Page 15 of Terms + Conditions
“Don’t worry about it, Dove. Elizabeth is a big girl. She can handle herself,” Lee says, earning an eye roll from his girlfriend.
Nina starts to take off in search of Elizabeth again, but the music dies, and Harvey takes the microphone to begin the Miss Winchester portion of the evening. Not before he thanks everyone for joining them this evening, of course. “We’ve done it again,” he states proudly, holding up a piece of paper that a woman passes him. “We’ve beat our previous record! This year, we raised over sixty-thousand dollars for the families in our area.”
The crowd roars with excitement before he quiets them down again. He thanks a few more people by name for their hard work to make this all happen and then hands the stage over to his wife.
A few paces behind Mrs. Cawthorn, Elizabeth steps on stage wearing the Miss Winchester crown and sash—she was crowned the winner last year. The smile on her ruby lips doesn’t quite reach her eyes as she stands poised and ready while each girl is announced alongside their suitor. I lose track of who is whoand what each girl’s short biography reads. Why does all of this matter again? It’s not like this is going to actually matter when they go off into the real world, it only matters while they’re still safe inside their little Winchester bubble. This entire ordeal is simply to give these people a reason to get dolled up and throw a party.
When the final girl is announced, I count them—sixteen total—but I don’t recognize most of them.
“And the next Miss Winchester is…” Mrs. Cawthorn pulls a small card from the envelope in her hands. “Wren James!”
Wren James does her best pageant queen, faux surprise face. Her eyes shine under the lights as she approaches the stage to receive her crown. The crown Elizabeth wears is swapped for a much smaller one and placed on Wren’s head. I notice Elizabeth’s eyes sweeping over the ballroom, searching…but for what? I start to do the same, but I can’t quite figure out what she’s looking for.
Mrs. Cawthorrn motions toward the band to begin playing a tune, and each couple gets into formation to share their first official dance in society. Elizabeth steps off stage, her eyes still sweeping around the room.William. She’s looking for William because they’re supposed to dance alongside the girls.
“You’re fucking joking,” Nina whispers to herself, noticing the same thing.
As the dance begins, William still hasn’t shown his face and has left Elizabeth alone on the dance floor. I can only imagine the ass-chewing he’s going to get from his mom tonight for causing such a scene, but right now, I’m more worried about the girl he’s left stranded. I can’t stand the image in front of me. There’s a tug on my heart. An invisible string pulls me forward and I start to take a step but pause, sharing a look with Nina. She doesn’t hesitate to urge me forward.
Elizabeth looks shocked when I approach her. Without a word, I bow. When I stand, I lift my palm to face hers, as the other suitors had done moments ago. She doesn’t hesitate placing her hand next to mine, centimeters apart, and we join the others in the dance. Finally, I pull her close, one hand holds hers and the other rests on the small of her back. I’m transported back to that moment in the hallway. The way we had been so close, too close for people who weren’t in an intimate relationship. The smell of her perfume—a mixture of sweet florals and sandalwood—filled my space and it was intoxicating.
She clears her throat, bringing me back to the present moment. “What are you doing here?” she whispers, her brown eyes staring up at me under thick lashes.
“Saving your ass. Now, smile, and let’s get through the next three minutes.”
I can feel the weight of every eye in the room on us. I catch a glance of Nina, whose lips curl into a smirk like she knows something. Finn, too. My sister looks shocked from her spot next to our parents. Mom’s brow is raised in surprise, while Dad wears a proud smile. And in another turn, I catch sight of Brina, her expression unreadable. Turning back to the woman in my arms, I see she looks sad, but she does her best to hide it.
“It’s his loss, Sugar,” I whisper, and that earns a small smile—a real one. One that softly tugs the corners of her ruby-red lips upward.
As the song ends, we take a step back in line with the others. The men bow again while the young women curtsey. Elizabeth and I share a deep sigh; it looks like our arrangement is going public a lot earlier than anticipated.
“That’s not good,” Finn says as we walk onto the back deck, and I follow his gaze to see William and Elizabeth arguing. Shit, this is not good. Not the time or place for this. We pick up the pace down the steps, trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves from the few partygoers outside, but the lover’s quarrel seems to be getting more heated with each passing moment.
William says something, and Elizabeth gasps, taking a step back. He takes the opportunity to walk away, but when she recovers, she follows, hot on his heels.
Dammit, Elizabeth. Just let it go.
“You are nothing more than a manchild, William Cawthorn!” I can hear her as we get closer. “You think just because your daddy is—”
“Look who’s talking, Lizzie!”
“We are not the same.”
“You think just because your parents are dead, it gives you a pass to say and do whatever you want. To treat people however you want. But it doesn’t! You’re nothing more than a spoiled little bitch.”
“Hey, now!” The words tumble out of me before I can stop them. Bringing up her parents in the middle of an argument like this isn’t fair. “C’mon man, there’s no need for all that.”
“Oh, look who it is.” William scoffs. When he speaks again, his voice has raised at least two decibels. “Come to save the day again?”
“There’s no need to cause a scene, Will,” I urge him, trying to keep my voice down. “Why don’t you guys take it upstairs? Settle this like adults.”
“You’re one to talk, huh, Josh?”
“Will, stop it,” Elizabeth interjects, but it doesn’t do any good.
“Running off withmygirl, telling her I’m gonna break up with her, telling her she doesn’t matter because all the girls arethrowingthemselves at me?” He steps closer to me and for some reason (Stupidity? Pride?) I don’t back down.
“William,” Elizabeth hisses.
