“Yes, but I’m also describing what happened yesterday with Sienna.”
“You’re not having much luck with the ladies, are you?” Wade laughed.
Fox shot him a hard look.
Wade lifted his hands in surrender. “Look, I know Becky was the worst thing that could happen to a guy. She was selfish and greedy and narcissistic. But we’re not talking about her. We’re talking about Sienna.”
Fox shook his head and brushed some branches out of his way. “It doesn't matter who we’re talking about. Anyone is capable of doing horrible things to someone else.”
“Sure, they might be capable of it. But does your gut tell you that Sienna is going to do that?”
“She’s got this personality that comes out when the cameras are around and—”
“And you’re worried Sienna is going to somehow use that TV personality against you?” Wade interrupted. “Do you think she’s out to hurt you the way Becky was?”
Their feet rustled through the leaves and branches on the path. Fox thought about the moments he’d shared with Sienna. That first day, she’d acted immature and only allowed him to see the persona she adopted whenever Bruce and the cameras were around.
She put on a bright smile because she took her role as bridesmaid seriously. She wanted Audrey and Eli to have a great wedding and knew how to play the game. She’d spent years cultivating this persona and was using it to her advantage.
That didn’t mean the girl he saw in the stolen moments wasn’t genuine. In the days that followed Fox’s first impression, he’d seen glimpses of the girl—woman—she was beneath that facade. A woman who listened to Fox when he opened up about his past. A woman who didn't judge him for it. A woman who loved her family fiercely. A woman who was determined and worked hard.
“I’m guessing by your expression, you don’t think Sienna is out to get you,” Wade said, pulling Fox from his thoughts.
He smiled. “No, I don’t think she’s out to get me. I actually think she’s pretty incredible.”
“And how do you feel?” Wade asked. He grabbed a tree to steady himself as they hit a steep decline in the path.
There was a slight singsong quality to Wade’s tone that he knew made Fox uncomfortable. And it worked. The question made Fox feel even cheesier about the direction his thoughts had turned.
“I feel like...I’ve never felt like this before.” Fox stopped at the bottom of the decline and looked back up the hill. Luckily the trails were well marked because he had been paying zero attention to where they were going. “But what about everything that’s happened? Maybe I should just let her go.”
“Is that what you want?”
Fox shook his head. “No, the thought of never seeing her again after Wedding Games makes me feel sick.”
The grin on Wade’s face grew. “And what are you going to do about it?”
Fox shoved him off the trail and into a bush. “I don’t know yet.” All he knew was that he had to do something big, and soon, before they went their separate ways.
Wade stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. He smacked Fox’s back. “Good. And now that that’s settled, let’s head back down to the inn. This walk is only making my muscles feel worse.”
Fox said a silent thank you. His body was also protesting after last night’s rendezvous, but he hadn’t wanted to say anything. “Sounds like a plan.”
Twenty
6 Days Until Dream Wedding
Sienna paced outside her mother’s room.
The parents of the bride and groom were set up in a different wing of the Emerald Inn, and Sienna had avoided that part of the giant building like the plague—until now.
After Reagan refused to let her do another facial mask—using the annoyingly convincing argument that it would do more harm than good to her complexion—Sienna had retreated to her room.
She knew it was a bad idea to go anywhere that the cameras would be until that night’s competition. They could technically come into their rooms at any time, but there were only so many cameras, and Sienna hoped the drama was unfolding elsewhere at the moment.
Watching Sienna lay on her bed and sort out the tangle of her thoughts would not make for the most scintillating television.
Her mind jumped from Lila and the apartment, to Fox and the argument they’d had, then to the pressure of Wedding Games to Milo. Everything bounced around inside her head until she couldn’t take it anymore.
Sienna had told herself that she wasn’t going to talk to her mother, but inevitably, her feet had taken her there anyway. She still didn’t know what she was going to say, so she stayed in the hall threatening to wear a groove in the floor from her back and forth.
She could have kept it up indefinitely, but the door swung open and her mother’s head appeared in the doorway.
“Are you planning on staying out there all morning? Or did you want something?”
Sienna’s face heated, and she considered telling her mother that this was all part of her new exercise routine. “I-I was wondering if maybe you’d want to talk?”
“Sure. Let me just get my room key, and we can go downstairs for some coffee.”
“Actually.” Sienna forced her face into a smile. “I was thinking we could hang out in your room?”
A small line formed between her mother’s brows for the briefest moment before she nodded.
Sienna looked down the hall to see if there were any cameramen ready to follow her but didn’t see any. She crossed her fingers it would stay that way.
Sienna stepped into her mother’s room and all thoughts of being filmed vanished. This room was nice. It was roomier than the ones given to the bridesmaids. It was even bigger than Audrey’s, and she was the bride, for crying out loud. There was a Jacuzzi tub sitting under a giant window that overlooked the wooded property.
Sienna whistled low. “Wow. They really set you up, didn’t they?”
Her mother lifted a single shoulder. “Did they? I wouldn’t know since none of my girls have invited me to their rooms since we got here.”
A pang of guilt ran through Sienna. She’d been so caught up in everything going on that she hadn’t considered that her mother would want to see her room. And it sounded like Audrey and Harper had been as thoughtless too.
“Well, I can promise you that you’re not missing anything. My room faces the parking lot, and my bed is a twin, not a king-sized one like yours. And I have a shower stall, nothing nearly as cool as this,” Sienna said, waving her hand at the tub. It was much easier to talk about her mother’s room than the difficult things that still hummed in the back of her mind.
A small smile touched her mother’s lips. “It is pretty amazing.”
“Tell me you’ve poured yourself a glass of wine, used bubble bath, and taken advantage of this gorgeous view.”
Her mother nodded. “Every night.”
Sienna groaned. “That sounds amazing.”
“It is.” Her mother paused. “But I have a feeling you didn't come all the way over here to talk about my room since you didn’t even know what it looked like until now.”
Sienna closed her eyes. “No, I didn't.”
“Do you want to tell me why you’re really here, then?”
No. Not really, she thought, but opened her eyes and nodded.
Sienna sat down on the edge of the bed, and her mother perched next to her. The silence that stretched between them was like a tiny hole that was pulled bigger and bigger with each passing second. Her mother sat patiently, her hands folded one on top of the other, while Sienna wiped her sweaty hands several times against her thighs.
Why was this so hard? It was her mother. Her mother loved her. Nothing bad would happen if she admitted her mistakes, right?
Just utter humiliation and shame, no big deal.
Sienna took a deep breath. “I lost my apartment.”
Her mother opened her mouth, but Sienna pushed on. To hear any criticism before she’d gotten it all out would crush her, an
d she’d never be able to finish. She told her mother everything—her three jobs, Lila’s ultimatum before she came to North Carolina, her fed-up landlord, how she had to pack her things and find a new place to live.
When she was done, her mother took Sienna’s hands. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
Sienna’s chest tightened, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “But…”
Her mother frowned. “But what?”
“But ‘I told you so,’ obviously.”
She shook her head. “Is that really what you expect me to say right now?”
“Yeah. I know you’ve been waiting for me to fail as an actor and now you get to tell me how you were right all along.”
“Oh, Sienna.” Her mother leaned over and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’ve never wanted to see you fail as an actor.”
Sienna wiggled out of her mother’s grip. “Of course you have. That’s why you’re always telling me how I shouldn’t be working all these extra jobs and should just come home.”
Her mother’s eyes watered. “I’m so sorry that’s the impression I’ve given you. I’m so proud of all that you’re doing.”
These were pretty words, but they didn’t make sense. They were in total opposition to everything she’d ever heard from her mother. She folded her arms across her chest. “And when you told me that hard work isn’t always enough?”
Her mother reached out to grab Sienna’s hand. This time she didn’t pull away. “I don’t want to see you work away your youth. I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices for you girls.”
“Exactly, and—”
“And they have been joyful sacrifices, done out of love. But I want better for you girls. It’s why I co-signed on Harper’s bakery and gave her a small gift to help with the startup costs.”
Sienna’s mouth dropped open. “You what?”
“You thought she was able to start Flour Girl on her own a year out of college?”
Sienna nodded.
“Well, she wasn’t.” Her mother smiled a little. “She needed help. And so did Audrey, when she wanted to get her master’s in teaching.”
All of this was news to Sienna. In the last couple of hours, her entire world had been twisted upside down, and she wasn’t sure what to think anymore. “Does that mean if I had asked for help, you would have given it?”
“Of course I would have. I want you girls to do your best, and you’ve always been so stubborn when it comes to admitting you’re not able to do things on your own.”
“I wonder who set that example for us?” She tried not to sound bitter.
“I had no choice but to do it on my own. The example I tried to set was that it’s important not to blindly rely on a man to take care of everything. But sometimes people need help, and that’s okay.”
Warmth rushed through Sienna’s body. She’d felt so proud of doing it on her own, but it felt even better to know she wasn’t alone when it really mattered.
“And I’m still happy to help. All you need to do is ask.”
“Even now?”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “Yes, even now. I worked hard so that I could save up a bit. Not enough for Audrey’s dream wedding, unfortunately, but enough to help out in a pinch.”
“I wish I’d known.”
Her mother squeezed her shoulders. “Well, now you do. Do you want to call Lila and tell her you have rent money and want to stay?”
Sienna frowned. Lila had already chosen someone to replace her. Sienna didn’t want someone else to end up without a place to stay because she’d been too stubborn to tell her mother about what was going on.
She shook her head. “No, I think it might be too late for that.”
“Are you sure?” Her mother shifted in her seat to take hold of Sienna’s hands and look her in the eyes. “Like I said, I have it tucked away for emergencies.”
“Yeah,” Sienna said. “But maybe you can help me with the deposit and come up to help me pick out a new place?”
Her mother smiled widely. Sienna’s hotel room wasn’t the only place she’d never invited her mother to visit. “Absolutely.” There was a long pause before she added, “Anything else you want to talk about?”
Sienna shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Not even Fox?” Her mother wiggled her eyebrows.
“How do you—” Sienna cleared her throat. “I mean, what are you talking about?”
“Just because I haven’t dated since your father left, doesn’t mean I’m blind. And that Fox sure is a handsome one.”
“Mother!” Sienna’s eyes went wide.
“I’m just saying it looks like there’s something going on between you two. I may not be competing in all these silly games, but I’ve been around. I see the way he looks at you. And more importantly, the way you look at him.”
Sienna shook her head. “Not anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s pretty mad.” She leaned back in her seat and sighed.
“And does he have a right to be?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Sienna buried her face in her hands. “He thinks I did something bad, but it was an accident.”
Her mother clasped her hands in front of her. “That’s even better. You can just go to him and explain what happened.”
Sienna let out a short laugh. “I don’t think it’s that easy.” She’d escaped utter humiliation and shame this time, but wouldn’t be so lucky with Fox.
“Of course it is.”
Oh, how Sienna wished it was as simple as her mother thought. But it wasn’t. If there was only a way to make her understand…
She sat up straight. “What about Dad?”
Her mother narrowed her eyes. “What about him?”
“After he betrayed you and left, what would you have done if he came back and explained that it was a misunderstanding? Would you have forgiven him? Would you have listened?”
Her mother bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know. But I doubt whatever you did was as bad as him leaving me and four kids without warning.”
“It’s not. But it's still a big deal to Fox. And I doubt he’ll even want to listen to me now.”
Sienna closed her eyes and willed the tears that were forming in her eyes to stop, until she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and took in her mother’s sad smile.
“He might not listen, but do you think it’s worth a shot?”
Sienna honestly didn’t know, but she doubted it. It was probably better to reach down deep in her acting arsenal and wear a bright smile for the next six days. Then Audrey and Eli could get married, Sienna could find a new place in New York, and Fox could go back to his life, far away from her.
She looked up at her mother with a sad smile of her own. “I don’t think so.”
Twenty-One
6 Days Until Dream Wedding
Taking a risk had sounded easy enough when Fox was on the trail with Wade, surrounded by the dark green canopy that made his heart rate slow and his mind clear. Now, under the glare of lights and critical eye of three cameramen, Fox felt the familiar itch to run up to his room and hide. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on what Jason Castle was saying.
“Welcome to the final challenge.” Jason smiled at them all.
They were in the same meeting room as the first day, set up to look like a church again. Fox tried unsuccessfully to ignore the urge to peek over at Sienna standing with her sisters on the other side of the room. But even without turning his head, he knew Audrey was happily sitting with the bridesmaids, and Eli was back with the groomsmen.
For better or worse, they had decided to continue on with the show.
“To recap, we have the bride’s team in the lead. They won the s’mores contest and will get to select the menu. They also won the scavenger hunt, so they’ll be choosing the flowers. And—thank goodness—they won the table decorating contest so ladies, you’ll be picking your own dresses.”
The girls lau
ghed, and Fox allowed himself to sneak a glance in their direction as they all ran their hands over their foreheads in an exaggerated show of relief. Apparently, having people walk out in the middle of the table decorating competition hadn't affected the end result. Or maybe they’d just edit the footage so that it wasn’t even apparent anyone was missing.
A shiver went up Fox’s spine when he thought of Wade’s words. Even if everything stopped today, Bruce could still do whatever he wanted with the footage they’d already taken. Would Fox come out as a nice guy or as a total jerk after disappearing? The one way to be sure was to keep playing along and doing what was expected of him.
“The groom’s team won the obstacle course and the right to play whatever music they want on the big day.” Jason turned his megawatt smile on the guys. “And maybe today’s competition will give you some ideas.”
How could today’s competition give them ideas unless it was musical? Fox’s stomach clenched.
Please don’t let it be…
“I hope you all like karaoke!”
Fox let out a groan that was thankfully covered up by the excited squeals from the girls. They were really going all in, not that Fox expected any less from Sienna. Even though she’d been upset the last time he saw her, he knew she’d put on a brave face and do her best for Audrey.
And Fox wasn’t about to back down from his plan to tell Sienna how he felt about her. And even though he hated karaoke, and there were cameras everywhere, Fox could use this challenge to his advantage. At least singing was something he was good at. And there were dozens of songs that worked great to let a girl know how you really feel. The hardest part would be picking the perfect song, with the perfect lyrics.
“Since this competition will decide who gets to pick the cake, all the songs should be about desserts.”
How much cheesier could this possibly get?
“You’ll be doing a group performance, so let’s see those great coordinated dance moves.”
A lot cheesier, apparently.
“The Wellspring high school drama department has provided some great costumes, so get creative.”
The Bridesmaid & the Jerk Page 15