“Don’t be gone too long. Dinner is in five minutes.” Mrs. Potts marches away, probably trying to figure out some other way to get rid of me.

If she hands me a drink later this evening, I won’t drink it. She’s likely not the type to poison people, but I’m not testing that theory.

Rose is quiet as we ride the elevator down to the twelfth floor. After getting her bags, we get back on the elevator and go up to the fourteenth floor. My room has a great view of the city, but it also has something I wasn’t considering when I jumped in and said Rose would stay with me—one bed. But we’ll make it work.

I set her bags in the closet and turn to face her. “There’s no couch, but I can?—”

“It’s a big bed. We’ll be fine. Thank you. I trust you a million times more than Richard. My mom is losing her mind.”

“I think your mom just doesn’t like losing.” I tug Rose close. “You okay?”

“I will be. I’m more mad than anything, but I don’t want to ruin the party.”

This is a good time to shift the topic. “I like your brother. It’s obvious he cares about you.”

“He’s great. But wait!” She pulls back. “What did he say to you?”

“Nothing bad.” I kiss her forehead. “We should get back to the party and give Richard his key.”

“We don’t want to be late to dinner.” Rose rolls her eyes. “But seriously, thank you for speaking up when you did. I was about to make a scene.”

“I guessed as much. You’re such a wild thing.” I make sure I have the keys before pulling the door closed.

When we get back to the roof, the party has moved inside to the private dining room. And there are two empty seats.Thankfully, they are next to each other. Sadly, they are between Richard and Mrs. Potts.

I whisper to Rose as I follow her to the table. “You pick.”

She sits down beside her mother, and I take a seat beside Richard.

Dinner should be interesting.

CHAPTER 15

ROSE

Overall, dinner is going better than I anticipated.

Dallas and Richard are talking, but I can only hear snippets of the conversation. Cars and sports seem to be the two main topics.

Cara is talking about a restaurant she recently tried and loved, and Mrs. Finch rolls her eyes. I’m so used to focusing on how to navigate public interactions with my mom without embarrassing myself that I never noticed Cara might share similar struggles.

Sage drapes his arm around the back of her chair.

Cara continues, ignoring her mom’s facial expressions. “The food was amazing. It would be a great place for a rehearsal dinner if they accommodate private parties.”

Mrs. Finch makes eye contact with my mom and shakes her head. “I’ve driven by the place once when I got lost on the wrong side of town. It’s a hole in the wall.”

Sage trails a finger over Cara’s shoulder and clenches his jaw. It’s endearing to see my brother playing the protector. “It’s not a hole in the wall. It’s a new place that serves great food.”

I lose track of the conversation as I watch how people are reacting to each other. With Dallas beside me, I’m noticingmore about the family dynamics because I’m not spending every minute trying to protect myself.

Mom lays her hand on my arm. “Don’t feel bad, Lisa. I have a daughter just like that. My opinion doesn’t matter at all. But one day, she’ll realize I was right all along. I mean, look at Sage and Cara. We wouldn’t be here celebrating this engagement if Lisa and I hadn’t intervened.”

Dallas rests his warm hand on my leg, and I clasp it. And I smile. “I think we’re just different people, Mom. And I’m pretty sure Sage proposed to Cara because of love. Not some scheme.”

The word scheme gets me a dirty look, but it’s what fits.

Sage meets my gaze. “Rose is correct. Trapped or not, Cara and I would’ve ended up together.”