“Tate . . . Isaacs?” I hadn’t thought about him in forever. He’d gone to Cape Hill Prep and, like Sophia, was two years older than I was. If she’d been the queen, he’d been the king, once the mantle had been passed down from Royce. My eyebrows pulled together. “I didn’t know Royce was even friends with Tate.”
Sophia peered dubiously at me. “Seriously? Did they have a falling out? I thought they were best friends.”
“Oh.” I bit my bottom lip. “No, I’m sure everything’s fine.” There was still so much about Royce I didn’t know.
“You should have seen him at the fundraiser thing the other night.” She pretended to fan herself. “Sweet baby Jesus, I swear Tate is Cape Hill’s very own Michael B. Jordan.” Realizing she’d gotten sidetracked, she refocused. “I assume Vance is the best man?”
“Yeah,” I said with faked confidence. I assumed as well, not knowing if it was true.
“And Emily will be your maid of honor, so they’ll be partnered together. Not that I’d complain about being paired with Vance. He’s so cute, but he makes me feel like a dirty old woman.”
I blinked. “You’re a year older than him.”
“Exactly. Women are at least five years ahead of men in maturity, so it’s like he’s not even legal yet. And I’ve always been into older men, anyway.”
Macalister’s words from last night echoed in my mind, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“Okay, so I’ve got to ask.” Sophia’s voice dropped low and she turned serious. “What’s it like living there?”
“With the Hales?”
“I’d die. I wouldn’t be able to function around all those hot men.”
I gave a strained smile. “I survive. I’ve gotten used to Royce,” I lied, “and Vance is hardly ever there.”
She seemed to be waiting for more, and when it didn’t come, “And Macalister?”
“What about him?” My mouth went dry as I understood what she was asking. She thought Macalister was hot. “Really?”
“Are you kidding?” She stared at me like I was crazy. “He’s the best one out of the bunch. I mean, you have seen him, right? Or how when he walks into a room, everyone just . . . stops.”
They did that out of fear, not his looks. “Because he owns Cape Hill.”
My statement was ignored. “And those blue eyes he has.” She closed hers, and a dramatic shiver shook her shoulders. “They’re gorgeous. Plus, he’s so powerful and, like, bossy. I know it’s wrong and he’s the same age as our dads, but fuck. Macalister can get it.”
It was perfect role reversal how I now eyed the exit, wondering if I could extract myself from the situation. But I’d come with a mission, and I wasn’t leaving until it was accomplished.
“He’s good looking,” I agreed. “But I can’t think about him like that. He’s going to be my father-in-law.” I swallowed a breath. “You remember he’s married, right?”
She snorted. “Like that matters here.” The smile froze on her face. She’d realized she might blow the opportunity I’d given her and needed to correct course. “At least you know Royce is only going to get hotter as he gets older.”
She had a point. “True.”
“So, when did you guys really start dating? I usually hear things, but you two weren’t on my radar until recently. Someone said you hooked up with him at his graduation party last year, but then I also heard he went on a date with Emily, so I thought maybe they got you and your sister mixed up.”
Surprise jolted through me. “Who said I hooked up with him? Because we just fooled around a little, we didn’t—” Stop talking, Marist. I slammed my mouth shut.
She laughed lightly. “Oh, my God, you’re embarrassed. That’s so cute. I think it was Ally who told me. She saw Royce come out of some room and then you were right behind him. She said you both looked like something had gone down in there.”
My cheeks warmed at the memory of Royce’s fingers between my legs, my hands gripping the bookshelf.
Wait for me, he’d ordered.
The server appeared, set our lunches down in front of us, and flitted away. Sophia readied her fork but paused before digging into her salad.
“Good for you,” she said. “After Emily, I knew he wasn’t dating, but I didn’t have a clue why. I should have, though. A guy like Royce doesn’t just give up women for a year. You guys hid your relationship so well.” She grinned widely. “You had all of us fooled.”
My insides solidified. What had she just said? My brain wouldn’t accept it.
No, she had to be mistaken. Royce had ordered me to wait, but I refused to believe he’d done the same.
She took a bite of her food, but her chewing slowed when she noticed I wasn’t eating. I hadn’t even moved.
“You okay? Is your order wrong?”