Page 50 of Pretend Girl (The Lucky Girls 4)

I nod and watch her as she carefully navigates the kitchen, finding two cups to fill with coffee. Her fingers expertly find the right buttons, and before long, the machine gurgles and hums out a cup of coffee.

“Here you go,” she says, handing it to me. “These pods already have sugar in them, but I think there might be some cream in the fridge.”

“Do you drink a lot of coffee?”

“I’m a bit of an addict,” Rachel admits. “I shouldn’t drink so much of it, and if I’m ever honest with my doctor about how much I drink, he’ll have a heart attack on my behalf.” When she laughs, the sound is beautiful. “But I won’t give it up.”

“It’s the elixir of life,” I answer.

“Right?” she laughs again. “You see, my doctor will never understand that.”

“What do they know, anyway?”

She laughs and I want her to never stop laughing.

“So, what are the plans for this weekend?” she asks. “What do I need to prepare for?”

“A lot of mingling and schmoozing with incredibly boring businessmen,” I admit.

Rachel grins. “So you’ll be there, too, huh?”

When I widen my eyes in surprise at her jab, she laughs again.

This weekend is going to be a hell of a lot of fun. It’s already so much better than all the years I’ve done this before.

How can one person change everything in such a short span of time?

Chapter 16

Rachel

I don’t know why Blake asked me to come with him. And I probably should have said no. But when he asked me, I couldn’t help myself.

I want to be here for him this weekend. Even if he drives me crazy. Or pisses me off.

There’s just something about him… I can’t put my finger on it, but I can’t stay away from him.

The cottage we have together is incredible. Everything in here is state-of-the-art. I’ve never lived in the lap of luxury like this.

But Blake looks like this is all he knows—this is what his life is like. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live like this all the time.

When Blake leaves the cottage to take care of a few things, I pick up my phone and call Samantha. I made sure to have call roaming so I could check in with her—not only did she nearly die when she heard I was coming here, she insisted that I update her every step of the way.

And I want to gush over everything with my best friend.

“How is it?” Samantha asks the moment she answers the phone.

“It’s like a fairytale,” I say, collapsing on my bed. The feather-down duvet is soft and I feel like the bed will swallow me whole and I’ll float in comfort forever.

“Tell me everything,” Sam says, and I start from the beginning, telling her about the flight, describing the aircraft and the resort and the cottage. I leave nothing out.

“You’re so damn lucky! I never get treated like this when I’m on a job, and peopleneedme for big events.”

“Maybe one day you’ll get a celebrity location wedding or something,” I offer.

Samantha laughs. “Maybe. But you’re living the life right now. God, you have no idea how jealous I am.”

“I know,” I say and giggle. But my smile fades and worry sets in, pushing the elation away. “I’m worried about what this means between Blake and me, though.”

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