Page 73 of Pretty Rings and Broken Things

He hangs up, and for a moment, I stand in place with the phone still pressed to my ear, wondering how much I’ll regret that come Monday morning. When I turn to see Winnie, I know that I won’t regret it too much because this weekend has already been worth whatever wrath I’ll get from my dad.

“Everything okay?” she asks, her voice worried.

I watch her for a moment, not answering. Sometimes it’s hard for me to forget who she is—who her family is. I was raised to believe anyone with the last name Bishop isenemy number one. It was basically a family mantra to never trust a Bishop. My father and grandfather would be so disappointed to know that I do trust her, even with the knowledge of knowing exactly who she is.

“I’ll find out on Monday,” I tell her, crossing the room and grabbing clothes from my suitcase.

For a moment, I wonder if I should let the guys go to the club without me and I can stay back and help handle whatever my dad needs, but I also don’t want to go back on what I told him. If I call back now and try to fix this, I’ll be doing the same thing I’ve always done.

For once, I want to set at least a small boundary with my dad. He ran a company without me for years; whatever it is, he can handle it on his own, or it can truly wait until Monday.

At least, that’s what I hope.

CHAPTER 38

WINNIE

“I still can’t believethis is what you guys call a country club,” Pippa says from her lounger at Pembroke Hills’ spa. She looks like she belongs in an ad for the spa with the cucumbers on her eyes and the drink with orange and cucumbers floating around in the glass she’s holding.

“There’s a beautiful country club with a stunning golf course in Sutten,” Margo argues, lifting one of the cucumbers off her eyes to look at Pippa. “I know this because my husband wants to golf there all the time.”

Pippa laughs. “Good to know for this summer. Should I expect Camden to always be joining him?”

Margo nods. “Oh yeah, we’ll lose them to golf and business talk. The things the men do.” She laughs before stretching out her legs on the plush lounger.

“Well, they can golf all they want. You can find me at the spa. Although the Sutten Country Club is very nice, it doesn’t even compare to this.”

I discard both of the cucumbers from my eyes on the small table between Emma and me. Mine keep slipping off, and I’m over adjusting them.

“To be fair, this is the top country club in the US. It’sprestigious.” Emma drags out the last word dramatically. Hereyebrows wag underneath her cucumbers. Somehow, hers stay on way better than mine do.

“Emma, how do you even know that?” I ask.

“I did my research.Duh. You guys can’t invite me somewhere fancy and expect me to not find out every single detail about it. Do you even want to know how much a guest pass is to be here today?”

“Probably not,” Pippa chimes in, shaking her head.

“It’s a lot. The fact that Beck could get so many is actually very impressive.”

Margo laughs. “He can beverypersuasive. It’s hard for anyone to tell him no.”

Emma’s nose wrinkles. “Gross. I don’t want to know any of that information.”

The door opens, and one of the spa assistants walks in with a tray of mimosas with cut strawberries lining the rim.

“Are we beginning to feel relaxed here, ladies?” she asks, passing out the mimosas.

Everyone sits up, peeling their cucumbers from their face and discarding them.

“I feel very Zen,” Emma responds, eagerly taking the mimosa.

The woman smiles. “I’m so happy to hear that.” She keeps her voice low to keep that same “Zen” Emma talks about.

As soon as everyone has a mimosa and she tells us we’re welcome to hang out as long as we’d like before leaving the spa, she leaves just as quietly as she came in.

“Let’s do a toast,” Pippa offers, getting off her lounger to come sit next to me. Margo follows her lead, sitting on Emma’s lounger so we all sit in a makeshift circle.

“A toast is perfect,” I agree, raising my glass in the air.

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