Page 99 of On Cloud Nine

“We lost our caterer after the wedding shower incident…” She glances at me. “And the cocktail-hour entertainment went under, so we need something to keep the guests busy for an hour before dinner.”

Bookings like this need to be planned months in advance. Especially with the fall socials lining up, there are fundraisers and galas left and right. If we have only a month and a half left before December, there’s no chance that two in-demand companies will be available.

“I have a task to add to that list. Get my brother, Davis, to come to the event,” Dad says.

“Why isn’t Uncle Davis coming?” I frown.What is happening back home?

“I’m sure he’ll give you an earful when you see him.” Dad’s jaw clenches. He and his brother are always fighting about something.

“I have three brothers; I definitely understand.” Matthew attempts a smile, but it looks as phony as the one I should be wearing. He’s become good at putting onthe act. “We’ll do it.”

“Fine,” I regale, trying to squash the growing discomfort in my body. It feels terrible—too potent, too loud, too big. But it’s there now, and I’m concerned it may not go away any time soon.

“And if you don’t succeed, you’ll have two months to patch things over with Lance before your twenty-seventh birthday.” Mom smiles.

Two choices sit in front of me. Either plan the impossible, or be the only one in my family who didn’t fulfill the stipulations in the Greene trust. Both will surely make my life even more difficult than it has been. Reality sets in. I may lose everything I hold dear: my parents, my independence, and the man who has captured my heart.

Chapter21

Molly

My suitcases rattleagainst the hardwood floors as my driver drags them into the foyer of my townhouse. “Would you like me to take these upstairs?”

“No, thank you, Dylan. I’ll deal with them later.” I rub my eyes. Fatigue burns my lids.

Nobody slept on the five-hour flight back to New York. I was hoping my parents would doze off so I could get a word in with Matthew, but they stayed wide awake, choosing to pore over their binders and computers in an agonizing silence.

After we landed at the Westchester airport, we all shuffled into our respective cars. One for me. One for Mom and Dad. One for Matthew, to take him home to Greenwich.

Perhaps Dylan could drive me there now and give me the opportunity to talk everything through with him. Guilt gnaws at my chest.

I’ve kept him away from his house, his cat, and his routine for two weeks. Now, my parents are forcing us to take on the impossible. The last thing Matthew wants to see is a Greene.

“Nice having you back, Molly.” My driver grins. I will my cheeks up, echoing his kind gesture.

“It’s great to be here,” I lie, hating the way the falsehood feels in my mouth. Maybe I could share a small truth, especially with Dylan. “But I do wish I got to stay in Sedona a little while longer.”

“Even the best journeys always bring us back home. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a good night.”

When the front door clicks shut, an anchor of loneliness drops into my stomach. The dark, muted townhouse is colder and emptier than it was before I left.

Five years ago, when I moved in here, I got a taste of my own life. Now, I realize that the place I thought was my home is just another hold my parents have over me.They made it so easy to get stuck in their clutches. I let them.

I slip out of my horse-bit-detail loafers and leave my Métier tote at the foot of the spiral staircase. Even turning on a light is an impossible task. Instead, I roam into the sitting room off the entryway and slump into the window seat, closing my eyes.

The swing of highs and lows from the past twenty-four hours has me hungover.

I want to run away or pick up a book to escape. Flee to a world where all those vanishing powers I dream about having actually exist.

But the wrench in my plans isn’t going away. I have to confront what’s happening. My parents lied to me. I can’t run away from that any longer.

They probably never planned on approving the marriage after we completed the course. I’m sure they thought Matthew and I would fail, or I would give in to the weight of our legacy.

I inhale a sharp breath. I should get to bed. It’s the middle of the night, and I only have one more day before I face work on Monday. Although, I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.

A smattering of cobalt blue hides under my nails. The ache in my rib cage deepens.

What’s going to happen now? Did I imagine what was unfolding between Matthew and me?

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