Stone Cold Fox (36)

I was momentarily stunned. Gale had this aroused look on her face, like she knew something about me that she shouldn’t. That she couldn’t. She wasn’t quite smiling, but there was something unseemly about her. What did she know and how could she know it? How could she possibly know? She couldn’t pose a real threat to me, could she? This was supposed to be fun, but now I wasn’t so sure, not that I would let her see me sweat.

“Collin and I don’t have secrets.” I smiled.

“I could tell them, you know? At any time,” she replied cryptically. Tell them what? My tracks had been covered. I made sure of it. Didn’t I?

“Like I said, we don’t keep secrets from each other.” I had to stand my ground. It was the only move to make until I was able to gather more information. Gale’s body appeared to be humming in anticipation; she was practically shaking. I could see the vibrations via her matronly displayed arms. Cap sleeves flatter almost nobody. Certainly not Gale.

“Let me put it this way. The Cases don’t want someone like you on their family tree. It’s only a matter of time before they all find out the truth and the whole thing gets called off.” Gale sneered.

These people. Their legacies. Their traditions. All for what? A perceived sense of superiority to lord over the rest of us? How jejune. The Cases should be so lucky to have someone like me in their family. Couldn’t they see I was a star? I could be a real asset to them. But they would always be blind to that, wouldn’t they? The only language they spoke was money. Meanwhile, Gale truly believed Collin was her birthright. Her imagined stake in Collin wasn’t just personal, it was practically patriarchal, running deep in her bones. Not only would she not have Collin, but someone like me was going to get him. An affront like no other.

I hated to admit it, but perhaps I’d underestimated her.

How far she might go . . .

“So why haven’t you pulled the rug out yet, Gale? What are you waiting for?”

She smiled at me. I instantly knew why. She was having fun. She wanted to draw out our feud as long as possible. Torture me. Screw me over at the last possible second.

Right before the wedding?

“Well, I do want to be involved in all the festivities,” she admitted. “Watch it all go down in flames in real time. The shower, the bachelorette party. Ooh! In Las Vegas perhaps? Have you been?” Gale pursed her lips into a perverse sort of self-satisfied smile.

Were those rhetorical questions? Oh, she thought she was so cute, managing to warp my innate confidence into major doubt. Insidious. Anyone could mention Las Vegas for a bachelorette party, but the way she said it. How she said it. Like she knew something. The conversation had to end. I thought fast about what to do next, and while it was kind of a long shot, I knew it would throw Gale off her game, which was the point for the time being.

I burst into tears.

Yes, a bit reductive as far as manipulation tactics go, but it turned out to be a very well-timed strategy because predictably, Collin was searching for me. He was jogging over to us in his tailored suit and shiny shoes. My very own knight in Giorgio Armani.

“Bea! Hey, what’s the matter? Are you okay?” And then Collin’s tone changed, in Gale’s direction. “What the hell is going on?”

Collin always looked for me when I was out of his sight at any event we attended together, even for a few minutes. He was territorial. I liked the feeling. Some women found such a thing boorish. To me, it signified safety. He enveloped me in his arms and I continued to cry into his chest.

“Gale, I asked you a question.” He hugged me tighter, but I took an opportunity to look out at Gale, making teary eye contact. She didn’t know what to do.

“Ta-take it easy, Collin!” she faltered. “We were just talking about our families and—”

“Well, that’s enough. Whatever you’re talking about, whatever you’ve been talking about, Gale, it has to stop. Right now.” I relished his verbal lashing of Gale. “I’m serious, Gale. It’s over,” he added.

Gale was woebegone at Collin’s tone with her, but any response would be insufficient. What could she say? Gale had made the bride cry at her own engagement party. That’s never a good look on anyone. She offered a small nod of understanding his request. He was her weakness. Then the three of us headed back to the Musket Room in relative silence, save for a few sniffles from me, you know, for effect.

Collin held me very close the rest of the evening, more than usual. I suspected he was tiring of the lack of support from everyone in his life. Perhaps he was nervous he would lose me. That would only strengthen my position. “I think we should talk about what happened with Gale,” he whispered into my ear, “but let’s wait until tomorrow. This is our party, Bea. Enjoy the moment.”

Our intimate stance spurred on a sprinkle of clinking glasses, most partygoers jubilant at the sight of us, and so we kissed to appease the crowd’s demand for it. I saw Gale wincing at the sight.

“I enjoy every moment with you,” I purred into Collin’s neck. “And we don’t have to talk about it, babe. Seriously. It’s already forgotten.”

But I wouldn’t forget.

Gale Wallace-Leicester lingered for a little while longer at the party, out of duty to the optics. Eventually, she left, relatively unnoticed. But I noticed. I would have to notice everything going forward. No excuses. She had lit a new fire in me, one that had the potential to become a wildfire if necessary. We could all burn if she wasn’t careful. I didn’t want to be like her, like Mother, but I knew what I was capable of when my back was against the wall. If Gale knew something, anything, I had every reason to be shaken. She was clearly on the offensive and even if she lost this battle, I needed to get ahead of her for the sake of the war. That settled it.