Page 71 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
I rubbed my hands on my knees. “I wasn’t trying to throw it in anyone’s face.”
“No,” Bubba said. “But it hit, anyway.”
If he wanted an apology—if any of them did, they weren’t gonna get it. I exhaled slowly. “What did you expect me to do? Stay home and hide?”
“No one’s asking you to hide,” Coop said, too quickly.
“Really? Because the stares suggest otherwise.”
Archie snorted. “They’re just not used to seeing you dressed like a Bond girl.”
“I’m not dressed like a Bond girl.”
“Trust me, babe,you’redressed like the reason Bond loses focus.”
I rolled my eyes, but the heat crept up my neck anyway. God, why did I come to this party?
I felt something brush against my bare ankle, and I glanced down. Bubba had nudged me with his foot, eyes steady, mouth in a grim line.
“We’re not mad you came,” he said. “Just… trying not to make it worse.”
“I didn’t think it could get worse.”
“Don’t challenge the universe,” he said dryly. “It loves a dare.”
Mathieu returned with a drink, handing it to me like nothing had exploded in his absence.
And maybe, somehow, it hadn’t.
Maybe the fire hadn’t fully caught.
Yet.
No way he didn’t notice the awkward party silence hovering around us like secondhand smoke. The hum of the music, the others splashing in the pool or drinking or dancing all seemed to fade into the background. There, but dialed down because it wasn’t part of what was happening right here. No, Mathieu had to notice how tense everyone was.
How tenseIwas. Anyone with a pulse would notice.
Still, he wore a relaxed smile as cool as the citrus twist in the glass he’d brought me. “They had cucumber, but that seemed sweeter and summery.”
“Thank you.” I took a sip and nearly sighed. It was ice cold, and sweet. Wine. He’d picked one I liked and, of course, Archie just gave me a knowing look. The wine was only available cause Archie knew I liked it.
Suddenly, the cold glass felt like a grenade.
Mathieu dropped to sit on the edge of the lounge beside me. He slouched like he belonged right there. He did. It still made the tension spike. You couldn’t miss Jake’s reaction. His reflection in the sliding glass door showed him freezing where he leaned against the bar on the far side of the pool with the bottle almost to his mouth.
“So, Mathieu…” Archie was the first to break the silence, all easy charm and subtle menace. “You’re not from around here.”
“No,” Mathieu answered, easily enough as he folded his sunglasses and hung them off his shirt collar. “I’ve been enjoying my stay. It’s a very nice area, except for one neighbor who mows at six a.m. He can eat a brick.”
A laugh startled out of me before I could stop it.
Archie’s smile didn’t move. “Glad we’re making a good impression. Frankie’s always had a way of bringing people together.” He spared me an enigmatic look. “Or starting fires. Sometimes both.”
“She’s been very kind to me.” Mathieu tilted his head. “I get the sense that kindness is more radical here than it should be.”
“So,” Coop asked, leaning forward slightly. “How long do you plan to be here?” Translation:How long are you planning to be around me like a security blanket?
Unperturbed, Mathieu shifted his focus to Coop. “I came here for school. I’m staying for other reasons.”
