Cruel Fortune (Cruel #2)(75)

Lewis slid his arm around me. “I’m glad that you’re here with me.”

“The survey is still out,” I said softly.

He frowned. “Regretting coming?”

“No, but this isn’t easy for me either.”

He pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “It’ll get easier.”

“People keep saying that, and it hasn’t proven true yet.”

“It will,” he assured me.

I shrugged indifferently and turned to survey the scant pews in front of us. We were right at the front of the church in reserved seating for friends of the bride, which was really debatable.

Addie and Rowe were seated right before us along with two sets of parents and a slew of other young siblings I didn’t recognize. I had to gather that their parents were divorced and remarried with step-or half-children. Addie and Rowe were the oldest.

Penn was seated in the row in front of them with his mother, Mayor Leslie Kensington. Just seeing her set my teeth on edge. She’d been the one to throw me out of my job at Katherine’s request, and I still hated the way she had treated Penn in all of it. Next to them was Jane, who caught my eye and fluttered her fingers at me and then gestured for me to come to her pew.

My eyes darted to Penn’s mother and then back to Jane. This was going to be fun.

“I’m going to go talk to Jane,” I told Lewis.

He frowned when he saw who Jane was seated next to. His jaw clenched, but he just said, “All right.”

I stepped out of my pew and slid into the seat next to Jane. “Natalie, oh wow, look at that dress! I am so glad that you wore it here.”

“Well, thank you for getting it for me. It’s good to see you.”

“Girl, I have been so busy. I thought the soft opening would be the hard part. It’s the New Year’s opening that’s going to be insane. It’s a masquerade, and the lineup is already out of this world.”

“I’m sure it will be sensational,” I assured her.

“Worth the work.”

I glanced down the rest of the pew, looking for the missing Kensington. “Where’s Court?”

“Oh, he’s the best man,” Jane said with a grin. “Those boys have been drinking all morning. The texts I’ve gotten.” She laughed. “You wouldn’t even want to know.”

“Jane, who is your friend?” Leslie asked, turning toward us.

Our eyes locked together. The last time we’d seen each other, she had fired me. It gave me a small bit of pleasure when her eyes widened with recognition.

“Oh, Leslie, this is Natalie. She’s a New York Times bestselling novelist. And she’s hard at work on the next one.”

I loved how smoothly Jane had said that all. She had to know that Leslie and I were connected prior to this, but she had given me a blank slate.

“And, of course, Leslie is the mayor of New York City.”

“Natalie,” Leslie said in surprise. She offered me her hand. “It’s good to see that you’re doing well for yourself.”

No thanks to you, was what I wanted to spit at her.

But, instead, I played nice. I took her hand, and we shook amicably. I saw Penn’s eyes dart to that handshake and then away. Part of me knew that most of Leslie’s ire that day had been focused on her son, and I was the unfortunate person who had gotten in the middle of it. It didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Thank you. It wasn’t an easy journey,” I said pointedly.

“I bet not.” Then, she nodded her head at me. “All the sweeter then.”

She smiled once in acknowledgment of her part in what had happened. I figured it was as close as I’d ever get to an apology. Better than I’d thought it would have gone.

“Next week,” Jane said, “I am bringing you into the club to get your opinion on the New Year’s party.”

“Sounds good. Pencil me in.”

I slipped out of the pew, prepared to return to my seat with Lewis when I glanced up and saw Penn. He was speaking to the couple who had been sitting in the space reserved for Katherine’s family.

Penn’s voice cut through my exit. “Natalie, have you met Katherine’s brother?”

I shifted back toward him, unsure of how to proceed. I knew that Lewis must be watching us. That he wasn’t comfortable with me being around Penn. But it would look rude to just completely ignore him.

“I didn’t know Katherine had a brother.”

“It’s a common misconception.” The brother, tall and handsome with an easy smile, held his hand out, which I shook. “I’m David, and this is my wife, Sutton Wright.”

His petite wife beamed back at me. She had dark hair that fanned out to blonde at the ends. She was stunning in an unassuming way, and when she spoke, I heard a trace of a Southern accent. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Your accent is adorable,” I said before I could stop myself.

Sutton covered her mouth and looked up at David with a glare when he started laughing. “Is it that noticeable?”

“It reminds me a bit of being back in Charleston.”

“Oh! You’re one of us!” Sutton said. “I’m from Lubbock, Texas. Middle-of-nowhere West Texas, but these Northerners act like it’s another planet.”