CHAPTER 21
T he engagement party was as lovely and perfect as Mallory imagined. Max had shut down the diner, offering guests the run of the whole restaurant. CeCe’s parents had flown in separately, and despite her nerves over them getting along, it seemed they were. Mallory didn’t know them well, but they weren’t yelling or glaring, so she considered that a win.
Of course, her parents were there, her mother flitting about like she was the one in charge. Mallory thought it was cute that CeCe let her think that. Nothing could be more annoying than Pamela Lawson if she didn’t get her way. Although, Mallory was certain, her father Dale could give them all a run for their money. Sophie, Emily, their husbands, and kids represented the rest of the Lawson clan.
Not for the first time, Mallory wished she had her own plus one to keep an eye on her. Their secret dating was nebulous at best, and she yearned for a true partner like her siblings had. As if being summoned from her daydreams, Beckett appeared at her side with a glass of wine and a plate stacked with snacks. He looked handsome in a light gray suit that made his eyes pop. His glasses were in place, but a small blob of cocktail sauce clung to the corner of one lens.
Placing a hand at the small of her back, he steered Mallory toward the corner of the counter where there were two vacant stools. “Thought we could both use a break,” he said as he arranged the plates and glasses. Mallory missed the contact, but she appreciated the refreshments.
“Where’s the cheesy bites?” she asked, peering under a napkin.
“This ain’t my first rodeo.” Beckett winked, sliding a plate overflowing with the little delicacies. Mallory greedily popped two in her mouth before Beckett had a chance to sit down. “Hey now, save some for me. I took my life into my own hands when I went searching for these. I’m pretty sure the mayor’s wife tried to stab me with a shrimp fork.”
Mallory snorted, mostly because she knew Natalie could totally take Beckett down if she wanted to...utensils not required. “Thank you for your service.” She held up a cheesy bite between her fingers, and much to her delight, Beckett leaned in with his mouth open. Deciding it was best not to overthink this public display, she inched closed and placed the morsel on his tongue. It was an intimate gesture, one they’d shared countless times. But now, sitting at her brother’s engagement party surrounded by everyone she loved, it felt monumental. More importantly, it felt right.
Beckett made a guttural sound that brought a flush to Mallory’s cheeks. “What the hell does CeCe do to these things? I swear, there’s got to be crack in there or something.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before grabbing one of the wine glasses. “I hope you didn’t mind white. I took the first thing I found.”
Sipping from her glass, Mallory savored the crisp fruitiness of the wine for a moment. She nodded her approval and watched Beckett munch on a tiny puff pastry ladened with shrimp. His eyes flashed when the spicy sauce hit his tongue, but he recovered quickly with a cough.
Beckett looked as delectable as the appetizers they were currently devouring. His red hair was slicked back, giving the perfect opportunity to stare at his five o’clock shadow and tortoise shell glasses. Yet again, they were slightly askew, but he didn’t seem to notice.
Mallory yanked at the hem of her dress, which was the same blue as Beckett’s shirt. When she arrived and saw they coordinated without planning, it brought a lump to her throat that she was still trying to ignore. Yet again, without even trying to, they were in sync.
As if reading her mind, Beckett leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “You look gorgeous tonight.”
Mallory shivered at the sensation of his breath on her neck. “Thanks, so do you.” Idly, she reached out to smooth his tie back into place. She felt the warmth of his skin through the cotton of his shirt, and reminded herself they weren’t supposed to be doing this. They weren’t supposed to look like a couple. This was Evan and CeCe’s time, and she needed to remember that.
“Are you coming over to my place later?” Beckett asked, his eyes locked on hers.
Attempting to hide her growing blush, Mallory sipped from her glass and looked around the room. No one seemed to be paying them any attention, but still she worried. “I want to, but I’ll have to see what my sisters are up to.”
Beckett nodded, toying with the charm bracelet on Mallory’s wrist. The metal charms clattered together like a miniature windchime. “Your sisters like me,” Beckett said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I could always just tag along like when we were kids.”
Mallory returned his grin, because he wasn’t wrong. Sophie and Emily adored him, but that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that she wanted Beckett with her as her boyfriend, as her plus-one. Not to mention, Emily was on to them and wouldn’t make it easy on him.
Just as she was about to say something, Evan and CeCe approached. They were arm in arm, both wearing matching smiles and heart-eyes. CeCe was in a very un-CeCe ensemble of a midi dress the color of whipped cream paired with ballet flats. Her blond hair was pulled up into a chignon, and she even wore a touch of makeup. She practically radiated next to Evan. Her brother wore a white Oxford and tie with wedges of cheese on it. He was adorably Evan, and her heart swelled.
“There you two are.” CeCe pulled Mallory in for a quick hug and swatted Beckett on the arm. “How’s the food?”
Beckett gestured toward their empty plates, not a crumb left on them. “Freaking amazing. I can’t believe you cooked for your own party.”
Mallory and Evan said in unison, “I can.”
CeCe rolled her eyes but laughed with the group. “Sue me. I am a bit of a control freak in the kitchen.”
“If these are the results, you won’t get an argument from me.”
For a few moments, the foursome chatted about the food and the party. The atmosphere was relaxed, and Mallory leaned into Beckett’s side. Her feet were killing her in these heels, which she promised herself she’d destroy as soon as the evening was over. Whether intentional or not, Beckett leaned back, providing a solid support. This close, she could smell the warm cedar of his cologne.
“Foxy, I almost forgot.” Evan theatrically slapped his forehead, his tell that whatever he was about to say was in no way a surprise. Apparently none of the Lawsons could lie worth a damn. “I’ve got someone for you to meet.”
Beckett’s glass froze mid-way to his lips as his eyes quickly darted to Mallory. “Oh, yeah?” His tone was casual, but he tensed beside her.
Evan nudged CeCe in the side before continuing. “Yeah, she’s a friend of CeCe’s.”
Mallory looked around the diner, eager to see which single women roamed among them. She’d met a few of CeCe’s friends, but most of them lived in Buckeye Falls. Obviously Alice, Ginny, and Natalie weren’t going to be competition. Suddenly a pop of purple appeared in the crowd and a lithe woman in her late twenties joined them. She looked vaguely familiar, and Mallory wracked her brain to remember where she’d met this woman.
“Julia!” CeCe exclaimed, breaking away from Evan’s side to hug her friend. “We were just talking about you.”
Evan took Beckett’s hand and yanked him a step closer to the other woman. “Julia, you need to meet my best man, Beckett Fox. Foxy and I go way back.” He clapped his friend on the back and continued, “This is Julia. She used to work with CeCe up in Chicago.”
The appreciative stare Julia sent Beckett’s way made Mallory’s toes curl—which was pretty painful in these shoes. “Very nice to meet you, Beckett.” Her voice was deep and velvety, like she was speaking through her own personal sound system.
Dutifully, Beckett took her hand and shook it, dropping it like it was on fire. “Nice to meet you, too.”
For a moment, no one said anything, and Mallory couldn’t handle the silence. “And I’m Mallory, Evan’s sister. I think we met at the food truck competition last year.”
Finally, Julia looked away from Beckett and nodded at Mallory. “Oh yeah, hey.”
“Hey,” Mallory replied lamely, hating the entire interlude. It was obvious from the looks everyone was sharing that she was the odd person out—yet again. If they had been honest with Evan, they could have avoided this awkward attempt at matchmaking.
CeCe clapped her hands, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I need to grab a few more things for the cupcakes, and Evan needs a few minutes with the Lawsons.” Turning to Mallory, she asked, “Do you mind helping me in the back for a few minutes?”
Evan nodded like it was the greatest idea he’d ever heard in his entire life. “That’s a great idea! Then Julia and Beckett can get to know each other.”
Mallory faced Beckett, waiting for him to say something, anything to show he wasn’t interested in getting to know Julia. But he didn’t do anything other than nod and smile at the other woman. Mallory had had enough. “Show me where the cupcakes are,” she said to CeCe as she stomped off. Her feet howled in pain, but she couldn’t slow her pace. She needed to get away from everyone.
From behind her, she heard CeCe greet new guests on their way to the back. As soon as she reached the kitchen, Mallory kicked off her shoes and hurled them to the corner. CeCe’s footfalls faltered when she joined her future sister-in-law. “What’s wrong?”
“These freaking shoes. I don’t know why I thought they were a good idea. I should stick with what I know, which are crocs and sneakers.”
CeCe stepped over to the far wall where a bank of lockers stood. She opened one of them and tossed a pair of Converse to Mallory. “They’re probably a size too small, but leave them unlaced and you’ll be fine.”
“Thanks,” Mallory said, doing just that. She could hardly wiggle her toes, but it was better than standing barefoot in the diner’s kitchen.
CeCe went to work pulling out trays of cupcakes from the chiller drawer before gathering jars of sprinkles. “We just need to put a few shakes of each on each cupcake. I’m not getting that technical today.”
“You got it.” Mallory quickly washed her hands and got to work on the decorations. She slid a completed tray closer to CeCe who nodded her approval.
“You’re a natural. If you ever get tired of saving lives, I can always use a hand.”
Mallory chuckled, but kept her focus on the task at hand. If she focused on sprinkles, she wouldn’t think of the love connection happening just beyond the kitchen’s doors.
“I’m sorry, you know.”
“For what?” Mallory asked, keeping her attention on a finicky cupcake that was falling out of its wrapper.
“For Evan’s matchmaking with Beckett and Julia. Evan didn’t share his plans until we were walking over to greet you guys.”
Mallory froze at CeCe’s statement. She carefully put the cupcake down and met her gaze. “It’s fine. It’s not like we’re official or anything.” She shook the sprinkle cannister too hard, covering one of the cakes with a half cup of edible confetti. Muttering to herself, she shook off the excess before shoving the treat in her mouth. She chewed and fought off a wave of tears. She would not break down at the engagement party.
CeCe handed her a paper towel and glass of water. “Take a moment. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Mallory dabbed at her lips with the towel and focused on slowing her breathing. “I’m fine. It’s fine. Beckett and I aren’t—”
“Completely in love with each other? Yeah, I’m not buying that.”
Mallory spluttered, trying to think of the perfect excuse. Crumbs fell from her mouth, a sad version of confetti. “We’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t buy that for a heartbeat. You already forgot our conversation from last week? I don’t think friends feed each other cheese and fix each other’s hair.” She thrust her hands on her hips and sighed. “I saw the looks you two were giving each other back there. Beckett looked like he’d rather tame a pack of wild lions that talk with Julia. And you, miss grumpy pants, look like someone punted Fernando across the diner. You two are clearly made for each other.” CeCe trailed her finger through the pile of sprinkles and added, “You need to tell Evan the truth.”
“I know.” Mallory’s pulse hammered in her temples. She idly rubbed the tender skin, willing herself out of a headache. If CeCe had figured it out, how hadn’t Evan?
Reading her mind, CeCe soldiered on. “And I’m guessing my sweet fiancé is clueless about you two, right? God, I love that man with all my heart, but he certainly can’t see the forest for the trees.”
“We...we...” Mallory felt like a broken record, repeating nonsense while CeCe raised an eyebrow.
Evan burst through the kitchen door, an even bigger smile on his face than the last time she saw him. “Guess what,” he declared, striding to CeCe and picking her up. He twirled her in a circle before placing her back on the ground and kissing her senseless. “We’re going out after the engagement party. Mom and Dad will watch the kids, so all us couples can have a night out. Alice suggested the pub in Elm River, what do you say?”
“The couples?” Mallory asked, already hating where this was going.
Flinging an arm around CeCe’s shoulder, her brother grinned. “Yeah, and you of course. Julia and Beckett seem to be hitting it off, so I thought we’d see where that goes.”
In that instant, Mallory truly hated her brother and his blind optimism toward love. She wished he’d wear a pair of rose-colored glasses for her and Beckett, but apparently not. “Hard pass,” she spat, plodding toward the rear exit.
“Mal?” Evan chased after her, snagging her elbow before she could make her escape. She couldn’t look at him because she was moments away from a total, nuclear meltdown. This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t. She would not make a scene at her brother’s engagement party.
“I’ve got a headache. You guys have fun.” She shrugged off her brother’s hand and pushed outside. Behind her, she heard CeCe shouting for her to come back, but she couldn’t.
Mallory hated being a drama queen, but right now she couldn’t fathom spending time with a bunch of couples pretending she wasn’t in one, pretending she hadn’t been in love with Beckett for fifteen stupid years. This wasn’t a new dynamic, unfortunately, being tacked on as the single person; the one who couldn’t find their other half. It made the whole moment more frustrating because she had found her other half. But Beckett chose to stay quiet, to literally take another woman out for the night. Yet again, she’d gotten it all wrong. Their stolen kisses and secret nights together weren’t the beginning of something permanent. They were a continuation of the same pattern they’d been in forever.
Maybe it was finally time to break the pattern?
It took her the drive home to realize she was still in CeCe’s old sneakers, the fabric too tight on her toes. Mallory kept the shoes on because they felt as awkward and useless as she did at that moment.