Page 27 of A Game of Ruck
Thankfully, Lisa’s reign of photogenic terror doesn’t last long.
“Just a few more—okay, hold the pose—David, chin up!No, not that far!”
I sit frozen, plastered smile on my face, heart rattling against my ribs like it’s trying to escape the sinking ship of my pride.
I should be used to this.
The exclusion.
The casual cruelty.
The way Lisa makes me feel like a stowaway on her perfectly curated life.
But having Luca next to me—warm and close and occasionally brushing his hand against mine like he wants to—it throws everything off-balance.
Makes it harder to pretend I’m okay with being invisible.
That I don’t care.
Because I do.
I care.
And that makes everything worse.
Eventually, Lisa claps her hands like she’s hosting some kind of wedding-themed Hunger Games and announces, “That’s a wrap!Back to the hotel dock!”
The captain revs the engine, the boat turning smoothly.
I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding until she approaches.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?”Lisa says sweetly, appearing in front of us like the world’s most aggressively dressed, in a barely there white bikini, jack-in-the-box.
She’s all sparkly lip gloss and tight fabric clinging to her Pilates-toned, perfectly spray-tanned body.
Her white cover-up is now nothing, but a crumpled suggestion hanging off her arms as she stands directly in front of Luca—right in front of my Luca—and smiles.
Silicone boobs—her college graduation present—on display.
The skimpy thong bottom that just manages to cover her undoubtedly waxed mound is practically at eye level.
And it’s not even a kind smile on her face.Not a real one.
It’s the kind of smile that sayswatch me try to make you feel small in your own skin.
I blink up at her.
“Sure.Such fun,” I say tightly.
“Yeah.And now it’s back to the hotel to swim in the pool before lunch.You’ll join us, won’t you, Luca?”she asks, her voice syrupy and sweet—but not nearly as sweet as the way she’s eyeing him like he’s a piña colada she plans to sip on all afternoon.
Her fiancé—David—is literally three feet away, talking to one of the groomsmen, but she doesn’t even flinch.
She doesn’t have to.
Because she’s Lisa.
And in Lisa’s world, consequences are just things that happen to other people.
