Page 56 of The Legend (Rivers Wilde 2)

I guess I’m not really seeing it now either, though. It’s decorated with in an inch of its life. It’s an enchanted garden come to life.

Walls of flowers divide the room into sections. Each one color themed, with its own bar and seating area. The huge room is lit by thousands of white fairy lights that are woven into the huge swaths of fabric that form a canopy over the dance floor.

The party’s in full swing, a live band complete with three dancers belts out Prince’s “Kiss” and the revelers are dancing and blowing kisses in time with the music. It has the feel of something out of a fairy tale, but I can’t shake the feeling that something sinister is lurking in the darkened corners.

Maybe it’s just PTSD from the last time I was in this house. Whatever it is, it makes my stomach feel like it’s home to a flock of agitated birds.

“Come on, let’s go find the food,” she whispers and starts to lead us around the edge of the dance floor. I try to shake the feeling of foreboding and I tug us to the left, so we cut right through the mass of revelers. I feel safer lost in the crowd somehow.

“Why didn’t we just go around?” she asks when we come out on the other side.

I shake my hips and wink. “Because I love that song. Seemed like a waste of a dance, to walk around,” I lie.

“Ah, to be young. My feet are killing me now.”

“Oh, mine too. These shoes are ridiculous.” I wiggle my toes. In these strappy sandal deathtraps, there was nothing to protect my toes from being trod on a few times as we walked through the crowd of dancers.

“Thank God those shoes are pretty enough to be worth the pain.”

“They are, aren’t they?” I preen and lift the skirt of the pale yellow ball gown before I drop into a curtsey. “I do feel like a princess,” I admit

“You look like one.”

“Thank you so much for this. It’s nice to mingle and feel like part of the community.”

“I’m just glad we could have tonight.” She squeezes my hand.

“Hello, ladies,” a deep voice rumbles behind us and we spin around at the same time and both smile when we see David Lister smiling down at us.

“Hello, Lister.” My mother leans in to press a kiss to his weathered cheek. Her voice is stiff. and she wraps an arm through mine and pulls me close to her.

“You’re the prettiest ladies here. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves.” His gray, bushy eyebrows draw together in his trademark scowl, which is in fact, his smile.

He’s been so nice to us. He’s the only person in Rivers Wilde who really has been.

Given their acrimonious past, it’s ironic that we own the bookstore that had been his wife’s. She would never tell me what the spat was about. Whatever it was, they’ve both clearly gotten over it. He comes by the bookstore some afternoons and strolls the aisles and tells me stories about the time his wife spent there.

Business has picked up thanks to our themed nights and promotional events. We’re having our first author signing there in a couple of weeks and we started a used section where we buy back and then resell books that have been lovingly used by previous owners.

“I’ve got to mingle, but I’ll see you both later.” He gives her hand a squeeze and pats my shoulder as he moves on. I want to grab his hand and ask him to stay. There’s something about his presence by our side that’s comforting. I watch him walk away and try to calm my nerves. Everything is fine.

“Oh, this is so nice, look at all the people.” She points at the dance floor where Sweet, very heavily pregnant, and her husband, Lotanna, are cutting a rug and laughing out loud the whole time.

She’s a bit of a hard-ass—but who runs a successful business without being that? I happ

en to know that at the center, is also plenty of soft. And she’s let that soft be my cushion more times than I can count.

Rivers Wilde is a special place. I look around at the sea of happy friendly faces and think that maybe, after I’m done seeing the world, that this could be home.

“Ah, Morgan, Kalilah, welcome. We’re so glad you could come,” a voice dripping with false warmth says from in front of us.

“Tina, hello,” my mother croons, drops her hold on me and grabs Mrs. Wilde’s hand. “Thank you so much for asking us.” She pumps their joined hands excitedly and Mrs. Wilde pulls hers out of the embrace and smiles coldly. I feel that cold down to my bones. I step away from them.

“I hope you’re enjoying yourselves.”

“Oh, we are. The flower walls are amazing,” my mother gushes and I squirm.

“Kalilah, you look lovely,” she says, her eyes flit over my dress and she gives me a stiff smile.

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