Unsteady
. . .
Ellie
I was an idiot.
But in my defense, nobody warned me that dancing with the emotionally unavailable guy who bribed me to be his fake fiancé would trigger a kaleidoscope of butterflies swarming my stomach.
Settle down, I scolded them with a pointed glare at my belly.
The whimsical fairy lights weren’t helping, and neither were the stars peeking out now that the sun had fully set. It was like we were on the set of a romantic movie.
And I was a fraud dressed like a princess.
The two extra glasses of wine I’d snuck for confidence during dinner backfired, too. Wine always made me sleepy and cuddly and say things I probably shouldn’t.
The longer we swayed while Cade held me close, the more unsteady my steps grew. One slow love song drifted into another, and my cheek enjoyed its new home against his chest—until Madison tugged a grinning Harrison out onto the floor next to us.
“Who knew you could dance, bro?” Harrison teased, pulling Madison into his arms.
Cade ignored him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cade dance before either. Even at our wedding.” Madison winked at me and wrapped her arms around Harrison’s neck. “You must be a miracle worker, Ellie.”
I pulled my head off his chest with a light laugh. “I just had to promise we’d beat you at the Love Olympics.”
“Whoa, whoa. Careful making promises you can’t keep.” Harrison smirked. “We’ll destroy you both.”
“What are you willing to bet on that?” Cade asked, finally acknowledging his brother.
I poked his side. “No betting this time. It’s too much pressure.”
His lips twitched.
Harrison’s eyes narrowed at his brother, his smirk not going anywhere. “I can tell you already have something in mind. What is it?”
Cade answered instantly. “Loser backs the winner for the UK position.”
My jaw dropped, but Harrison just barked a laugh before letting go of Madison’s waist to hold out his hand. “Done.”
Dread filled my stomach. This was what Cade wanted—the entire point of our deal—and I didn’t have a great track record with physical competitions. I cleared my throat.
“Maybe something that important shouldn’t be decided by a bet?” I whispered through a tight smile.
“It’s fine,” Cade murmured, his hand flexing against my back. “We won’t lose again.”
Great. His confidence only increased the pressure.
I tried not to show my worry, but my swaying grew stiffer as the song went on. Thankfully, Piper and Vlad joined the dance floor and distracted Cade and his brother from making any more bets.
But after two more songs, the tightening knots in my stomach convinced me I needed a little more liquid courage to get through this evening.
I mumbled something about hydration to Cade, then beelined for our table and downed the rest of my wine.
I didn’t even need to ask for a refill—a server appeared like magic with a bottle, making me jump.
“Oh.” I held out my glass and watched him pour a generous amount. “Thank you.”
Belatedly pacing myself, I took a sip and looked back at the dance floor.
Madison was walking toward me, while Harrison had pulled Cade over to the bar—where he watched me with raised brows.
I made the universal signal telling him not to worry—a little wave with a smile that definitely didn’t look deranged.
But too much was going on. Butterflies and bets, and the lies were growing harder to keep track of with each day.
And here I was, almost believing we were on an actual date.
“Charity,” a feminine voice fake-coughed beside me, and I turned to see Candace watching me beneath hooded lids from her table. Fletcher nursed an amber drink next to her, more interested in the glass than her.
I thought I’d misheard her. “Pardon?”
She held my gaze, even as her upper lip rose. “You reek of lower class, yet here you are flaunting a custom Sergio Fiore I’m sure you didn’t pay a dime for? At least try to be subtle about the gold-digging, honey.”
I stiffened at the bite in her tone, but enough was enough. I bared my teeth in a tight smile. “Sorry, but what the heck is your problem—”
“Ellie!” Madison swooped in and hooked her arm through mine, leading me toward the inside lounge while I clung to my glass. “I promise I’ll talk to Candace about how childish she’s being, but better for you to ignore her. She’s just jealous.”
I frowned, glancing back at the scowling blonde while also trying to keep up with Madison’s quick pace. “Of who? Me? That makes no sense.”
Candace was clearly a badass in the fashion industry, while as far as she knew I was a server and head of robotics at a cat café. It wasn’t exactly a competitive job. If she wanted to work there too, I was sure Kitty would hire her.
Not that I’d be happy about it.
Madison’s lips curved in amusement. “Doesn’t it? You bagged Cade Westbrook. Candace has been hanging around Harrison and his friends since college, trying to get a ring. She even set her eyes on my man at first, but I shot that down real quick.”
We walked through a sliding door, and I barely avoided ramming into a server carrying a tray of drinks from the opposite direction. “But didn’t she get what she wanted? She’s marrying Fletcher.”
Madison shrugged, letting go of my arm and finding a seat on the couch. “Candace loves the lifestyle more than she loves Fletch, and Cade would’ve been a major upgrade in the net worth department. She’d hate anyone in your shoes right now—which are stunning, by the way. Who designed them?”
I stayed standing and took a deep breath, the dress even more constricting for airflow now. And I’d been too distracted by how sparkly the shoes were to check for a designer when I put them on. “Um, I don’t know.”
She snorted a laugh. “You’re a breath of fresh air. It’s no wonder Cade snatched you up.”
I blinked, not sure where that’d come from. “That’s really nice of you to say.”
“It’s the truth, but I also pulled you in here to be a little nosy.” Her eyes danced while I took a generous gulp of wine. “How’s the wedding planning going? Have you set a date yet?”
“Oh. No, not yet.” I cleared my throat, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here. Madison was being so nice to me, and now she was asking questions I could only answer with lies.
Downing the rest of my wine, I looked around for an escape while Madison talked about how gorgeous Lake Como would be for a spring wedding. I nodded along, pretending I knew what she was talking about while she segued into advice about dresses and veils and flower arrangements.
I scratched at my inner elbow until the next time a server came by carrying a tray of drinks. The second she was within arm’s length, I reached for a glass before thinking twice and grabbing the bottle next to it instead.
The server’s eyes widened in alarm. “Ms. Darling, I can pour that for you—”
“I got it!” My voice came out way too loud, and I hastily cleared my throat with a wince. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I’ll just keep this bottle if that’s all right, please?”
She hesitated before nodding and scurrying away, making me feel even worse.
But Madison was all smiles. “Letting loose tonight?”
I poured enough into my glass to almost fill it. “Something like that.”
She leaned forward. “You and Cade usually hole up in your cabin pretty early, but some of us like to have a few drinks and hang out on deck after dinner. You want to join us?”
I glanced through the floor-to-ceiling windows—Cade stood over by the bar with Harrison. To be completely honest, I wasn’t ready to be alone with him again. And I could definitely use another drink. “Sure, why not?”
Her grin widened. “Perfect. I asked the chef to stock some Jell-O shots in the kitchen, and now feels like the perfect time to raid them.”
Doing shots was both a brilliant and terrible idea.
Dinner had wrapped up, and we found our way back on deck around the sun loungers.
I sat with Madison and Piper, both regaling me with old stories about Cade and Harrison.
The shots made us giggly, and eventually Harrison joined in the fun while the others hung out at the bar.
Then Harrison had to go and make me feel even worse by sitting next to me and pulling me into an unexpected hug.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my brother laugh like he did on the beach. Too long.” He pulled back with a big smile. “Part of me hates that I wasn’t the one to do it, but I’m just happy it happened. Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t thank me.” I waved him off, laughing awkwardly. “I didn’t do anything.”
“No, I’m serious. The difference is night and day. This is the first time in years that I’ve hung out with Cade and we haven’t talked business or gotten interrupted by his work calls. Years, Ellie,” he emphasized. “Is it too soon to tell you I love you? Because I really do.”
“And I’m only okay with him saying that because you’re our future sister-in-law,” Madison added with a wink, while my stomach sank.
I was officially a horrible person. A horrible, terrible manipulator. They were being so welcoming to me, while I was lying to their faces.
A goofy grin warmed Harrison’s face. “I’ve always wanted a little sister.”
The liquor curdled in my stomach.
“Please stop. Seriously. You two are way too sweet.” I mustered a weak smile, clenching my fists in my lap.
The itch to find another drink and numb my panic was strong, and I stood up while searching for the nearest tray of drinks—only to find the brunette server standing a couple feet behind me with a familiar glass of white wine, immediately offering it to me.
I melted in relief and accepted the glass. “Thank you.”
I drank a big gulp just as Cade appeared beside me, taking ahold of my arm.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough, Darling?” he asked through a stiff smile.
I tugged my arm out of his grip, then took a step to catch my balance. He didn’t understand the pressure I was under. And now I just felt foolish, knowing my face was getting pink from a mixture of drinking and embarrassment as I scowled. “I know my limits, cuddle muffin.”
Harrison snorted at the pet name.
Cade was the last person I wanted to see right now.
He was the reason for all this lying and the hives driving me crazy.
It was his fault the butterflies had taken up camp in my stomach and that Madison and Harrison were saying such nice and totally undeserving things to me.
If they knew I’d been lying to their faces for days…
My stomach surged, and I swallowed the urge to puke.
Okay, I needed to go. Now.
“Ellie?” Cade was back at my side instantly. “What’s wrong?”
My stomach gurgled unhappily, and I cupped a hand over it. “Um, I don’t feel so good.”
His hands found my waist. “You’re okay. Come with me.”
I let him lead me over to the side of the deck, even though I was still mad at him. I leaned against the railing before resting my forehead against the cool, smooth wood. The nausea made sweat break out on my neck, and I moaned pitifully.
Standing there with Cade rubbing a soothing hand down my bare back, the weight of my role in this deception hit me like a train.
It was all too much. I just wanted to be back in my tiny attic above Kitty’s café, cuddling with Whiskey and working on new crochet projects.
Not living like a master spy pulling off the deceit of a lifetime.
“Cade?” I mumbled weakly.
He used his free hand to tuck my hair back behind my ears. “Yeah?”
I took a deep breath, deciding to just rip off the Band-Aid. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
His fingers brushed the shell of my ear, eliciting a cheer from the dumb butterflies. “Do what?”
“This.” I motioned between us, and even that simple action made me dizzy. I closed my eyes and willed the nausea down. “Our deal.”
He stiffened against me. “Ellie—”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t—I can’t keep lying,” I blurted, struggling to take a full breath in the constricting dress.
“First the hives, and now I’ve turned to liquor.
I don’t know who I am anymore. But I’m pretty sure I’ll throw up on this beautiful deck in front of everyone, and Candace will think I did it for attention.
That’s more humiliation than I can take.
It’d be better for both of us if you just end our deal and drop me off at the nearest sign of land. I’ll find my way home somehow.”
To my horror, tears pooled in my eyes. It was more than I’d meant to say, but there was also a small freedom in getting the truth out. I braced myself for Cade to agree.
Three seconds of silence—and another wave of nausea that made me whimper—was all the warning I got before Cade scooped me up into his arms and cut across the deck toward the stairs.