The other two were dressed similarly, with slacks and shirts in shades that complimented their complexions. Had they done that on purpose? I didn’t know that men thought about that kind of thing. More likely, these three guys just looked good in anything.
Conversation flowed surprisingly well. Jessie asked my folks about their careers. Kincade asked them about our hometown. Brock started a conversation about the stock market with my dad. I was pretty sure the men had clued into the fact that my mom wasn’t feeling well. They were pretty observant.
But it was my dad who surprised me the most. He talked to Brock, Kincade, and Jessie as if they were normal guys. He used to talk to Doug that way, but he’d gotten pretty freaked out when he found out how incredibly wealthy his future son-in-law was. I nearly giggled out loud at the fact that he had no idea that our three dinner companions were equally wealthy.
After we’d finished eating, my mom excused herself. “Do you want me to look in on you later?” I asked.
“No, dear, you stay here and have fun. You’ve got your pretty dress on, after all.”
That made me blush. I barely noticed when the guys stood up as my dad took my mom’s hand and escorted her back to the lodge.
“It is a pretty dress,” Jessie said once they were seated again.
Kincade scoffed. “More than pretty.” His eyes were on my face, and I was fairly confident that he wasn’t just referring to the cleavage.
“Are these seats taken?”
A voice far less pleasant than Brock’s hit my ear like fingernails on a blackboard. The Annas were standing behind the chairs my parents had just abandoned. Both wore tight, strapless dresses. Jeesh, didn’t they own any other kind? Hanna’s was a rather ugly shade of mauve and Savanna’s was yellow. They had some nerve picking on my fashion sense earlier. Theirs was horrible, but maybe that didn’t matter when you were size zero.
They were still waiting for an answer, and though I would’ve been happy to leave them hanging, Jessie was too polite for that. “No, they’re not.” He stood up and held a chair out for Savanna, then moved around to do the same for Hanna. Great, now they’d be hanging all over him again. Jessie’s manners were just part of who he was, but I was sure they’d read something more into it.
Grudgingly, I moved my parents’ plates out of the way so that they could set their food down. Though I didn’t see much point when they’d only filled their plates with vegetables, fruit, and a spoonful of grains.
“How are you gentlemen on this fine evening?” Savanna asked, trying to bat her eyelashes. They were long, full, and very obviously fake. It looked like caterpillars were trying to nap on her eyelids.
“Very well,” Jessie said, and I wanted to kick him under the table. The Annas would hound him for the rest of his life if he kept it up.
“We were just about to inquire when the dancing was going to start,” Kincade said smoothly. “Maddie, would you come with me to find out?”
He was giving me an out, and I was half tempted to take it. But that would leave Brock and Jessie with those two vultures, and I couldn’t do that. “No, you stay here and enjoy your dinner,” I said. “I’ll go check.”
Kincade’s jaw dropped slightly. “Are you sure? Because—”
“She’ll be fine,” Hanna said, clearly eager to get rid of me. “You go on now, Maddie.” Oh sure, she could get my name right when there were witnesses around.
“I’m in the mood for a little dancing, myself. Good thing there are so many handsome partners to choose from.”
I stood up.
“Take your time,” Savanna said. I was half sure that after I left, she’d take my chair and fling it into the pool so that she and her sister could have the guys all to themselves.
“You don’t have to go,” Jessie said. “I was enjoying our conversation.”
“Yeah, stay,” Brock said. I couldn’t tell if they were truly that eager for my company or if they just didn’t want to be left alone with the evil stepcousins.
“I’m fine,” I said, waving them off. “I’ll see you all later.”
I turned, feeling their eyes on me. I took one step. Then another. Then I stumbled forward, catching myself on the arm of a chair as I went down on one knee. “My ankle!” I wailed.
The people around us looked over as Brock, Kincade, and Jessie sprang to their feet. Jessie reached me first. “How bad is it?”
“I think I twisted it,” I said in a voice lined with pain.
Brock pushed Jessie out of the way. “Let’s get you up.” With ease, he lifted me up, setting me on my feet. I immediately lifted my foot off the ground, crying out. “I don’t think I can walk.”