Page 56 of Without a Hitch
“I’m glad to hear it. Are you going to dinner with Mum and Dad tonight?”
“Of course. I’ll be over at six so we can ride together.”
“Oh, I’ve got—”
“You’ve got nothing. I already checked Angie’s calendar. See you at six, big brother.” She stands and sprints around my desk, enveloping me in another hug. Nova truly has an energy like no other. “If you ruined things with Abby because of your beliefs about weddings, maybe try to take things day by day. You never know what you’d be willing to change for the right person.”
“Not that, Nova.” Her lip quivers, and I glance away, hating that I hurt her feelings with my jilted beliefs. It wasn’t that long ago we both wanted the same thing. A happy life with a partner who made the bad days better. I have to remember that just because my world spun out of control, it doesn’t mean Nova’s has to follow suit.
“So, what? If I find the love of my life, you won’t celebrate my wedding wholeheartedly?” She’s like a dog with a bone, but this time, something feels off. My throat is itchy, and I wonder if I’m developing an allergy to her shampoo or something.
“You know I will always celebrate your happiness, Nono. However it comes.”
“God, you’re such an ass.” She punches my side like she did when she was little, but I don’t miss the sadness in her expression.
I watch her leave, then cross the room quickly to shut the door. As I do, I find the new assistant, Brooke, I think her name is, staring at me wide-eyed and hungry. I slam it in her face, then text Angie to fire her on my way back to my desk.
Opening Google, I search for the Cartwright wedding in Boston.
Jonas Cartwright. I know him.Was I invited?I scan through the website, finally landing on a page about the bridal party. It’s loaded with pictures, and the very last one is a photo of Abby with a group of people at Audra’s wedding. She’s the only one without an individual photo or some sort of selfie taken with the bride.
Who are you, Abby Chambers?
I do a quick search in my email but find nothing from Jonas after an emailed invite to go golfing. Three years ago. Fucking wanker. Pressing the button on the intercom, I don’t wait for Angie to answer. “Was I invited to the Cartwright wedding?”
My door cracks open, and Nova’s laughter filters in. Bloody fucket. Was she just sitting out there waiting?
“I knew it,” she screams, and I envision her high-fiving the air while her toes tap against the floor. I don’t have to wait long for the confirmation. She bounces back into the room with her fist raised like she just won the New York City Marathon.
“You, my dear brother, were not invited to the wedding. But I was. Would you like to be my date?”
Was that my tooth? I’m reasonably certain I just cracked a molar. “You were invited, and I wasn’t? I went to school with the prick. Wait, why don’t you have a date already?”
“You weren’t invited because you don’t know how to keep a friendship that doesn’t revolve around work.”
“That’s not true. I have plenty of friends,” I say bitterly. “It’s about quality, not quantity.”
“Loch, you’re friends with Colton, Blake, and Tyler because they don’t let you dick around.”
Blah. “Could you not say dick? It’s not right coming from my sister’s mouth.”
She leans forward so fast I don’t anticipate her next move, but she grabs a handful of Skittles off my desk and throws them at my head.
“Dammit, Nova. Those were all sorted.”
She grabs another handful and throws them too. “You’re so weird,” she screeches. “Why do you have to eat five Skittles at a time? Five!”
“I don’t know,” I yell back, and suddenly, I’m not a distinguished hotelier anymore. I’m a fourteen-year-old in a fight with his pesky little sister. “Five is just the right number. One of each color.”
She reaches for another candy bowl, a gift from Angie, and I catch her hand before she can toss my special treat again.
“You have to loosen up, Lochlan. Seriously. Life is unpredictable.” She demonstrates this by climbing onto the desk one-handed. Using the other hand, she shoves my candy down my dress shirt.
“Jesus, Nova. We’re not ten years old,” I bellow. Just as I’m removing her from my desk, my father walks in and laughs. Long, loud, and happy. My mother walks in behind him, gaping at her two children in the middle of a wrestling match.
“And to answer your other question,” Nova huffs, sliding off my desk like she wasn’t just behaving like a raging lunatic. “No, I don’t have a date. I was going to make Sam go with me. Dating has been…interesting lately. It wasn’t worth the hassle.”
My big brother instincts take over, and I lean forward across my desk. Throwing her my most menacing expression, I wait for her to speak. She winks and sticks out her tongue.
