Page 9 of Winter’s Teeth

When she left, I asked, “Isn’t she like...thirty? And the serving boy is like...sixteen?”

Everly winced. “Yeah...”

“I’ll keep her hands off of them tonight. Just for you.”

Everly stood up, and on her way to her closet patted my cheek. “You’re my hero, Rae.”

Chapter 4

Acting as a human shield throughout dinner, I sat between my sister and her cousin to keep Kelsey from annoying the bride-to-be. The only times my guard slipped were when I sampled new items from the buffet. The brisket melted in my mouth in a way I didn’t know meat could, the rolls were to die for, and the vegetable medley almost converted me into a veggie lover.

Almost.

When dessert rolled out, I had to physically restrain Kelsey from giving the serving boy a kiss on the cheek. I wished I could say too much wine was involved, but that would be a lie.

Kelsey was just...Kelsey. And clearly a Bennett.

Defending my sister was no new task. She’d been my defender when I was too little to understand why I was the least favorite daughter, and as soon as I was old enough to understand my rage was justified, I became hers.

“So, Rae,” another bridesmaid started, a friend of my sister’s from their college days. “You’re in college now, right? What are you studying?”

I set down the forkful of chocolate cake that had been an inch away from my watering mouth, wanting to be undisturbed for my first bite so I could savor it properly. “Right, I’m studying environmental science. I might switch to geology though. I’m not sure yet.”

“Ooh, that sounds fascinating,” she replied in a way that was mostly polite and not really all that interested. Not that I blamed her, because most people didn’t have a clue what geologists or environmental scientists did on a daily basis. “You and Evie are only half sisters, right?” she asked out of the blue as her follow up question.

I blinked, a little caught off guard. “Uh... Right.”

“Same dad?”

“Uh huh.”

“Who was your mom again?”

Everly butted in when she caught wind of the conversation. “Geez, Grace. That’s enough pestering. Let the poor girl eat her cake.”

Grace dipped her head, cheeks flushing slightly. “Sorry. I was just curious since Everly is kinda dodgy about her family. She only talks fondly about you.”

“It’s fine,” I breathed out fast, even if it really wasn’t fine. My mom was a sore topic in the Bennett home, and unfortunately, I was growing to be a lot like her.

I just hoped I never grew into the entitled part with poor taste in men.

The first bite of cake wasn’t as sweet as I had hoped, but I had a feeling that was because my appetite had soured at the reminder of our parentage.

Gazing around the room, I tried to latch onto landmarks that would keep me anchored in the present. A sea of painful memories threatened to pull me out into treacherous waters, but the framed picture of young men in fishing gear each holding a massive salmon held me steady.

Everly touched my arm, noticing my mood shift. She gave me a small half smile, asking in our silent way, Are you okay? It was the same touch and look she gave me when she used to find me curled up under her bed after our father yelled at me for something I had no control over.

I had found the courage to crawl out from under her bed a long time ago though. I tamed the fear, leashed the rage, and turned it back on the ones who tried to hurt me.

I pinched my lips for a thin, flashing smile. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.

Conversation rolled along to the topic of the groom. Brett, Everly’s boyfriend of barely one year and fiancé for half of that time, was expected to arrive first thing in the morning to help finish setting up for the outdoor ceremony, but based on how many young men came and went from the kitchen...I was pretty sure we wouldn’t need any help with the set up.

Where do they all stay? I wondered. Because I hadn’t seen another cabin nearby. It was quite late to be heading out, and the only other cars parked outside belonged to the bridal party. There had to be lodging hidden nearby. Or more cars parked out back where I hadn’t seen them in the dark.

With a shake of my head, I cleared my thoughts and went back to monitoring Kelsey. While I’d been drifting, she had begun a story about taking a bath as kids with Everly.

I interrupted, rerouting the conversation again, and bided my time by keeping an eye on the dwindling slices of cake.