling.

“Something wrong?” Red asked once we were alone again, giving me a confused look.

I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling dry. My eyes clung to his as I placed a hand on his arm and leaned in, going in for a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Nothing at all. I’m going to see if I can find Sherrilyn and talk up my man.”

Don’t look too much into it. It was for selfish reasons because the sooner he got the investment from Mark, the sooner this would end. And if anyone deserved this, it was Red. He worked really hard and didn’t depend on his family’s money as much as you’d think he would. He wanted to make it on his own, to bring the company to new heights, paving a way for himself and a legacy he could pass down to his kids, and I respected that. Immensely.

Passing a waiter holding a silver tray of drinks, I paused. “Excuse me, are those alcoholic?” There were a decent number of pregnant women on this boat, and many of the waiters were carrying non-alcoholic beverages. I needed something more than that.

He nodded. “Daiquiri, ma’am.” He nudged the tray toward me, and I took one, holding it up for a second before bringing it to my lips and letting the liquid dance on my tongue before swallowing a sip.

“Thank you,” I said, my eyes scanning the crowd for Sherrilyn.

And. . . found her. She was chatting with a woman who looked like she was in her third trimester, the both of them laughing at something.

My plan was to stand back and wait until they were done, but it seemed I didn’t need to do that because the woman walked away shortly after their fit of laughter.

“Sherrilyn.” I broached her, a hand on her arm as I tried to get her attention and have her turn around. “This party is magnificent,” I noted, smiling sweetly so she didn’t think I was being sarcastic. Not that she’d ever think that. I hadn’t known her long, but I happened to know that she thought very highly of herself and probably never for a second assumed someone would be mocking her.

She smiled, her cheekbones on full display as she beamed from ear to ear. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself, Jadey.”Okay, so that nickname is sticking.“It’s not a party, though. It’s a welcome sail. Parties are very different than this”—she gestured her hands, signaling around the boat—“but you know that.”

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