Page 40 of Charmed and Alarmed

The timing is bad, though, and keeping it quiet seems like the right thing to do, at least for now. Honor is getting married soon, and E&V is getting its ducks in a row for the big expansion. Their proposal was put before the city planning commission and passed with ease, which means it would be a very inconvenient time for one of the owners to put his fist into the other’s face.

So, I kiss my boyfriend goodbye in the car outside the apartment and go stand inside, waiting for my totally unnecessary ride. A quarter of an hour later, and we’re pulling into the parking lot of the country club where they’re holding the party, Dad grumbling about not being allowed to pay for anything, Sophie rolling her eyes and trying to distract him with the very low cut of her dress, and me wondering how long is really feasible for my relationship to be a dirty little secret.

“Let’s hide,” Sophie declares as soon as we’ve cleared the front doors, looping her arm through mine and steering me in the direction of the bar. Despite being a little early, the room is already filling with people. My grandparents are here, though thankfully appear to be wholly focused on Honor and Julian, and I get the sense that Sophie would rather push off the inevitable introductions as long as possible.

The restaurant borders a golf course, and the doors are standing open, filling the room with warm summer air and music from the six-piece band stationed on the patio. Honor is wearing white, her pale hair braided back from her face, glowing with happiness despite the onslaught of attention from elderly relatives. Her fiancé is glued to her side, shaking hands and beaming at everyone, so obviously over the moon at the prospect of marrying my sister.

Nobody attempts to talk to either of us as we grab cocktails from the bar and station ourselves behind a table in a far corner of the room. “I’m super excited to see Granny be mean to you, not gonna lie,” I tell her over the rim of my drink.

Sophie blanches. “Pretty sure Bram had words with her. I caught him muttering into the phone the other day,somethingaboutsomebodynot being a gold digger.”

“You do have the boobs for it.”

“Thank you.” She sounds genuinely touched. “But do you really think she’ll be mean?”

I consider it. “Notmean, mean. But. She’s a rich, Connecticut grandmother. They’re not known for being free thinking. It always killed her that my parents never got married.”

Apparently unconsciously, Sophie glances down at her bare left hand, and there’s a tiny frown pulling at the corners of her lips as she returns to surveying the room.

“Doyouwant to get engaged?” I ask innocently, taking another sip of my drink.

Sophie’s expression pinches. “Just because Honor’s getting married doesn’t mean I need to as well. We don’t doeverythingtogether.”

Pretending I don’t notice the flush creeping up her neck seems kinder than calling her on it. Instead, I hum thoughtfully. “So, just to be clear, you wouldn’t want to know if Dad asked me about rings?”

Sophie—who is officially the most unchill person on Planet Earth, second only to my father—whips around to look at me, her bright green eyes all but bugging out of her head. “No, he did not.”

Stifling a laugh, I nod. “Last week, when you were looking at wedding venues with Honor. He caught me on the way back from my break. Just wantedopinions, you know?” It was pretty cute, too, he was all enthusiastic and asking a million questions, like he’d just decided to do it and needed to get everything in order as efficiently as possible.

Jeez. I’m thinking Dad’s dorking out over Sophie iscutenow? Falling for Holden has made me soft.

Sophie is still staring at me, lips pressed together and eyes shining. “If you’re lying to me, I’m going to pull down your shirt and give you a double titty twister right in the middle of the office.”

“The proper workplace terminology for that isnipple crippler, Sophie. God, you’re going to get us sued. Not that we’ll have to worry about it, because I’m not lying to you.”

Another look at the bare ring finger, but this time, her expression is full of poorly suppressed glee. “Don’t tell me anything. Even if I beg.”

“Fine.”

“Just let me ask one little?—”

“Sophie!”

“Fine! Jeez!” She hurries to look away from me, taking a sip of her drink. “You’re being very nice to me lately, it’s a little worrying. Are you dying?”

I roll my eyes, looking back across the room to where Honor is being assaulted with hugs by our great-aunt. She looks like she could use a hand, but I stay where I am, nursing my drink.

A waiter pauses beside us, bearing a tray of mini egg rolls. “Do you mind if we just take that?” asks Sophie innocently, reaching up to take the whole tray from the man before he can stop her and settling it on the table—which is only a few inches wider—between us. He blinks at her, obviously taken aback, but moves on.

I take a bite and nod my approval. “Oh, that’s solid. Glad we have thirty-six of them.”

“Exactly like normal egg rolls, but smaller and twice the price.”

“They can afford it,” I reply, indicating my sister and Julian.

Despite myself, I scan the room, searching for a familiar set of broad shoulders and light blond hair.

“Seriously though, are you doing okay?” Sophie asks, nudging me with her elbow. “I haven’t seen much of you outside work, and then at dinner the other night, you performed that vanishing act.”

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