Page 24 of Changing Rules

“Oh, right!” Xander shakes his head, one side of his mouth ticking up. “Apparently we weren’t the only ones Audrey invited to dinner.”

“That’s not true!” she says, wearing a pretentious smirk. “I honestly didn’t think you’d stay this long. You rarely hang out for more than an hour or so.” Audrey picks up her water glass and takes a small sip. “Stacey and I have a lot to discuss, so we agreed to meet tonight. It just so happened that this time worked best for both of us. So I thought, why not combine two things? That way I can see my brother and his—er, my friend and party planner.”

She orchestrated this whole thing.

The tsunami in my chest grows stronger, bigger, and soon I’m in the middle of it, drowning. This pain inside me is so strong and so real, I’m afraid my heart will stop beating.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” The blonde stands and spins around. “I probably took your seat.”

Her long, dark lashes make her blue eyes almost crystalline. They radiate warmth and happiness, and the smile that plays on her full lips is genuine. She has a little birthmark on her right cheek, right at the corner of her mouth. She’s stunning…and she’s exactly his type. A combination of Taylor Swift and Margo Robbie. I am the exception.

A nuisance.

“I’m Stacey.” She holds out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

I accept her hand on autopilot. “You too. I’m Isabella.”

A dark, oppressive emotion forms in my mind. I don’t like this feeling. I don’t like these thoughts…but I can’t help it.

I hate Xander’s sister. I literally hate Audrey.

“I’m sorry again for taking your place.”

I plaster on a facsimile of a smile. “That’s okay. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Stacey shuffles around the table to the empty chair. The one beside Audrey. The one directly across from Xander.

He watches her every move, grinning. He’s so damn happy to see her.

I want to disappear. I want to run away from this place, from his manipulative sister, but instead, I sit.

“Bella?” The expression on his face darkens as he finally bothers to look at me. “Are you okay?”

I shrug. “My head hurts, that’s all.”

“Do you want to go home?” He takes my hand, his fingers skimming along the inside of my wrist.

“If you want to stay, we can stay. It’s no big deal.”

“Stay, Alex,” Audrey orders. “You haven’t seen Stacey in years. You have so much to catch up on, don’t you think? This is a sign. Out of all the event planning firms I could’ve chosen, I went with hers.”

“I swear, she’s told me that ten times already.” Stacey chuckles. “Please don’t feel obligated to stay. I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out with your sister and her event planner.”

“You’re not just my event planner,” Audrey says, her voice full of more passion than the situation calls for. “You’re my friend! One of the best I’ve ever had. I’m not letting you out of my sight this time.”

Stacey bursts into laughter. “I’m starting to regret agreeing to work with you.”

So far, Stacey’s been nothing but nice, but my heart isn’t in the right place. Hell, my mind isn’t in the right place either. When I look at her, all I see is a threat. And I can honestly say it’s the first time I’ve ever felt like this.

I’m jealous.

“What do you say?” Xander smiles at me gently. “Do you want to stay or go home?”

Across the table, Audrey stares daggers at me. I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing her surprise knocked me over, that I’m restless and intimidated. I’ll never show her any weakness.

“Let’s stay.”

“Thank you.” Her lips curl into a smile. She looks from Xander to Stacey, gesturing to them with a tilt of her head. “These two deserve a moment to reconnect, especially after what your ex did to them.”

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