Page 92 of Priceless
“Hi, hi, hi.” Trinity ran up to us. Her platinum hair was frazzled and wild, the sun glinting off the hand-chain bracelets she nearly always wore. “I’m sorry. This time it wasn’t work, and fuck.” She heaved in a breath. “I need people to stop getting surprise married, okay?”
Isolde and I stared at her. “Who’s getting married now?”
“My dad.” She rolled her eyes. “He decided to just throw it out there while we were meeting for a quick lunch. Like it was just another list of things on his to-do list and not an atomic bomb.”
I laughed. Not at her, but at the expression. “Honestly, I’m not shocked, Rin.”
Rin’s Beta father was a free spirit. He was always jetting off on adventures with half of a plan and even less of an idea. That he would get married again, and quickly, seemed fully in line with his character.
“I’m not either.” She rolled her eyes. “But I’d still like people to stop springing weddings on me.”
“When is it?” Isolde asked.
“I don’t know. Hopefully not for a couple of months. I just need things to take a breather for a minute.”
“Well,” I said, “if I’m in town, then you know I’ll be there.”
Trinity froze and looked at me with suspicion. “Why wouldn’t you be in town?”
I gave in and released my smile. “They’re taking me on a honeymoon, leaving this Friday. I’ve told them they don’t have to, but they want to, and I’m going to let them. Even though I’m terrified.”
“Fuck. Yes.” She pulled me into a hug, jumping up and down. “This is going to be so good, O. You deserve it. Let those Alphas pamper the fuck out of you. And fuck the luxury into you. Either way, this is glorious. Don’t even think about my father’s wedding.”
The thing about Trinity was she never hid her enthusiasm for anything, and it was contagious. It all seemed so simple when she said it like this, and it made me relax into the idea. “Thank you.”
“I expect pictures. And at least one souvenir.”
“I can do that.”
She stared at me for a long moment, making sure I was serious before she grinned. “Good.”
Isolde touched me on the shoulder while Rin dug in her bag. “We won’t let you break, O. I promise. Do this for yourself, okay?”
My breath shook, but I nodded. “Okay.”
Trinity pulled out her little glucose monitor and pricked a finger to test her blood sugar. It beeped, and she swore under her breath before tossing it back in her purse and slipping the used test strip into the nearby trash can.
“What’s up?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Sugars are high today. So I’ll get something, but save it for later. I’ve been really good lately. I don’t want to push it too high for no reason.”
Fair. Trinity took care of her diabetes ruthlessly so that she could still live normally, be healthy, and have the treats everyone else had without damaging herself. Even if she cursed it sometimes.
A group exited the shop up ahead, letting the line move closer. The same group passed us, girls with cock waffles dripping with white and dark chocolate. The sight never got less funny. One of the reasons we loved coming here. That, and the waffles were excellent.
One of them looked at me and stopped. Then she came right over with a bright smile on her face. “You’re that girl, right?”
“I, um,” I swallowed. “I don’t know. Who do you think I am?”
“You’re that girl who married the DuPonts.” She fanned herself. “They’re so fucking hot.”
Tension gathered in my chest. “Yeah. That’s me.”
She grinned. “I knew it.”
Some other people looked over at us, because she wasn’t exactly being subtle. But no one seemed to catch on. Small favors.
Was this something I had to worry about now? I didn’t think I needed to, even with the press attention. Most of my life I’d been invisible. People didn’t look at you when you were my size. Their eyes slid over you to your more attractive friends. To someone more interesting or less offensive to look at.
