Of course Brenna would still find a way to ruin Beth’s life from a thousand miles away. Brenna had spent her childhood tormenting Beth as only a big sister could, so it was fitting that it was Brenna’s wedding that was ruining everything Beth had planned for spring break.
It wasn’t just that it was her last high school spring break, but it was the first time she and Jared would be going away together. It was also when Beth had planned to finally sleep with him. She knew Jared was counting down the days. It’s not that he was pressuring her. Honestly, Beth was pleasantly surprised that he’d been willing to wait this long. But from the way Jared was glaring at the invitation, Beth had a sneaking suspicion that there was an expiration date on his patience.
Beth was trying to keep a lid on her emotions as Caroline and Parker squabbled over whether or not there was any hope of saving their epic spring break plans. Beth wanted to scream at the injustice of it all, but more than anything, she wanted Jared to say he’d skip Aspen to go to Brenna’s wedding with her so they could still have their romantic weekend. Had he not seen that as an option?
So far, Jared remained uncharacteristically silent. Beth reached over and took his hand. “I’m really sorry,” she whispered. “I know the timing sucks.”
Jared huffed. “That’s the understatement of the year. How did you not know about this?”
“No one did. Brenna just sprang it on us.”
Parker snorted. “That’s Hurricane Brenna for ya.”
Beth ignored Parker and continued to plead her case. “Jared, I know a wedding in Georgia isn’t an equal trade for what we had planned in Aspen but—”
Jared cut her off. “Wait. You don’t actually think I’m skipping a snowboarding trip in Aspen to go to some wedding, do you?”
“Not some wedding,” Parker corrected. “Her sister’s wedding.”
Beth felt her cheeks heat as the boys glared at each other across the table, filling the air with tension. Parker and Jared had been doing this a lot lately and it wasn’t doing Beth any favors. She gave Parker a pleading look before turning to Jared. “I know it sucks, but I have to go. Weddings are non-negotiable in my family.”
“Well it’s a good thing I’m not family then,” Jared muttered.
Beth stared at him, at a loss for words. The fact that Parker and Caroline were witnessing this argument made it that much worse. Jared seemed to notice everyone staring and slammed his sandwich back into its wrapper. “What? This is total bullshit. You’re all thinking it, but I guess I’m the only one with the balls to say it,” he accused, fixing Parker with a glare before storming from the table.
Parker
It took every ounce of restraint Parker had not to stand up and deck Jared for speaking to Beth that way. But one look at Beth’s crestfallen face had stopped Parker in his tracks. Her dark brown eyes were etched with hurt and the tiny crease between her pale eyebrows was deep with worry. It was a good thing Parker was sitting across the table from her or he didn’t think he’d be able to resist pulling Beth into his arms to console her.
Parker was finding it harder and harder to hide his feelings for her lately. It was like everything about Beth was designed to lure him in. Her golden hair smelled like citrus and coconut, and every time she flipped it over her shoulder he wanted to run his fingers through it. And her damn dimpled smile had the ability to make his heart stop. Then there was her smooth ivory skin that begged for his touch. And the way she bit her lower lip when she was nervous made it impossible for Parker to think of anything but kissing her. Beth lit up his world and she didn’t even know it.
Sometimes, Parker wasn’t even sure how it had happened, but it had. The line between friendship and more had completely dissolved. It left Parker feeling like he was suddenly free falling anytime Beth laughed or casually brushed his hand. It was maddening, and a tiny part of him wished he could go back because it was painfully obvious that Beth didn’t have those feelings for him.
It was also painfully obvious that Caroline was loving this. The girl thrived on drama and Parker couldn’t help noticing Caroline was smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary. It didn’t escape Parker, that Caroline couldn’t have orchestrated this plan to keep Beth and Jared apart any better if she’d tried.
Beth stood up, mumbling an excuse about needing to go to the ladies room before fleeing the lunch table. Parker’s heart went out to her. He’d thought by keeping an eye on Jared he’d be able to keep him in line, but from what Parker had just seen transpire, it wasn’t going to be good enough. Not by a mile.
Beth didn’t deserve to be treated that way and it was about time for Parker to do something. He stood to follow Beth from the room, but Caroline put a hand on his chest to stop him. “I’ve got this one.”
10
Beth
Beth could feel her eyes welling with tears. She was not going to cry over this. She heard her mother’s voice in her head. ‘Bennett girls don’t cry over boys.’
Okay, so maybe they did. But Beth was at least determined not to in front of anyone else. She walked calmly from the cafeteria. Of course when she was out of the room she broke into a run, not stopping until she was in the women’s bathroom, where she could cry in privacy.
She hid in a stall and dabbed at her eyes with toilet paper while silently cursing her sisters. Why did she have to have five sisters? If there was any justice in the world, at least one of her siblings could’ve been a boy. But no, Beth was saddled with five older sisters, all of whom morphed into bridezillas on bath salts and threw inconvenient, life-ruining weddings. And Beth should know, having been a bridesmaid in all of them.
The last thing she needed right now was a Bennett wedding. They were stressful and taxing, and would leave her no time to spend with Jared. That was if she could even convince him to go.
She could already feel Jared slipping away. Last night he’d seemed distant when he kissed her goodnight. She’d chalked it up to him being tired from the game. But that’s why spring break was so important. It was her plan to reconnect and take things to the next level—or lock him down, as Caroline would say.
Beth was still confused by Jared’s attention. Growing up the youngest of five gorgeous girls, Beth was used to being overlooked. She never felt like the pretty sister. They all had boobs and booties while she still felt like the gangly teen in comparison. But Jared had been the first person to see past all of that . . . to really want to get to know her. He was the first guy who was wholly hers.
Jared made her feel girly and sexy and she didn’t want to lose that. He’d been patient, but Beth knew he wasn’t going to wait around forever. She needed to give him some incentive to stay with her. Especially since she knew there were plenty of other girls at Stanton who would be happy to step up to the plate if Beth didn’t. And that’s why going to Aspen was perfect. Or it would’ve been if Brenna hadn’t ruined everything.
Beth blew her nose, wallowing in self pity. She was just beginning to mourn the loss of Aspen. Besides her plans to connect with Jared there, Beth had been truly excited to finally visit Caroline’s Aspen house. The place looked like a French chalet. Its scenic views and snowcapped mountains reminded her of ‘White Christmas’, with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Of course it was more modern with its state-of-the-art hot spring lagoon, heated floors and massive two-sided fireplaces.
She’d been looking forward to this trip for years. Getting invited was like winning the lottery. Being friends with Caroline wasn’t always easy but this was a major perk and Beth hated that she was going to miss out. Especially to go to her family’s stuffy southern estate in Georgia.
Beth had been there a million times as a kid. Her mother’s great, great so-and-so was once someone important and owned a big old mansion, called Bellemora, on Tybee Island. The estate was on a private beach and had been converted into a resort for wealthy tourists. The Kennedys were rumored to have vacationed there which kept the resort full year round. It was pretty enough, but it was no Voss Aspen
chalet. And more importantly, Jared wouldn’t be there.
“Beth?”
Beth peeked through the space between the bathroom door and partition when she heard Caroline call her name. She was leaning against the sink and scowling at an underclassman that wisely scurried from the bathroom. When they were alone Beth finally came out from the stall.
“You okay?” Caroline asked.
“No! This is so unfair! Brenna did this on purpose. She hijacked our trip. We’ve been planning Aspen since ninth grade and now everything is ruined, and Jared is mad at me.”
“Okay, you’ve gone supersonic, Beth. I need ya to take it down a notch, okay?”
Beth took a deep breath and tried to bring her voice back to a normal level. “What do I do, Car?”
“So there’s no way you can get out of this wedding?”
Beth shook her head.
“C’est la vie.”
“That’s it?”
“It’s life, kid. What do you want me to say? I have the cabin for the whole week. The wedding’s only one day, right? Come up when it’s over.”
Beth laughed dryly. “You’ve obviously never been to a Bennett wedding. There’ll be at least three days of ridiculousness planned. My sisters all try to outdo each other when it comes to weddings.”
“Okay, so that leaves four days. You won’t be able to ride the bus out with us but you can fly out when the wedding crap is over.”
Beth sighed. That was at least true. “But what about Jared?”
“What about him?”
“How do I get him to come to the wedding with me?”
Caroline laughed. “Oh that boy’s not gonna skip Aspen for a wedding. Have you heard how he and the guys have been talking about the bus?”
Beth frowned. Of course she had.
Jared and the lacrosse team had cleverly nicknamed the road trip to Aspen as the ‘broad trip’. A bunch of the guys from Jared’s team rented a house in Aspen when they heard Jared was gonna be at Caroline’s, hoping they’d get to crash at least one of her legendary parties. And luck was on their side, because when Caroline found out her brother was going to be at the Aspen house part of the time she was, she’d decided to invite the lacrosse team to stay at her place. Caroline was never good at sharing and she knew her brother would hate the idea of partying with a bunch of high school kids. She hoped maybe he’d be so pissed he wouldn’t show up. She’d even gone as far as to charter a tour bus for the team to Aspen, spawning the ‘broad trip’ craze.
“Stupid broad trip,” Beth muttered.
Caroline snorted. “My dad would absolutely flip if he knew his vintage tour bus is being referred to as the broad tripper.” Then she grinned wickedly. “Too bad he’s out of the country for the next two months filming yet another reality show.”
Beth sighed. “You really think there’s no hope of me convincing Jared to go to the wedding?”
“Beth, boys like Jared don’t do weddings. Especially not with girls that aren’t even putting out. You honestly need to be happy that you’ve made it this far. How long have you guys been dating?”
“Six months.”
Caroline’s eyebrows arched. “I’m pretty sure that’s the longest relationship he’s ever had. Trust me, you don’t want to push him on this. If his guys hear he’s considering bailing on Aspen for a wedding they’ll give him hell and you’ll get all the backlash. You gotta just give him some freedom. Or maybe it’s time to cut your losses. Then you’d be free to snag a hottie at the wedding.”
“Car! I’m not breaking up with him.”
She shrugged. “Just a suggestion.”
“Not a good one.”
“Okay, I get it. You’re not dumping Jared. Let’s move on.”
“I don’t know how to. Weddings are kind of a big deal in my family and it would be awesome to go to one with a boyfriend for a change. Plus, I go to all his lacrosse games and I never ask him to come to my stuff.”
“That’s right, your stand-in boyfriend does that stuff with you,” Caroline said with a smirk.
“Please stop calling him that.”
Caroline ignored Beth’s plea. “Why don’t you just ask Parker to go to the wedding? You know he will.”
“Because I want Jared to go.”
“I wouldn’t push him,” Caroline advised.
“Why not? Shouldn’t a relationship be two-sided?”
“Yeah, but you and Jared don’t have a real relationship. You haven’t had sex with him. That’s how guys judge if they’re in a relationship.”
Beth rubbed the heels of her palms against her eyes, groaning. Arguing about relationships with Caroline was useless. They had two completely different views of the world. But what scared Beth, was that in this instant, Caroline might be right. How could Beth ask Jared for something she wanted when she still hadn’t given him what he wanted?
Sadness crashed over Beth in heavy waves. She was so tired of getting her heart stomped on. It made her feel like a doormat—and not at all like she thought falling in love should feel.
Parker
Parker waited for Beth after school, but she didn’t show up. He noticed her car was already missing from the parking lot. That wasn’t like Beth at all. If she wasn’t staying after to watch one of Jared’s lacrosse games, she was tutoring, or in the auditorium helping the juniors paint the set for next season’s play.
Beth’s high school acting days were over, but Parker thought she’d gone out on top with a captivating performance as the lead in ‘Into the Woods’. It still blew Parker away when Beth sang. He could listen to it for the rest of his life and never grow tired of her voice. She was so charismatic when she was on stage. It was almost like she was a different person. Parker always envied the bravery Beth possessed to get up there and reveal that hidden side of herself to complete strangers.
She didn’t give herself enough credit. Growing up she always told Parker he was the brave one. But Parker thought it was the other way around. And that’s why this was so hard. Parker always tried to protect Beth when he could. But he’d seen the true hurt on her face today when Jared told her he wouldn’t skip Aspen to go to Brenna’s wedding with her. What an idiot.
Parker would skip his own damn wedding if it meant he had a chance with Beth. But jealousy aside, Parker was worried about Beth. He knew Jared had hit a nerve.
Being an only child, Parker didn’t know what it was like to grow up with the pressures Beth did. She was constantly comparing herself to her older sisters. And no matter what Parker told her, Beth never thought she measured up. She was so hard on herself to be perfect, to shine brighter, to be more.
Parker didn’t get it. Beth was perfect the way she was. Anyone who couldn’t see that was a moron. Being a son or daughter wasn’t a competition. But growing up in her sisters’ shadows had done a number on Beth’s self-esteem. And Jared had basically opened old wounds by saying he’d rather go to Colorado with his friends than Georgia with Beth. He might as well have said, “You’re not good enough.” Because from the look on Beth’s face, that was all she heard.
Parker checked his watch. If he hurried he could make it to Fritz’s in time. Fritz’s was foolproof, and the only thing guaranteed to cheer Beth up after the day she’d had. As Parker got into his Range Rover, he muttered to himself. “Come on, Fritz. Don’t let me down.”
11
Beth
Beth was lying on her bed when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She rolled her eyes and pulled one ear bud out and yelled at the door. “I don’t want to talk about it, Mom!”
All Beth wanted to do was listen to ‘Evita’ and feel sorry for herself.
Even though she’d known it was useless, Beth had begged her mother to let her out of going to Brenna’s wedding when she got home from school. Of course her mother didn’t even entertain the idea. So Beth didn’t feel inclined to entertain her mother just now. But when her door creaked open Beth sat up, hopeful for half a second that her mother had reconsidered.
But it wasn’t her mother standing in the doorway, it was Parker and he was holding a pale blue box with her favorite name on it.
“You didn’t!” Beth said jumping out of bed.
“I did,” Parker replied.
Beth ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. “And this is why I love you!” Beth exclaimed.
Parker set the box of macarons down on Beth’s bed and they began systematically sampling them. They each only took one bite so they could share the other half. Beth was already through the first row when she sighed and smiled up at Parker.
“There she is,” he replied, grinning back.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
“I guess they’re magical after all,” Parker said, quoting her.
Beth laughed. “You’re never going to let me forget that are you?”
“Nope. Not ever.”
“I was like eight when I said that,” Beth protested.
“Fritz’s macarons are magical and as long as I have them in my life there’s no problem I can’t solve,” Parker recited in his annoyingly perfect imitation of Beth’s little girl voice.
Beth couldn’t contain her laugher. “God, even at eight, I was a drama queen.”
“I’ll give ya that.”
“So was it as bad as it felt today?” Beth asked referring to her argument with Jared.
“Bad enough that I went to Fritz’s.”
Beth nodded and held up a lavender and earl gray macaron to Parker, who clinked his Madagascar vanilla bean macaron against hers like they were sharing a toast. And perhaps they were. Sadly, it was to Beth’s family drama and failing relationship.
She popped half of the macaron into her mouth and let the sugary goodness dissolve on her tongue. The flavor was divine. And for the entire four seconds it took to enjoy the perfect pastry, she didn’t think about Jared or Brenna once. If that wasn’t magic she didn’t know what was.
The Stand-In Boyfriend Page 6