Page 76 of The Upgrade

“Yep,” she says. “I was meeting a girlfriend for drinks and Miranda came through with her mom.”

Sara cocks her head. “Wasn’t she supposed to be back in London by now?”

“She’s moving to Portland.” Camille savors her dramatic pause. “They were talking with the events coordinator at the hotel. She’s gettingmarried.”

“Oh.” I flash to Kit’s face when he shared the story of his proposal. I remember his words over dinner. How calm and collected he seemed.

“We wanted completely different things. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t a rejection of me as a partner. More like marriage as an institution.”

Will it crush him to learn that’s not actually true?

“I’m surprised she’d tell you,” Sara says diplomatically. “I mean, before telling Kit.”

“I don’t think she meant to,” Camille says. “We were saying hello when a hotel employee came over. She started talking about the dessert station for the diamond wedding package, and Miranda and her mom got all weird and shushy.”

“Oh, shit.” That’s awkward.

Camille keeps going. “They tried to deny it and made up this story that they were playing a game where they pretended to plan someone’s wedding.”

Sara frowns. “That’s not even a very good lie.”

“No kidding.” I’ve been lying a lot lately, so I know. “You must have pressed them?”

Of course she did. “They eventually admitted it,” Camille says. “Miranda’s getting married to some rugby player in May.”

“Poor Kit,” Sara says. “Was she planning to let him know?”

“No, and that’s what pisses me off.” Camille’s seething now. “I asked Miranda point blank if she’d told him. She said it’s none of his business. That they’d cut ties and moved on with their lives.”

“Ouch.” I picture the woman I met at the book event. “I mean, that’s her right, but it seems harsh. Weren’t they together for years?”

“Off and on for almost a decade.” Camille shakes her head. “I thought I knew her. We were almost family. Likesisters. She didn’t even have the courtesy to be honest. That’s really what bugs me, I think.”

“That’s awful.” So is this sharp sting of guilt in my chest. “I’m sorry that feels like a betrayal.”

“It’s not even about me.” She waves one manicured hand. “At the very least, you’d think she’d have some basic consideration for Kit’s feelings.”

Sara looks troubled. “You think Kit still loves her?”

I’m holding my breath, almost afraid of the answer.

“Maybe.” Camille shrugs. “Who knows, really. I hope not. It honestly feels like a rebound thing with Miranda. Who goes leaping into a relationship just months after exiting one?”

I swallow hard, nodding. “Crazy.”

This is my chance to tell her. To come out and admit I’m more linked to her brother than she knows.

But I can’t do that without betraying Kit. And I can’t keep Kit’s secret without betraying my friend.

“Dammit,” I mutter, and Camille looks startled. “I feel bad for Kit,” I add, and she nods her agreement. “I don’t still love Brock, but I’d feel terrible if he suddenly married my cousin.”

“Right? I’m glad you get it, Eve.” She looks between Sara and me. “I just hate knowing someone I loved like a sister could be so callous.”

“It can’tnothurt.” Guilt clogs my throat again. “For Kit, I mean. It’s bad enough she’s marrying someone else only months after Kit got down on one knee with your grandmother’s ring and?—”

“Did I tell you that part?” Camille blinks.

Even Sara looks confused. “I never knew it was your grandmother’s ring.”

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