Page 22 of Her Holiday Arrangement
Riley inclined her head, forcing a chuckle. “I try to keep things unpredictable. Like a surprise party in human form.”
Elizabeth’s hand rested lightly at the small of her back, grounding her. Riley let herself lean just a fraction closer, relishing the warmth. The eyes of the room were on them, waiting for her to slip, to reveal the outsider she truly was.
Mr. Hawthorne coughed softly, a polite but deliberate clearing of his throat, and Riley swallowed. The fire crackled behind them, casting long shadows across gold-rimmed frames and polished wood.
Elizabeth’s voice cut through the tension, calm and authoritative. “Riley will be joining us for the holiday. She knows the itinerary.”
Riley’s shoulders tensed, but she nodded. “Of course,” she said. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good,” Aunt Constance said, glancing at Elizabeth like she was approving the choice, or at least acknowledging it. “We’ll see if she can keep up with our traditions.”
Riley’s heart thumped, but she refused to flinch. Instead, she smiled, a little wryly. “I’m adaptable. Very festive, when necessary.”
Elizabeth gave her a small, almost imperceptible squeeze on the back, a silent signal:you’re doing fine.
Riley let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. It was a tightrope, balancing charm, composure, and humor, but with Elizabeth there, silently watching, she might just survive the evening unscathed.
“Oh, Riley, was it?” said one of the cousins, Charlotte or Clementine or Clive, Riley had already lost count. “What do youdo, exactly?”
Riley opened her mouth. Closed it.What do I say?she thought.I fake-date your cousin for money?
“I work in strategy,” she said at last.
Elizabeth, from her place by the fireplace, cut in smoothly. “She’s with me.”
Annette’s brow arched. “Yes, dear, we gathered that.”
Elizabeth’s gaze was flat. “She’s not my assistant this week, Mother. She’swithme.”
The room went quiet, just for a breath. Riley’s pulse ticked up a notch.
“Of course,” Annette said, like she was humoring a child. “We’re all very… pleased.”
Riley caught Elizabeth’s eye for a half-second. It was like being tossed a rope while sinking in quicksand. She smiled back, grateful, and returned her focus to not breaking anything or screaming into the void.
A younger cousin, maybe sixteen, wearing Gucci loafers and teen boredom, sidled up to her. “Are you famous or something?”
Riley blinked. “God, no.”
“Oh. You just don’t seem like… this.” He gestured vaguely at the room.
She laughed. “That might be the nicest thing anyone’s said to me tonight.”
He smirked. “Yeah. I don’t like them either.”
Riley liked him immediately.
Margot appeared at her side again, materializing like a tax audit. “Do you ski, Riley? We usually do Aspen in January. It’s practically a family tradition.”
Riley tilted her head. “I’ve been known to slide uncontrollably down a hill if that counts.”
Margot laughed politely, one “Ha,” then turned away like Riley had been dismissed.
She felt her cheeks flush, her body buzzing with the kind of nervous energy that made her want to run laps around the mansion just to burn it off. But instead, she nodded graciously to another cousin, accepted a flute of champagne from a passing tray, and kept smiling.
This is fine. You’re fine. You are a professional fake girlfriend and a mediocre drinker. Get through the next two hours and you can hide in the bathroom until bedtime.
A hand grazed her back lightly. Elizabeth.
