Bryce – I'd found him alright.
And he wasn't alone.
He was standing in a small crowd of people, laughing it up like he was having the time of his life. But that wasn't the thing that made my fingers clench and stomach curdle.
It was the fact that he was accompanied by the same stunning brunette I'd seen earlier.Natalia.
She was clinging to his arm and laughing along with the rest. And Bryce wasn't doing anything to dislodge her. I mean, how hard could it be to take a single step away or to make an excuse to leave?
My stomach twisted as I stared from the shadows.They looked good together.
Really good.
She was wearing the same red dress she'd been wearing earlier along with the same faux fur coat and red high heels. I saw no sign of the suitcase, but shewaswearing a little red purse on a long silver strap.
Tonight's event was supposed to be casual.Iwasn't wearing a dress, and neither was anyone else.
Butshewas.
When Bryce turned to her with a smile, I felt ready to lose my cookies, and I meant that literally, considering that I had sampled at least four since the reception had started.
What could I say? I was a nervous eater.
As for Natalia, she looked like she had never eaten a Christmas cookie in her life. I recalled what Bryce had said about her being a vegetarian. No meatballs forher.
And forget the bacon wrapped smokies.That wasdoublemeat.
If she didn't like mushrooms, she was totally screwed.
And why was I thinking all of these asinine thoughts?
TheoldHarper would be marching up there to give both of them a piece of my mind. But what would that accomplish?
I would just look like a bigger fool – and not only to Bryce.
Plus, I'd been hitting the eggnog steadily for the past few hours. I wasn't drunk, but I was definitely feeling it.
In some ways, it was the worst of all worlds. I was too sober to dismiss what I was seeing and too drunk to get into my car and leave.This totally sucked.
And that was a massive understatement.
Chapter 41
Harper
I spent the next thirty minutes standing like a zombie in my own living room. I'd positioned myself near the front door, presumably to greet guests.
In reality, I was longing to escape – from the festive Christmas music, from all of the strangers milling through my house, and most of all, from the knowledge that on the other side of the fence, Natalia had claimed the spot that I had thought belonged to me.
In search of sanity, I kept reminding myself that it wasn't like I'd caught them naked in bed – or even kissing. AllI'dseen was Natalia clinging to his arm in a very public place.
Maybe Bryce hadn't wanted to make a scene. Maybe Natalia had just arrived. Maybe his smile had been forced and his laughter fake.
I took another swig of my eggnog. OrmaybeI was just making excuses.
Regardless, I was determined to stick around and see this thing through.Would Bryce bring her into the house?
Would I be serving her eggnog and wishing her a Merry Christmas?
