He continues down the stairs without saying more. “Are you implying that Blue’s been supporting my requests?” It doesn’t seem possible.
Charles doesn’t glance back up the stairs. “I find I no longer want to discuss this with you. You aren’t the person I thought you were.”
Damn. That’s a blow that will haunt me for weeks.
But maybe not as much as wondering if I’ve been wrong about Blue all along.
CHAPTER NINE
Blue
“Thank you for agreeing to have lunch with me,” I say.
Across the table, Peach frowns. Her cheeks are still pink from the cold and her hair is mussed from the woolen hat she just pulled off her head. “I never said I wanted to cut you out of my life, Blue.”
“You’re just cutting me out of the most important event of your life.” Around us, silverware clinks and diners chat. I force a smile so no one gets the idea I’m here to argue with my sister.
Peach sighs. “You’re still in the wedding party and you’re still in charge of my bachelorette party. I heard you and Garrick are planning the holiday festival. You don’t even have time to worry about my wedding.”
She’s right, but I hate it. “Please just promise me, Peach. If anything goes wrong or you need help with anything, promise you’ll call me and let me help.”
She spears a spinach leaf and a bit of cucumber on her fork and smiles. It’s a worrisome smile. “I’ll promise to ask for help if I need it if you do the same.”
I shove my salad around, pretending to be seeking a wayward baby tomato or chickpea. “I don’t need any help. I’m doing great.”
“So the story about you getting lost in the woods and calling your arch nemesis for help is a lie?”
Damn it. I look up and drop my fork in my salad bowl, appetite gone. “I hate small town gossip.”
“Or is Garrick Evergreen your secret lover? I’m getting conflicting reports.”
I could tell her everything. There’s a part of me that wants to, desperately. But she’s got a wedding to plan and I’m supposed to be taking care of her, not the other way around. “He and I had a difference of opinion, but we’ve called a truce.”
Her eyes twinkle as her smile grows. “Uh-huh.” My sister has always been a die-hard romantic, and it’s gotten worse since she’s fallen in ‘love.’ Her smile fades. “At least call me to provide sweets and treats for the festival. You know I can help with that.”
“But you’ve got a wedding to plan. And the festival is going to need—”
Peach holds up a hand. “I can handle it. Can you trust me to handle it?”
My sister looks fierce in her defiance and I remember the tiny little girl she once was, so cowed by our mother’s demands and so desperate to keep the peace. She really has changed. How did I miss that? “I trust you, Peach. I’ll get an official order to you before the weekend.”
She beams. Maybe Peach has always been stronger than I’ve given her credit for. Or maybe she just got stronger while I wasn’t paying attention.
“Hey cousins,” Cherry says loudly enough that everyone in the restaurant looks her way. She’s oblivious as she shimmies into her seat. “Sorry I’m late. A reindeer made a break for it and Josephine and I had to chase it down.”
“Pretending to be one of Santa’s reindeer was too depressing?” I ask.
Cherry snorts. “No, a group of particularly whiny and handsy children scared the bejesus out of her.”
She scans the menu, places her order with a server, and focuses all her attention squarely on me. “What’s this I heard about you and Garrick getting caught screwing in town hall?”
Ugh, I feel a head cold coming on, and I never get sick. “I wouldn’t screw Garrick Evergreen for all the money in the world. I—”
“That’s good to know.” Garrick takes a seat next to Cherry and smiles charmingly at my sister and my cousin. “It’s good to see you again, Cherry. Peach. I’m sorry for your grave misfortune in being related to Mayor Demon here.”
“Oooh, Demon,” Cherry says, her eyes lighting. “Love the pet name.”
“It’s not a pet—” I say.
