Chapter 33
33
Preston
“ S o,” Shane says a few minutes later, “have you learned your lesson yet? Whatever point Granddad was trying to make? Because I’m still not sure I know what mine was.”
The three of us—me, Shane, and Quinn—are lounging against a tree not far from Hanna’s house. Natalie’s on the other side of the yard, helping Hanna’s sister-in-law Amanda set out food.
Shane doesn’t even look like he broke a sweat during the Nerf proceedings. Since he moved back to Rush Creek, he’s been embracing the cowboy-chic thing and wearing untucked button-downs, jeans, and cowboy boots. Today he’s even got an expensive-looking cowboy hat tipped at a slight angle on his too-good-looking head. Maybe movie stars don’t sweat.
“Your lesson from Granddad was Don’t be an asshole ,” Quinn grumbles. “And mine was I should have let you eat the poisonous mushroom .”
Shane snorts. “You’re never going to let that go, are you.”
Quinn scowls. “It was a big missed opportunity to get away with murder.” But he gives Shane a fond shove with his shoulder.
“I’ve learned a few lessons,” I say, shrugging. “Like Shane shoulda let me invest his earnings from the first Crown of Spires movie because if he had, he’d be as rich as I am now.”
Shane rolls his eyes. “So you got lucky a few times.”
“I got smart a few times,” I say.
He shrugs. “I mean, after a point, rich is rich, right?”
Quinn clears his throat, and we both turn to glare at him. “Yeah, yeah, we know,” I tell him.
“I’m just saying.” He lifts a shoulder. “There’s rich, and then there’s rich .”
Quinn makes Shane and me look like paupers by comparison. Also, in contrast to his wealth and to our movie-star brother, Quinn exists almost exclusively in well-worn nerd T-shirts. Today’s says, I try to tell chemistry jokes. But there’s no reaction .
“So,” Shane says. “Speaking of Granddad and his fucked-up lessons, what do you think he’s got cooked up for Rhys and Tucker?”
Sonya and Ivy join us, Sonya laying her head on Quinn’s shoulder. Her forehead crinkles. “I mean, it would be pretty awesome if the guy whose job is literally breaking up marriages had to get married.”
“Ooh,” Ivy says. Her girl-next-door prettiness gives Sonya’s elegant polish a run for its money. “Are we talking about Rhys? I’ve been thinking about what your granddad is going to do to torture him.”
“Yeah,” Sonya says. “I’m betting on some kind of arranged-marriage thing.”
“But would your grandfather actually do that? Even with Shane and me, he didn’t make Shane get engaged to me. It just sort of…happened.” Ivy cocks her head. “It’s not clear whether he even knew I existed. I’m almost like a side effect.”
Shane grumbles, “You make it sound like we tripped and fell into a fake engagement.”
“It was a little like that.” Ivy shrugs. She snuggles up to Shane’s side and rests her head against his shoulder. “In the best possible way.” She smiles up at him, and I watch Shane’s expression go gooey. “Maybe Rhys will trip and fall into a fake engagement, too.”
“With who?” Sonya asks.
Shane snorts. “Clearly someone who has elaborate dreams of lacy white weddings with all the trimmings. Rhys hates weddings.”
“Are we talking about what Granddad is going to do to Rhys?” Hanna asks, bumping up between Shane and me. “Because I’m totally convinced it’s going to have something to do with wedding planning. Can you see it?”
We all nod. Because we really, really can.
“Oh, hey, and this is weird. Did you know one of my clients knows him? Apparently he represented her husband in their divorce. She didn’t know Rhys was my brother when she booked at Hott Springs Eternal. She spotted him in a family photo and was like, ‘Wait a sec.’”
“Ha, that’s hilarious!” Ivy says. “So Rhys got her divorced, and you’re getting her married again. You’re like her angel and her devil. Is it awkward for her, though? If she runs into Rhys?”
“Gonna try to keep that from happening,” Hanna says. “He’s not around much. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Famous last words,” Shane mutters. “Everything always proceeds according to plan around here.”
We’re all quiet for a moment, contemplating that. I sneak a look at Natalie; she’s laughing with Amanda, head thrown back, curls bouncing, and something in my chest tightens and warms.
“And Tucker? What’s Granddad going to do to Tuck?” Quinn asks.
We all look around the circle at each other. Lately Tucker’s been even grimmer and more absent than usual. He lives in Rush Creek now, but recently he hasn’t joined the fray much, not unless we pressure him to. We’ve been trying to leave him alone, let him work through…whatever it is.
“It would be like kicking a puppy,” Sonya says softly, and there’s a murmur of agreement around the circle. “Maybe he won’t get an assignment.”
“And maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt?” Shane offers. He turns to look at me. “I’m going to address the elephant in the room here. What’s going on with you and Natalie? And don’t say Nothing . The two of you looked awfully chummy coming out of the woods together.”
“And you’ve been spending a ton of time in that conference room together,” Hanna supplies. “With the blinds drawn.”
Five pairs of suspicious eyes pin me.
Traitor. I glare at her. She shrugs as if to say, Just telling it like it is .
“Nothing,” I say.
The suspicious expressions get, if anything, more suspicious.
“Come on,” Shane says. “Quinn and Sonya, Ivy and me…you and Nat? That would make a perfect track record for Granddad’s shenanigans. Three happily-ever-afters.”
My throat tightens.
“Don’t,” Quinn says. “You’ll scare the boy. He’s at a vulnerable moment right now.” He smirks at me. “You have to walk through the fire before you can embrace the happily-ever-after.”
“Quit it,” I say grumpily. “Grandfather isn’t some kind of magic ghostly matchmaker. Not everyone is going to end up with happily-ever-afters. Not all of us even want them. Some of us might have thought we had them and realized they’re bullshit. Maybe my happily-ever-after is getting this shit done, getting my ass out of here, and getting back to New York City so I can get my deal signed.”
I become aware of a disturbance in the circle of friends and family around me. Big eyes and coughs and Hanna’s not-terribly-subtle hand across the throat in the universal signal for Cut!
“Hey, everyone,” Natalie says smoothly, joining the circle, smiling around at us.