“Nope. I bet she is just money hungry and thinks that marrying a Navy SEAL is her ticket to a rich life. She has no idea how hard it is to be a military wife.”
“Well, what about their PDA at the ballgame? When he grabbed her and kissed her, I swear the group of us almost swooned.”
“Oh my God, that was hot.”
More laughter.
I recognized Lauren’s voice. “Harper told me that she and Jackson are still running together.”
I froze at that comment.
“Shut the front door.”
“Holy shit.”
Yes, my sentiments exactly. My heart pounded.
“Harper is heartbroken. They were talking marriage. And he came back married…to that child.”
“If I were Harper, I would lose my mind over this.”
“Harper doesn’t think this marriage will last.”
“What do you mean?”
“She said her and Jackson have talked and that this marriage is pretty much doomed.”
“So, she is just biding her time then.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“It baffles me. How do you break up the perfect relationship and after three months, come back married to a stranger?”
Silence.
“Maybe he knocked her up?”
“Do you think?”
“No way. Remember when June dated him? She said he was religious about birth control. She was on the pill, and he always used a condom.”
“Harper told me the same thing. She said he was beyond fanatical about birth control.”
“Well regardless, he made a huge mistake. She is a total wannabe trying to act like she is better than everyone else. I’m definitely on Team Harper.”
“Jackson is so hot. Emily is cute, but he is way out of her league. This is never going to last.”
“Sounds like he's already regretting this. According to Harper.”
So much emotion coursed through me, I could barely see. Private school 101. Never let the haters see your pain. I walked around the corner. I looked around the room at all eight women. Charlotte and Brenda openly stared back. The rest had the grace to avoid my gaze.
It was apparent I stood in the middle of an enemy camp. I knew from experience that it's better to retreat than anything else. I'd never get a fair trial in this crowd. I had no defense. No way to retaliate because almost everything they had said was the truth. All I wanted to do was run.
I lifted my chin and walked to the door. My head held up high.
I don’t know what possessed me, but I paused, and I looked over my shoulder. “Who thought my bag was Prada?”
They stared, slack-jawed, at me. I had hung around enough rich snobs to know how to take a shot back. It wasn’t my style, but I couldn’t bear to walk out of yet another room with my tail between my legs.