Page 53 of Marrying the Gardener
“I assure you, it is not.”
Girl. I love you for this. Really. But it’s fine. Deeply so. “He got it out of his system and still picked me. I’m not bothered.”
Fixing her bikini strap, Daria scoffs. “Oh yeah? Well, I ambothered, so you’ll have to excuse me for gettingthisout of my system.” Then she marches across the patio toward Kaleb.
Which is, you know…unexpected behavior.
“Hey,” she says, dropping down on the lounge chair beside Kaleb’s and shoving her hand toward his chest. “Daria Windbough, Crimson’s friend. Nice to meet you.”
Kaleb glances up at me as he shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Windbough”
“Mm. Yeah.” She clicks her tongue and pulls her hand away. “I have a few questions.”
I beam,Help me explain this situation without completely destroying our narrative, at Kaleb with my eyes, uncertain whether or not he understands, mostly because he arches a confused brow at me.
Daria holds no punches. “Were you cheating on Crimson two weeks ago with a redhead named Vivia?”
Realization dawns on Kaleb’s face, but he does not flinch. “I apologize. I can’t disclose my relationship with Vivia to you, but I can assure you that Crimson is well aware of what was going on.”
Stabbing a red nail to Kaleb’s chest, Daria hisses between her teeth. “You listen to me, sir. Crimson is a goddess among women, and if you don’t treat her right, I will disembowel you in cold blood, stringing your bones out like ornaments on my front lawn. If you so much aslookat another woman without her permission, you’re in for a world of hurt, and Iknowif Vivia knew you were with Crimson, she would have made your head roll. No one, and I do meanno one, messes with our girl. Am I clear?”
Kaleb holds his gaze fixed on me, battling down a smile. “Crystal, Ms. Windbough.”
“What’s so funny?” she sneers, slowly, enunciating each word.
Kaleb tilts his head back, avoiding her laser eyes. “Nothing.”
“You think this is a joke? Look at me when I’m talking to you.”
“Crimson?” Kaleb wets his lips. “Do I have permission to look at your friend?”
This man… Sighing, I sink down onto the lounge chair beside him. “Be nice. She’s just looking out for me.”
“Why are all your friends so feral?” he asks, wrapping an arm around my hip and settling me in closer.
“Because they’re women,” I murmur.
Daria watches us, eyes narrowing. “Wait. So. Everything is sincerely okay?”
Kaleb settles his chin against my shoulder. “Yeah, as far as I know.”
“Then what were you doing with Vivia?”
Kaleb glances past Daria, toward the arcade lounge as a bundle of red curls peaks into view. Pouty lip on display, Vivia scans the bar set up beside the DJ booth on the other side of the pool. Lifting his chin toward her, he says, “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
Minutes pass as Daria and Vivia convene, then both women are before us, Vivia covering her mouth as she bumbles through rushed apologies. “Oh, Crimson. I’m so sorry. If I’d known you and Kaleb were together, I never would have hired him.”
“So—wait.” Daria’s lashes flutter as she downs the last of her margarita. “You moonlight as anescort?”
“Used to,” Kaleb offers, head shaking. “It’s a rough economy for finance guys.”
He’s way too chill about this, way tooKaleb. The real Kaleb, not the public-display-of-red-flags Kaleb, which is fine since I did specify on the long drive out here that this party wasn’t a part of our ploy and didn’t really matter much where it concerned our schemes. Still, it’s interesting to see that his first instinct when challenged is to give up the truth, while mine was to rely on thelies.
Daria peers at me, boggled. “I can’t believe you let him go out with girls while you two were together.”
“What was I supposed to do?” I ask. “Keep him on a leash?”
The women exchange a look, then provide an adamant, “Yes.”
