“I should have known you would be difficult to deal with,” he said in that deep voice.
“Me?” I hissed at him. “I’m not the one showing up to your work and slapping the dicks out of your mouth!”
His nostrils flared. “For someone who’s supposed to be putting on a high-class wedding, you sure do have a filthy mouth.”
“And for someone who’s supposed to be the best hedge fund manager in the twenty-first century, you sure are stupid.”
Evan smirked. “Heh. You were researching me.”
“Opposition research,” I spat back.
“You like me,” he said.
“I hate you.”
“Please,” he snorted. “All women want me.”
“Not this one,” I said, crossing my arms. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not impressed by your money. I get a parade of billionaires and their bridezillas through my wedding sketchbook every month. You’re not special.”
“I’m the man of honor,” he said in a mocking tone that made me want to punch him. “So you’re going to have to deal with me and cater to my every whim.”
“As if! It’s the bride’s day and the bride’s rules,” I countered.
“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?” he said, leaning against the wall, one hand on either side of my head.
Refusing to be intimidated, I put my hand on my hips and glared back at him.
“The bride gets whatever she wants—even if it’s sleeping with half the wedding party. I’m wondering if Camilla wasn’t right and you did know she was cheating.”
“I would never! I hate cheaters. Camilla is a horrible person, and you shouldn’t ever forgive her,” I said to him. “Marriage is a sacred institution, and I love a wedding more than Christmas!”
“That’s too bad because I hate weddings. I didn’t want to be in this wedding party, yet I am forced to because Camilla is trying to nuke my entire life!” He shook his head. “You’re such a naïve little girl if you still believe in the magic of weddings after last weekend.”
“I do still believe,” I said stubbornly. “Weddings are special; they bring together two people in love and create a new family.”
“Bullshit! They are an excuse for sociopathic women to exert control over the people around them.”
“If that’s your philosophy, then I don’t want you anywhere close to this wedding,” I snapped, not caring if I hurt Evan’s feelings.
His lip curled back as he pushed off the wall.
“I guess this is going to be a miserable experience for both of us then.”
10
Evan
“That’s just my luck,” I fumed as Ivy brushed past me to return to the dining room. I watched her, her curvy ass bouncing as she walked in her ankle boots. I shook my head. I couldn’t be attracted to her. She was my half sister’s wedding planner. Besides, I wasn’t here for Ivy. I needed to make nice with Teddy so he would put in a good word with his Uncle Orson.
Ivy studiously ignored me when I sat back down.
“Ivy,” Imogen said. “I must insist that you do something about the bridal tea this Friday afternoon.”
“We have a very nice event planned,” Ivy assured her. “We’re having it at one of the Greyson Hotel Group’s historic hotels. There’s going to be flower arranging and a woman giving lessons on tea ceremonies.”
“Yes,” Imogen said, sounding disinterested, “but is it going to photograph well?”
“Grace will be there early to scope out the best angles,” Ivy assured my half sister.
“Immie!” Teddy called, coming into their apartment. He bent down to kiss her. “How is my beautiful fiancée?”
“Don’t!” She pushed him away. “You’ll ruin my makeup. I have a ladies’ nonprofit lunch in a bit, and we’re having pictures taken to put up on Instagram.”
Teddy shrugged and grabbed a quiche from the platter.
“Don’t you want to watch your weight for the wedding?” Imogen said, mouth turning down disapprovingly.
“Grooms aren’t supposed to diet,” he said, patting his round belly.
I resolved in that moment to up my exercise routine. Teddy considered himself to be an entrepreneur, which meant he just went to parties and lunches and basically didn’t do much of anything except periodically spend his uncle’s money on some inane concept. Still, he was my ticket to getting the Svenssons off my case.
“Teddy.” I shook his hand. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“Sucks about your wedding, dude,” he told me, grabbing another quiche. “Cammie’s real tore up about it. Give her a call, eh?”
My jaw tensed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Oh, Evan,” Imogen cried, “she didn’t mean it!”
Ivy was sitting with her back straight, making notes in a sparkly gold and pink notebook. I could feel the disapproval wafting off of her. Maybe she had been telling the truth after all. She wasn’t jumping on the “forgive Camilla” bandwagon.
But if you want that property, maybe you should. Who knows how much clout Teddy has left with Orson Sutherland.
I grabbed Teddy. “Let’s let the ladies plan their wedding. I need to talk to you.”
Ivy all but rolled her eyes as I dragged Teddy into the foyer.
“Look, you know about that deal I had with your uncle, right?”
“The land deal?” he said and took another bite of quiche.
“Right. Look. Can you talk to him for me? You know, we’re going to be family, with you marrying my half sister and everything.”
“Totally, dude, totally. But just give Camilla a call, would you? She is sorry. She’s heartbroken!” Teddy said.
“Sure,” I lied. “I’ll do that.”
A woman cleared her throat behind me. “I’ll be leaving now, Mr. Harrington, since our meeting about womanly things like wedding planning is over,” Ivy said dryly.
“I’ll walk you down,” I offered, grabbing my coat off the rack.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I was just leaving.”
“I’m leaving first,” she said, pushing past me.
I easily caught up to her in two strides and slid into the elevator before she could mash the close door button. She was quiet as it took us down to the ground floor.
When the doors opened, Ivy brushed past me, saying over her shoulder, “I hope you’re not getting back together with that lying bitch. Though knowing you, you don’t have enough sense not to.”
God, that woman was infuriating.
My phone beeped as I watched Ivy’s curvy, black-clad form and her high heels make their way through the front lobby.
Camilla: Hi sweetie. Teddy said he saw you today and that you wanted to talk.
Camilla: Please don’t ignore me I love you I want to be with you. Don’t throw away everything we had!
Camilla: Arnold was a one-time thing. I was anxious, but that was before I went to that retreat in Palm Springs. Now I’m totally committed to you and our life together.