Page 11 of Anything For You
Kelsey leaned back, the movement easy, like this was just another conversation. Like she hadn’t just agreed to pretend to be Elizabeth’s girlfriend for her ex-wife’s wedding. Like she hadn’t just signed her name beneath a list of rules and expectations that made Elizabeth’s chest tighten every time she thought about them.
“So,” Kelsey said, swirling the wine in her glass, “tell me about the wedding. Where is it? Who’s going to be there?”
Elizabeth should have felt in control. Shewasin control. This was her plan, her solution. But the way Kelsey was looking at her, expectant and curious like this was just another story to be told, made her fingers twitch.
“It’s at Briarwood Lodge,” Elizabeth said, her voice steady. “Two hours outside the city. Grace is marrying Charlotte. Another lawyer.”
Kelsey’s eyebrows lifted. “Another lawyer? So I need to have some good lawyer jokes ready?”
Elizabeth blinked. “No.”
Kelsey grinned, quick and bright. “I’m kidding. See? This is why we need to spend time together. You missed my sense of humor.”
Elizabeth’s fingers tightened around her glass. She took a drink, the wine sharp on her tongue. She hated that Kelsey was right. Hated that she hadn’t thought this through. That she was already second-guessing herself.
“When do you want to meet again?” Elizabeth asked, her voice cooler than she intended.
Kelsey’s smile didn’t fade. If anything, it deepened, like she knew exactly what Elizabeth was thinking. “Right now.”
Elizabeth stared at her. “Now?”
“Hmm.” Kelsey set her glass down, her fingers tapping against the table. “We’re already out. Why call it a night just because I signed your contract? Where do your colleagues go after work? There’s got to be a few bars where you’ll see people you know.”
Elizabeth’s pulse jumped. “I’m not sure?—”
“Won’t some of them be at the wedding?” Kelsey cut in, her voice light but firm. “Or was there no overlap?”
Elizabeth’s throat went dry. She knocked back the rest of her wine, the liquid burning all the way down. Of course there was overlap. Of course there were people who knew Grace, who knewher. People who would expect to see Elizabeth alone. People who would notice if she suddenly showed up with someone new.
Kelsey was right.
Elizabeth set her glass down with deliberate care. “There’s a place near the firm. An Irish bar. A few of the partners go there after work.”
Kelsey’s grin turned triumphant. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
Elizabeth’s stomach dropped. “Now?”
“Why not?” Kelsey stood, grabbing her bag. “The sooner we start, the better, right?”
Elizabeth didn’t move. She should have said no. She should have insisted they wait, that they plan this properly. But Kelsey was already waiting, her expression expectant, her posture relaxed, like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Kelsey held out her hand, palm up, fingers slightly curled.
Elizabeth didn’t take it.
Instead, she stood, smoothing her blazer before reaching for her bag. Then she was striding towards the door and pulling it open for Kelsey.
The doorto O’Neill’s swung shut behind them, the noise of the bar hitting Elizabeth like a wall. Laughter, clinking glasses, the low hum of conversation—all of it too loud, too bright. She scanned the room in one quick sweep, her gaze snagging on Scott at the far end of the bar. He was leaning against the wood, tie loosened, a pint in hand, talking to someone from tax. His back was to them, but it wouldn’t stay that way.
Kelsey stepped past her, close enough that Elizabeth caught the scent of her. Something sweet, like vanilla, but not overpowering. Not like the perfume Grace used to wear, the kind that lingered in a room long after she left.
“Back corner,” Elizabeth said, nodding toward a booth tucked near the dartboards. “We’ll have more privacy.”
Kelsey didn’t even glance that way. “No one will see us back there.”
Elizabeth’s fingers twitched. “That’s the point.”
Kelsey turned, her expression unreadable. “If we’re hiding, it’ll look suspicious. We need to be where people can see us.”
