“Oh, I’m sorry.” Shar giggled. “It’s just that . . . come on, are you guys really going to go with that? Clayton’s been hitting on Daisy or whatever? Clayton? And Daisy?”
It was Daisy’s worst fear come to life. The laughter, the disbelief . . . the scorn. Some of the other women were now eyeing her speculatively as well, and Daff stepped forward to intervene, but Daisy had finally had enough. She held up her hand to prevent Daff from interceding and took a step toward Shar.
“You know, Shar,” she said conversationally, “you really are a malignant cow. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve your scorn. Quite frankly, I no longer care. I spent way too much time trying to figure it out, and I’m done. Sometimes people are just born mean. You and Zinzi are rotten to the core, and since your opinion means nothing to me, I no longer care about why I became the target for your schoolyard bullying. My sisters and I are trying to have a private conversation, so if you don’t mind, we’d very much appreciate it if the rest of you could—”
“Why should Lia believe your pathetic little stories, Daisy?” Shar interrupted with a haughty little smile. “You’re clearly jealous of her and what she has with Clayton. I mean, you couldn’t even get a date to your own sister’s wedding, could you? You had to blackmail poor Mason into being your date, didn’t you? If you could lie about something like that, I’m willing to bet you’re pathetic enough to fabricate horrible stories about Clayton too.”
Daisy felt all the blood drain from her face at those words and swayed slightly beneath their impact.
“And if you’re wondering how I know that, it came straight from the horse’s mouth,” Shar supplied smugly, and Daisy felt lightheaded as the words sank in. Why would he tell anybody? What possible reason could he have to tell? “We had quite a laugh over it. Poor, desperate Daisy, showing up here with that stud on your arm, and all the while the man is here against his will. It would be laughable if it weren’t so—”
“Enough!” The sharp command came from Lia, who looked pale and pissed off yet remarkably poised at the same time. “Shar, consider our friendship over. Same goes for you, Zinzi. You have no right to speak to my sister like that. Daisy’s right, you’re both malignant bitches, and I think it’s best if we never see each other again. Now, if the rest of you don’t mind, my sisters and I need some privacy. Please excuse us.”
She and Daff moved to flank Daisy, and she was vaguely aware of each woman grabbing one of her elbows and leading her out of the private dining room. Daisy wasn’t sure where they were taking her, but she was just so relieved to get out from beneath all those mocking gazes and away from Shar’s vicious diatribe.
“Daisy?” It was Lia’s voice, sounding very far away.
“Shit, she looks like she’s going to faint.” Daff sounded anxious.
“I’m not going to faint,” Daisy denied, shaking her head.
“Drink this.” Lia shoved a glass into her hand, and Daisy took an obedient sip before dragging in a pained breath and exhaling it on a cough.
“What the hell is that?” she asked, suddenly back in the sucky present. It looked like they were in Daff’s room.
“Brandy. They always give it to people in the movies,” Lia explained when her sisters both leveled disbelieving looks at her. “You looked like you needed it for the shock.”
“Why would he tell her?” Daisy asked, her voice breaking.
“So that thing about Mason was true?” Lia asked, and Daisy nodded, too afraid to speak in case her voice failed her entirely. Her chest hurt. Why did it hurt? Was she having an anxiety attack? Something was wrong with her heart; it wasn’t working properly, it felt wrong. It felt . . . broken.
She lifted a hand to stifle a sob, but it escaped nonetheless.
“But why?” Lia asked in confusion, and Daisy shook her head.
“Long story,” Daff spoke for her.
“And the stuff about Clayton?” Lia asked hesitantly. Before shaking her head in irritation. “I don’t know why I asked that. You wouldn’t lie about something like that.”
“You believe me?” Daisy asked in a wobbly voice, and Lia frowned.
“Of course I believe you,” she said, sounding shocked that Daisy would even think she wouldn’t.
“I’m sorry,” Daisy whispered, and Lia hugged her.
“Deedee, you have nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who brought him into our lives.”
“I should have trusted you and spoken about it sooner.”
“Maybe. It doesn’t change the fact that he did what he did.”
“You seem remarkably okay about this,” Daff pointed out, and Lia shrugged.
“I am. I’ve been having . . . doubts anyway. I’ve been fooling myself, but the truth is, he’s just not a very nice man. He’s hypercritical about everything from what I eat to what I wear to whom I speak with. He even . . .” She paused, looking ashamed, before sighing and continuing. “He chose my wedding dress. All that dress-hunting business was just a ruse. He had a dress preselected and I pretended to ‘find’ it.”