Page 101 of Forever By Morning

Since there were two other large weddings going on at the same time, we had to outsource the confectionary items. We had an appointment with a nearby bakery in Crescent Cove.

I pointed at her with my bottle. “You keep coming up with things to add.”

Bells held her bottle against her neck. The temperatures had soared since noon. The garden gave us a lot of shade, but the humidity had left us both a wrinkled mess. “I dressed to impress since it’s my first day, but I need to change out of this damn dress.”

“I actually need to do some shopping as well. Maybe I can find a shop in Crescent Cove.”

She sipped from her bottle. “So you actually live in the city?”

We’d gotten to know each other a little during the morning. I didn’t really want to go into the wedding debacle, but Cara had shared that in her chattering way. I couldn’t fault her. I was the one who’d run off to jump on a horse instead of dealing with my problems.

Heck, I’d volunteered to plan a party for a stranger instead of going home to face the music with my mother. If that didn’t scream, “I have issues,” I don’t know what did.

“Almost all my life.”

Bells leaned forward. “What part?”

I played with the cap on the table. “Manhattan.”

“Oh, money New York.”

“Parents’ money.”

“What’s that like?” Bells propped her elbows on the table. “I just have my dad, and his money always went to beer and cards.”

I glanced up, expecting a sneer, but she seemed to be honestly curious. “Lots of parties I wished I could RSVP no to. I tend to take care of the party planning my mother would rather ignore.”

“So this is old hat for you.”

“I actually like this better. The seating chart is way easier,” I said with a grin.

“Oooh.” Her dark eyes sparkled. “Society drama?”

“More who’s sleeping with who. Mistresses, lovers, messy divorces. Then add in some politics and overall new rich versus old rich. It’s exhausting.”

“Oh,Real Housewivesstyle drama.”

I relaxed back in my chair. “I’ve never watched an episode.”

“Probably because you live it.”

She wasn’t wrong. “Anyway, after the Reid thing, I’m not looking forward to going home any time soon.”

“Reid is the guy who got decked at the wedding, right?”

I laughed. “Yes.”

“Did he break your heart?”

I thought about it for a moment. “No. More a slap to my pride.” I knew Reid had been a mistake the moment I’d accepted a date with him after the Clay embarrassment.

Was I simply reacting and moving on from one drama to the next?

“Hey.” Bells covered my hand that had been picking at the cap. “Men are a pain in the ass. Generally, when you add money into the mix it just makes them worse.”

“Thanks. You’re not wrong.”

“Believe me, I’ve had nothing but trouble with men on either side. The rich ones are usually way more trouble than they’re worth—literally.”

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