Page 82 of Rules, Roses, and Rivals
She steered me toward the cooler anyway. “Sip something cold, keep your head high, and whatever happens next, don’tgive them the story they want. You’re not a scandal. You’re amain character.”
I wasn’t sure I could do any of that.
But as the music thumped louder and the stares got heavier, I straightened my spine, took the water she offered, and reminded myself not to run.
Even if I really,reallywanted to.
I took one more sip of the water before it hit me like a brick to the chest.
“Wait,” I said suddenly. “Where’s Mathieu?”
Rachel stopped mid-reach for a lemon slice. “What?”
I turned a full circle, scanning the crowd again — the patio chairs, the drink table, the poolside, even the shadows near the speakers.Nothing. The lounge where we’d left him was empty. The spot beside Coop and Bubba was vacated. And the fact that Archie wasn’t smirking in my peripheral vision anymore?
Also missing.
My heart kicked up a notch. “Where the hell is he?”
Rachel blinked once. “You’re right. He’snothere. None of them are.”
She meant it.Jake. Coop. Bubba.Mathieu. And Archie, apparently.
Gone.
The ground didn’t tilt, but it felt like itshould’ve.
The bad kind of silence was seeping back into the edges of the party. Had someone pressed pause on the vibe and forgot to hit play again?
“They’re together,” I said slowly. “Aren’t they?”
Rachel gave a long, low sigh. “Well. That narrows it down. Either we let the boys figure it out the old-fashioned way via passive-aggressive grunts and bruised egos—or…”
I didn’t even let her finish.
“Rescue,” I said immediately. “It’s a rescue.”
Rachel grinned like a lion. “Knew you’d say that.”
I made a beeline for the girls by the pool, with Rachel on my heels and the knot in my chest twisting tighter. Sharon spotted us coming and arched one perfect eyebrow.
“Looking for your boyfriend?” she asked, all casual venom. “Orboyfriends? Hard to keep track lately.”
I stopped dead in front of her, blood simmering just under my skin.
But I didn’t get a word in before Rachel stepped past me, all teeth and velvet steel.
“Hey, Sharon?” she said sweetly. “Maybe worry less about her love life and more about the SPF rating on your entire personality. Now.” She clapped her hands once, sharply. “Where’d they go?”
Sharon scowled. Patty let out a snort that she didn’t bother to hide.
Maria, to her credit, sat up a little straighter and answered without waiting. “Archie and Mathieu went inside. Jake, Bubba, and Coop took off around the front of the house a few minutes ago.”
That meantthey’dall been gone long enough for people to notice.
Long enough forthismess to spread.
My throat was dry again.
