Page 13 of Say You Will

“And Spencer?”

“Yes?”

“No other names. I’m done with my search.”

His face glows with excitement. “Really? Do I get to plan the wedding?”

“Leave.”

“Leaving.”

A shot of tequila is in order. Not because I’m nervous. I’m not the kind of person who gets nervous. I deal with life and death situations as a matter of course. I’m a successful businessman. I’m not afraid to talk to a woman. I’m thirsty.

Shoving one hand in my pocket, I twist the fidget spinner I keep there and head for the open bar. One shot. Then I’ll say,“Hello, Franki. It’s been a long time.”

She’ll smile and say,“It sure has. How are you, Henry?”

After that, I’ll ask her to slow dance.

Sweat prickles at my temples, and I dab it with a logo-emblazoned bar napkin. Why is it always so damn hot and loud in these places? At least three different perfumes clash in the air around me. I sniff my own arm where Lacey touched me.Shit. She pressed her entire front against my side when she approached me. Glitter sparkles on my jacket sleeve, and I smell like a woman. Fuck me sideways.

Where was I?

Dancing. At which time I’ll talk with her and discover her current situation. If financial recompense isn’t enough incentive, Franki may be willing to help an old friend out as a favor.

After we dance, I’ll secure a meeting with her tomorrow. I can easily imagine the reactions of my friends and family if I tell them I secured her agreement to be my wife in twenty-four hours, but the clock on those shares is ticking.

Besides, it’s not really twenty-four hours, is it? Franki and I have ten years of friendship and nearly five years of at-a-distance monthly reports on her welfare. Not that Franki knows I’ve been monitoring her. I did my best to give her as much privacy as I could while maintaining our family's standard security protocols. That doesn’t mean I didn’t perseverate over each and every report when it came in.

At any rate, when there are whispers that a lucrative property is about to come on the market, do I wait around for a bidding war, or do I get in there and make it mine before anyone else even realizes what they’re missing? The answer is“I make it mine.”

The blonde bartender smiles. “What can I get you?”

“A shot of mezcal.” A deep breath through my nose. “Make that two shots.”

I turn back toward the dance floor to keep an eye on Franki. When I scan the area near the head table, I realize she’s moved from her original location. I can’t lose track of her.

There. She’s turned slightly away, standing in a corner near the edge of the dance floor. Her silky-looking gown fits her like a second skin.

I have the strong urge to take off my jacket and cover her with it. Not because she isn’t gorgeous, but because, if I still know her at all, she despises the cut of that dress.

Flicking the fidget spinner in my hand, I give myself a silent pep talk. I can do this. It’s just talking to her. She won’tnot like me anymorebecause five years have passed.

Her tinkling laugh rings out as she speaks with someone out of my view, her companion hidden from me behind a towering display of roses.

The man moves in closer, and I catch a glimpse of a tuxedo-clad arm. Then, wide shoulders. Pretty-boy features that belong on a male model come into view. A flirtatious smile plays on his lips as he stares at Franki’s mouth. With a casual hand, he brushes back wind-swept brown hair that he’s styled that way on purpose. His eyes are the exact same shape as mine, but green, rather than blue.

Then my brother’s hand is on my future wife’s lower back.

“Here you go.” Two shots land on the bar, but I’m already gone.

four

Franki

Can't Pretend | Tom Odell

The candelabras twinkle, andthe music provides a romantic soundtrack as the crowds swarm through this ballroom, a bunch of little worker bees relentlessly networking under the guise of having a fantastic time. Or maybe everyone really is having fun, and I’m jaded after spending the last five years of my life on the periphery of the film industry. I’m not what anyone would call a social butterfly. Mostly I do my best to blend into the background.

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