Page 118 of One More Kiss

My stomach tightens, not from hunger but unease.

“Good girl,”I can hear Damon saying.“Let me feed you now.”

Is the universe purposely taunting me?

“Thank you for enduring this torture with me.” I pull away from my friend.

Coraline appears bored as she places a hand on her hip. “For the record, I don’t approve.”

I press my lips together to suppress a laugh. “Yes, I know. You’ve said as much every day since I’ve been back.”

“And yet you don’t listen.” Her black satin gloves hide the tattoos covering both her forearms.

“If one more of these old hags gives me a side-eye, I’m going to tell them to shove their tea and crumpets where the sun doesn’t shine.” TheIin ‘shine’ drawls with a touch of twang.

“Well, Cor. You covered your tattoos with a dress you should be wearing to a funeral.”

A lone brow arches. “I’d say I’m well dressed for the occasion.”

I nudge her as one of my mother’s friends clinks a glass and gathers us around for a nauseating bridal shower game.

“Alright, ladies. We’re going to play a word game.” Twyla, the director of the Alpharetta Country Club, uses a black marker to point to a whiteboard. She’s as southern belle as they come and never hesitates to lay on the charm.

“I’ll think of a wedding themed word, and y’all can take turns guessing letters until it’s all filled in. First person to guess the entire word correctly gets a prize!”

Twyla draws seven short dashes through the middle of the board and begins taking guesses.

I sink further into the settee, ignoring Coraline’s blatant stare for as long as possible.

“What?” I eventually ask.

“You’re miserable, Kate.”

“Shh.”

“A!” the woman sitting beside me shouts, and Twyla writes the letter just above the third dash.

“Don’t shh me. I still don’t understand why you’re doing this to yourself.”

I cut a glance at Thad’s mother, hoping no one is listening. “What do you want from me, Cor? Henry’s business may not survive without the Aston’s help, and I'm the one who screwed this up, remember? He’ll never forgive me.”

Not when he’s comparing me to his cheating ex-wife.

The snort she gives draws a couple of stares.

“Uh, M,” I offer sheepishly.

Twyla dutifully adds the letter to the board.

“You’re not responsible for the decisions your family makes, has made, or will make. It’s not Kate’s job to hold it all together,” she hisses. Then, with solid conviction she adds, “He’ll forgive you. I know he will.”

OandNare the next letters to be added to the board, but I pick at my fingernails, attention straying from the game.

“Do you love Thad?” Coraline asks.

When Damon asked me the same question, I was overwhelmed and confused. He was leaving for London and Thad’s sudden appearance brought my time in Topica Bay to a screeching halt.

There was no way in hell we were going to make it work.

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