Page 121 of Grand Love

“I can’t get the marquee up in the rain, Nina. I need it to be dry now!”

Okay… “Well, it’s not. There must be other things we can do.” I look around at the accessories she has littered on the terrace and steps.

“Like what? The lanterns? Because they’re going to get wet too,” she huffs, waving her hand in the back of the truck.

“Calm down, Scar.”

She scrubs her hand over her face as I climb onto the small platform to see what there is to unload.

“These need to go inside?” I ask, holding up one of the lanterns.

“They’re for Mum and Dad’s garden, but we will have to put them out tomorrow,” she tells me.

“Okay, then let’s put them in the library. Just until morning. See what the weather is like then?” I hand one of the glass domes out to her. “It’s only meant to be a shower. Don’t stress, okay? Everything is going to be perfect.”

“What if it isn’t?” She pauses with the lantern in her hand, looking up at the estate. “What if Mason doesn’t even come?”

“He’ll come.”

He better damn well come.

“How can you be so sure, have you spoken to him about it?”

“Not yet. I didn’t know if you wanted me to or if you were going to ask him. It might be better coming from you.”

“No, it wouldn’t. He’s used to telling me no. You do realise he didn’t come out here at all before he met you? He might drop things off or pick me or Dad up every now and then, but he never actually came inside.”

“And you think he will listen to me now, all of a sudden? If Mason is here on Saturday night, you should know it will be for you, Scar.”

“You’re talking out your ass but whatever, lady.”

“Scar!” I laugh, watching as she disappears around the open truck door.

She comes back a few minutes later empty-handed, and I offload another lantern from the boxes. “Are you going to bring Joey?”

“To the ball?” I frown.

“Yeah. You can, you know.”

“No. I can’t.” I laugh. Yes, Joey has become a friend this past year, but my priority right now, it’s fixing my family. “I don’t think Mason would be very impressed.”

“Oh, how bizarre.” She feigns shock. “I thought he was coming for me.”

I roll my eyes. “Shut up, idiot.”

“Lucy called me. She’s bringing Miller,” she says nonchalantly.

My head rears back, and I stand up straight. “Umm, what? I thought she was having a time-out on him?”

“Apparently, that’s over.” She shrugs.

“What?!” I question again. Why wouldn’t she tell me?

“Elliot’s going to be pissed, right?”

Closing my eyes, I draw in a deep breath. Lucy thinks that her relationship with Miller is going to come good, she always does. It’s what she did with Hugh and every other boyfriend before him. She thinks he will wake up one day and be Mr Right. “Elliot doesn’t really have a right to be pissed, Scar. But I see it. We will have to watch him; I don’t think he likes Miller very much.”

“I’m not exactly a fan. He seems a bit of a dick.”

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