Page 78 of No Rings Attached
What. The. Fuck.
Over my dead body.
“We’re busy tomorrow night,” I snapped. My jaw ached from holding back the words I really wanted to throw across the table. If I let them steamroll her now, they’d continue to think they could use her whenever they wanted. Not happening.
Ellie’s hand jerked, her pen leaving a slash across the page as her startled gaze met mine.
“I was thinking—” Celia stopped mid-sentence. “What?”
There was no fucking way Ellie was putting together a slide show of her ex and sister for this sham of a wedding. “I didn’t think I mumbled.”
“Well, ah, no, but I need Ellie’s help. There’s so much to do for the wedding and every second counts. There’s no other time to do the favors and slideshow.” Celia’s whiny tone grated on my nerves.
Constance shot me a disapproving look. “And Eleanor should be happy to?—”
I cut her off. “I want to be clear. I don’t care what you think Ellie should or should not do, but we’re not available tomorrow night.” I let the full strength of my gaze settle on Celia and Constance.
“Then I guess we can do it Saturday morning before—” Celia tapped her nails against the table, eyes cutting toward Ellie.
“We’re busy then, too.”
Celia’s mouth opened and then shut with a snap.
Their mother’s eyes turned a steely gray. “Eleanor knows what’s expected of her. Andthatis to help her sister.”
“Mmm.” I shot them a disarming, calculating grin.
Celia’s posture relaxed and Constance seemed a little more triumphant than she should be. I was a nice guy, but I wasn’t a fucking pushover. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere in business otherwise.
“I understand your priorities,” I said. I understood far better than either of them knew.
Ellie threw me a confused glance that I caught out of the corner of my eye. She tried to pull away from me, but I tightened my grip around her shoulders.
Constance smiled. “Thank you. I knew you’d?—”
“I’m not done.”
Ellie’s mom’s mouth hung open.
“I just remembered,” I drawled, pulling out my phone. “Glamma mentioned something about construction. Driveway work? Or maybe new garden beds. Might not be the best timing for an event at her house.”
Celia’s nostrils flared. She stabbed her fork into her egg whites like they personally betrayed her. “What? No, you can’t?—”
Ellie’s eyes flicked to mine, wide, uncertain. I squeezed her shoulder, a silenttrust megesture.
“I’ll ask,” I continued smoothly, thumb tapping my screen like I had all the time in the world. “But you’ll want a backup plan.”
Constance paused mid-bite. Her lips thinned, her disapproval so sharp it practically sliced the air. “Eleanor knows her duty. She’ll make it work.”
“No,” I corrected softly. “We’llmake it work.Ifit works for Glamma.”
The way Celia and Constance bristled told me they weren’t used to being denied. I tightened my arm around Ellie. She needed to know she wasn’t alone in this.
Not anymore.
“Now listen?—”
Celia jumped in, cutting off her mother. “I think we can do the favors and slideshow ourselves, right Mom?”
