“Yes?” I answer, exhaling. I could have sworn I pushed the “do not disturb” button hours ago.
“You have a visitor, Mr. Rutherford,” Shoshannah says.
Glancing at my iCal, I don’t spot any appointments.
“I thought I asked you to keep today clear? It’s my last day in the office before my vacation. It’s very important that I have zero interruptions,” I say, pushing a breath past my nostrils before rubbing my left temple.
“She’s not on the schedule, Mr. Rutherford.”
She?
Oh, God. Tell me it’s not Sienna.
I wouldn’t put it past her to show up here after the string of text messages she sent a little bit ago. She’s got a temper, that one. I used to pick fights with her on purpose because contrary to popular belief, two adults can still have hot makeup sex without being in an actual relationship.
“I’ll be out in a second.” I replace the receiver and straighten my tie, cleaning up my workspace before heading down the hall to the reception desk. I’m going to have to turn her away, and it’s going to be painful for the ‘old’ me, but it is what it is.
By the time I round the corner, I see that God has in fact answered my plea.
It’s not Sienna.
“Audrina,” I say. “What are you doing here?”
“Hudson.” She slinks past the front desk; lanky arms open wide as her hips sway. Before I can stop her, she’s wrapping herself around me and kissing my cheeks. “It’s so good to see you. Can I steal you away for just a moment?”
I lead her back to my office and close the door.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Just in the city for some last minute shopping before I head to Montauk,” she says, her green eyes flashing and mesmerized as she takes me in. “I wanted to stop by and personally congratulate you. I heard about your engagement.”
“Good news travels fast.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting the lucky woman.” Audrina’s voice falters. She smiles, but her shoulders droop and she glances off to the side for a brief second. “You’re going to be thirty in a couple of weeks.”
“I know.”
“Remember what we always said? What you always swore to me?”
“Yes.”
“If we were both unmarried by thirty, we’d marry each other.” Her lips pull into a hesitant smile, and she tucks a strand of silky chocolate hair behind her ear.
“We were kids when we said that, Audrina.”
“I’d hardly call us kids when we made that promise,” she corrects me.
“I’m in love. I’m marrying Maribel. I’m sorry.”
“Who is this girl anyway, Hudson?” Audrina winces. “I saw you last Christmas. You were single and loving it. How could someone pin you down and make you the marrying type in under five months? The timing’s rather suspect, don’t you think? Especially since we both turn thirty this summer …”
She laughs, though I see the pain in her eyes. Despite it all, I have zero sympathy for her.
“You’ll meet someone eventually,” I say, monotone, as I direct my attention toward my laptop and take a seat. “I’m sure.”
Audrina huffs, rolling her eyes and blinking away tears. She looks admittedly lovely today, dressed to the nines in a floral, bare-shouldered sundress, nude espadrilles, and a tiny Fendi clutch, and I’m positive she put herself together for my sake.
“You know,” she says, her tone wistful. “Your mom is throwing that engagement party this weekend. And I can’t stop thinking about how it should’ve been us.”
“You’re clearly not hearing me.”
“This was going to be the summer, Hudson.” She shakes her head. “I thought we were going to finally get back on track. We belong together and you know it.”
“Audrina.”
“Do you know how many men I’ve turned away? How many proposals I’ve walked away from over the years because I was holding out for you?” Her complexion turns ruddy, her eyes misty again.
“Don’t put that on me,” I snort, shaking my head.
“You promised, Hudson.” She shakes her head, rising. “Shame on me for thinking you were a man of your word. All you do is lie. All you do is tell people what they want to hear so you can get what you need from them. I hope this Maribel knows that about you.”
Audrina heads to the door, stopping with her hand on the knob.
“I’m sorry,” I say again. “It’s just not meant to be. You need to accept that so you can finally move on.”
She scoffs. “What am I supposed to do? If I could snap my fingers and fall out of love with you, don’t you think I would? Loving you, Hudson, for all these years, has killed me. And now I have to show up at your parents’ house and smile like I’m happy for you.”
“You don’t have to go.” I shrug. “Feel free to sit this one out.”
“Ha.” She rolls her eyes. “You know as well as I do that my absence will only make things more awkward for everyone. Your family, my family, everyone knows it was always supposed to be you and me. If you’re all of a sudden engaged and I fail to show up, it’ll make me look bad. And I refuse to be a laughingstock all because you think you’ve met The One.”
“I’m glad you can be an adult about this.” I rise, shoving my hands in my pockets and keeping my distance. Audrina has always been a bit of a loose cannon: sophisticated and charming one minute, venom-spewing and tantrum-throwing the next. “I know Maribel looks forward to meeting everyone.”
Audrina’s mouth pulls up at one side, though it isn’t a happy smirk. It’s more devious.
“And I look forward to meeting her,” she says.
With that, she’s gone.
Seventeen
Mari
* * *
“Do you think we’re ready for this?” I climb into the back of Hudson’s limo as Rocco loads our bags Friday afternoon. “I feel like we’ve been spending all this time together, but I still don’t feel like a couple. It doesn’t feel authentic. What if they see through us?”
Hudson takes my hand, kissing the top before pulling me closer.
“Relax,” he says. “This isn’t like you to be so … worked up.”
“How would you know? You’ve only known me two months.”
He chuckles. “I’ve come to know you well these last couple of weeks, Mari. You’re intelligent. You have a great sense of humor. And you tend to go with the flow. All you have to do is be yourself these next few weeks—in addition to pretending to be madly in love with me— and the hard part will be over.”
Rocco closes the trunk with a gentle push and slips into the driver’s seat, merging into traffic a minute later.
Hudson’s right.
This isn’t like me to be so nervous. I just have a bad feeling that I can’t explain. It’s like this heaviness is sinking into me, weighing me down. My stomach was churning earlier, and I found myself unable to stop pacing the confines of my bedroom, my skin on fire and my breath shallow.