Wrong for You (Before You #3)(63)

“I don’t care what he thinks,” she said as she glanced over her shoulder. She needed to sear the memory of him with that woman into her mind. He looked glamorous and unobtainable. The next time she second-guessed her decision to leave him, this memory would remind her that she made the right decision. “I’m not going to paint a smile on my face all night while he gropes some other woman in front of me.”

“It’s hardly a grope.”

“There’s still time.”

“You’re no fun. At least you could let us stay for Chasing Ruin’s performance. They’re playing songs from their unreleased record.”

“You’re welcome to stay. I just can’t do it.” Her voice broke on the last word. Watching him play the drums would inevitably remind her of the day she and Alec set up the music room at the Foundation. She groaned inwardly. She couldn’t believe she actually complimented him on his drum playing abilities. He must have had a chuckle at her expense later that night. Asshole.

Annette studied her face. “No, I’m coming with you. I came to support you, not to listen to the band or gawk at celebrities.”

“Really? Because I was starting to wonder.”

Annette playfully hit her arm. “Hey, I got lost for a few minutes there, but I’m over my star gawking phase and back to being your one and only best friend.” She wrapped her arm around Violet’s shoulder, pulling her close for a quick hug. “Let’s get out of here and go out to dinner and then dancing.” She bumped her hip into Violet’s side.

“No way. I’ve had enough action for one night.” She wanted to crawl into the bed in their hotel room and watch movies and eat junk food. She couldn’t imagine pretending it didn’t hurt that Alec moved on so quickly. She wanted to kick herself for having such high expectations for this night in spite of reality.

“Are you kidding? We’re not going to waste our pretty,” Annette said, waving her hands in front of them like some sort of Vanna White impersonator.

Violet sighed. “Fine.” They had an early flight back tomorrow morning so the evening couldn’t last that long and this was Annette’s vacation, too.

“Wait,” a voice yelled after them as they stepped into the lobby.

Violet spun around. The woman in the red dress stumbled toward them, nearly tripping over the hem of her dress. Sadly, she took a little bit of delight from the fact that the woman wasn’t much better at walking in high heels than Violet.

“Are you leaving?” the woman asked, a look of panic shooting across her face.

“Excuse me?” Violet said, frowning. “Do I know you?”

The woman frowned. “You’re Violet Emerson, right?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, thank God I caught you. You have to speak in ten minutes.”

“Who are you?” Violet repeated, thinking the woman’s voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

The woman laughed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that part. Taylor Reed,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m such an idiot sometimes. I recognized you from your picture on the Foundation website, but I guess you’ve never seen a picture of me or anything.”

As she shook her hand, Violet took in Taylor’s dark blue eyes, so similar to Alec’s that her heart squeezed uncomfortably. “I can see the resemblance.”

Taylor shrugged. “I guess, but I just learned we’re only half-siblings and cousins or something totally f*cked up like that.”

“Alec told you about that?”

Taylor laughed again, her light melodic laugh that made her even more approachable and likable. “I can’t believe he thought it was some dark, ugly secret he needed to protect me from. He can be so overbearing and know-it-allish, but with the best possible intentions.”

Annette cleared her throat and elbowed Violet in her side. “This is Annette, my best friend from home.”

“Nice to meet you,” Taylor said. “I’m Alec’s sister.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”

Taylor’s eyes flickered back to Violet. “Now I know why you wanted two tickets.”

“I told you I wanted to bring somebody.”

“Right, but I didn’t like that answer…and neither did Alec.” She tossed a coy wink in Violet’s direction.

Annette raised her eyebrows comically. “See. He thought the same—”

“Shut up,” Violet said under her breath. She didn’t want Annette to reveal her jealous filled retreat from the ballroom when she assumed Taylor was Alec’s date.

“What?” Taylor said, looking back and forth between Annette and Violet.

Violet gave Annette the evil eye, but apparently she didn’t care.

“Violet thought you were Alec’s date. She didn’t want to stay.”

Taylor bit on her lower lip to hold in a chuckle.

“You’re going to lose your best friend status,” Violet said under her breath.

Taylor looked at her watch and then pointed toward the ballroom “We have to go. It’s show time.”





Chapter Twenty-Six




When Violet’s fifteen-minute speech about the worthiness of Foundation ended, she stepped off stage, walking toward him just like Taylor instructed her. Violet sounded nervous the first couple minutes, but as she shared Dean’s story, she hit her stride and no one could tell that she didn’t give speeches in front of a bunch of self-important people every week.