Page 24 of Convincing Carrie
“No, but good for her,” Sadie said. “Why shouldn’t she date a surgeon?”
Tim didn’t say anything, but the dark look on his face remained.
I glanced at Sadie. Maybe we hadn’t been wrong about Tim and Natalie after all.
“Ready to go, Tim?” Gemma asked.
Tim barely glanced at her. He was still staring after Natalie and Heath as if they might come back. “Um… I don’t think I’m up for hanging out after all,” he said.
She pouted. “Oh. Okay. Well, maybe another time.” She gave him a lingering hug, but he was clearly not into it. Finally, she walked off.
Harrison clapped Tim on the shoulder. “Time to go, man.”
He looked dazed and unhappy. “Whatever,” he muttered, heading to his truck.
We all watched him go with interest.
“I don’t know about y’all,” Drake said, “but I’m looking forward to seeing Nat, the doctor, and Tim tomorrow at the ball. I think we have the makings of a love triangle.”
Everyone agreed, and I could tell they were going to stay there talking for a while. I said goodbye, thanked everyone again, and got in my car to head home. I hadn’t wanted to overstay my welcome at Blair’s house, even though she’d offered. Besides, it would feel good to sleep in my own bed tonight.
Was I interested in what was going on with Tim? Hell, yes.
But I had my own relationship issues to worry about, and that was all I could handle right now. And I was too tired to think about it, anyway. When I got home, Thatcher wasn’t there. I wasn’t surprised. I went upstairs, took a quick shower, and pretty much collapsed in bed.
CHAPTER TEN
Thatcher
I walked down Peachtree Street with Madison’s hand in mine, enjoying the cool fall air. I loved fall. It was the only season in the South that didn’t include too much pollen and was a comfortable temperature outside.
It was a perfect night.
My smile faded as I remembered walking away from Carrie at the work session for the Orchid Ball. I was a shitty husband. I dropped Madison’s hand like it was a hot potato.
“So, it’s going to be good to see the old gang again,” I said. The text I’d gotten while working on the Orchid Ball décor was from Ashcroft, and old pal of mine and Madison’s from our days as undergrads at Emory University. He’d gotten a few of our friends together and wanted us to meet him at Blue, a trendy bar and restaurant in Buckhead.
Mads smoothed down her extremely short, extremely low-cut cocktail dress. “I hope I look good enough,” she muttered.
She never had low confidence. “You’re breathtaking,” I assured her, honestly.
She smiled up at me. “Thanks. You’re sweet. It’s just… people judge. And, well, these people can be the judgiest.”
Memories came flooding back of our group of friends. They were fun, but they were also brutal and vicious when it came to anyone who didn’t fit their standards. They made sure otherstudents were harshly excluded if they weren’t socially elite, which was code for born with super rich parents, grandparents, and probably great-grandparents. In other words, ‘old money.’ The familiar pang of discomfort I’d felt around them back then returned, and I was a little less pleased to see our old friends. It wasn’t that my family wasn’t old money. We were some of Atlanta’s oldest money.
But I hated excluding people based on stupid things they couldn’t control. I’d been born rich. How did that make me better than someone whose family recently became wealthy or someone born poor? It didn’t make me better. It just made me lucky.
Mads and I walked into Blue and looked around for Ashcroft and whoever else had come out with him tonight. He was seated at a large round table with eight chairs around it. Six of them were filled with people I’d lost touch with years ago. Two were empty for Mads and me.
I grinned and walked over when Ashcroft waved to me.
Everyone turned their heads and greeted us warmly. I pulled Mads’ chair out for her, then my own chair and sat down. “It’s great to see all of you,” I said, meaning it. I pushed the bad memories aside. These people had been my best friends when Madison and I were together. In fact, I realized that all of them had been members of the wedding party all those years ago before Mads had broken the engagement… and my heart. I glanced at her. We hadn’t talked much about that. I wondered if she would ever explain the real reason why she had to cancel the wedding. She could have easily married me and then gone to Paris. I would have gone with her.
I hadn’t pushed her to talk about it yet, mainly because I was afraid of what she might say. Or that she would leave me again.
I pushed aside the thoughts and focused on my old friends. The group talked and laughed for an hour or so over drinks.When it was time to order, I turned to Madison. “What would you like?”
The table got quiet, and I frowned when I saw all of them staring at us. I didn’t understand their hesitancy.
