Page 95 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
“What?”
“Vivi has apparently planned anengagementparty—forthisweekend. That must be what she’s been ordering all this stuff for.”
He shrugged. “She mentioned she might do something like that.”
“What? Youknew? Gray… this is getting out of hand. We have to tell her.”
“No, we don’t,” he argued. “Not until she gets home. What’s the harm in a little party?”
“What’s the harm? It’s a lie, Gray. All these people…”
I sifted through the pile of envelopes and started reading off the names. “… the Bestias, and the Reeces, Reid Mancini, the founder of StillYours-dot-com, some prince and princess who apparently live on this street, that hot Nauticals player Presley Lowe, and Jade—oh my God, do you think that’s the real Jade?”
“It is,” he confirmed, smiling. “She’s married to my best friend, who happens to be the brother of that hot Nauticals player.”
“Well, that’s great, that’s just great. We’ll be lying to my sports hero and my favorite singer of all time—toallof those people—if we stand there smiling side by side at an engagement party when we’re not even engaged.”
Again, he shrugged. “Who cares? You don’t even know those people. If you go back to Minnesota, you’ll never even see them again. I’m the one who’ll have to deal with the fallout later, and I don’t give a shit.”
He opened a clamshell container filled with seafood scampi and slid it toward me on the countertop. The fragrant steam rose to my nostrils, making me ravenous.
“Look, Victoria’s told me how much she used to love hosting big events,” Gray said, digging into his own takeout container. “This may be the last one she gets to do, and she’s having a great time planning it. Do you really want to take all that away from her—along with her will to live?”
“That’s not fair,” I said, speaking around a scallop in my mouth.
“Just go with it. Parties are fun,” Gray said. “Vivi’s apparently hired staff to run the whole thing. All you have to do is show up.”
* * *
On Friday, Vivi came home from the hospital. She was using a wheelchair, which was a little shocking at first.
“Don’t you worry about this old contraption,” she told us. “I’ll be up and dancing by your wedding day. Not in time for your engagement party, unfortunately, but maybe we can get out the glue gun and bling up this chariot a little. Then I can call it an accessory.”
“About that… it was quite a surprise to find out there was a party this weekend,” I said in the understatement of all time.
“I thought you liked surprises.” She winked. “I know I do. Finding out you and Gray were going to get married was the best surprise of my life.”
A big, fat anxiety worm slithered in my gut, but I forced a smile. “I think the whole thing caught us off guard as well.”
“You know what they say about love,” Gray said. “It can strike when you least expect it.”
His eyes glowed with a great approximation of conviction. He wasstilla good liar.
“Like a rattlesnake,” I added. “Vivi… it’s amazingly kind and generous of you to do all this for us, but are yousureit’s a good idea to have this party when you’ve just gotten out of the hospital?”
“Absolutely. It’s the best medicine possible. I feel invigorated like I haven’t felt in years—decades even. Besides, it’s the perfect event to get potential bidders excited for the art auction. They’ll get a preview and having many of them here together will stoke the fires of competition. I even sent an invitation to Inksy.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
FULL RECOVERY
Gray
Scarlett and I both did a double-take.
“You did?” she asked.
“How’d you do that?” My pulse tattooed the inside of my neck veins. “When no one knows who or where he is?”
