But Lance, the asshole and smug asshole that he was, didn’t seem bothered in the least, and that was affirmed when he grinned and took his seat on the couch beside her, only a cushion between them.
“It’s okay,” Lance said, and gave her mother a sugary sweet grin. “It’s been a long time for Mary and me. It’s natural she may feel a little strange seeing me again.”
Her mother didn’t seem convinced, but after a few seconds, Lance’s smooth talking and saccharine smile won her over and she was right back in wedding conversation.
The entire time Mary sat beside him was uncomfortable and tense, and the way Lance kept watching her made her feel like a specimen under a microscope. Her mother and Margo started talking about the guest list, and everyone else was engaged in other talk, so when Lance shifted closer, Mary felt her spine straighten. He leaned in close and started speaking so low only she could hear.
His Polo cologne was subtle yet made her belly tighten and her gag reflex rise.
Whispering so only she could hear Lance said, “Since you didn’t want to see me on your own, I was lucky enough to run into your mother at the country club.” She felt his gaze on her, saw in her peripheral that he was watching her. “It’s so good to see you.” He moved back before she could move or say anything, not that she would have.
Her mother drew him into the conversation, and she exhaled. God, she wanted Alex here yet she didn’t. She didn’t want him dealing with her drama or her family’s bullshit. But at the same time just being close to Alex made her feel like the shit of her past was just that… shit from her past.
For a half-hour, Mary’s mom incorporated Lance into any and all conversations that were started, and the joy in her mother’s face speaking to him was like a kick to the gut. Then again, she couldn’t blame her mother wholly on her reaction to Lance. It wasn’t like Mary had told anyone about the shit with Lance and why they’d broken it off.
Maybe if she had, Mary wouldn’t have been in this situation right now. Maybe if she’d told her mother about Lance pressuring her to have sex, and when Mary had told him how he’d been a total dick and then he’d gone out and cheated on Mary with her friend, her mother wouldn’t have laughed at his stupid ass jokes.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
“You two were such a gorgeous couple,” her mother said, and Mary held in her gag reflex. “I never did understand why the two of you broke up.”
Mary shifted, the situation going from bad to worse. “It’s been two years, mom. That’s water under the bridge.”
Her mother scoffed and waved off what Mary said. “You know what, since Mary’s date is clearly not showing up, you and she should go to the wedding together, Lance.”
“No,” Mary said right away. “Alex is on his way, and even if he wasn’t, I’d rather go alone than with Lance.” Her mother gasped and the room became tense and silent. She would not back down on this. And when she looked at Lance, Mary felt her irritation and anger grow. “Maybe Lance can find another date. Maybe Brittany?” Lance’s cool expression cracked and his jaw clenched, giving Mary sweet satisfaction.
Margo was giving Mary the stink eye, and her mother and father looked at Mary with such a disapproving expression that also made her pleased in a sick sort of way. “You know what,” she finally said and stood. “I think I lost my appetite.”
“What?” Her mother stood, her voice pitched high in shock. “You’re just going to leave before dinner? It’ll be served in twenty minutes.”
Mary shook her head and looked at Lance, then at her mother. “God, mom… If you only knew—” she stopped herself before she got into it right here in the living room. And maybe she should have. Maybe she should air all her dirty damn laundry. But she was better than that.
“I’m tired. I’m just going to go to the hotel.”
“Hotel?” Her mom’s voice squeaked with shock.
Mary nodded. “Yeah, I thought it might be a little crowded with Margo and Joe staying here, and besides, it might be uncomfortable for Alex to stay in a place he isn’t familiar with—”
“Alex?” Margo interjected. “You mean the date that isn’t here?”
Mary was so exhausted mentally and physically. “Yeah” was all she said.
“Mary, you’re acting uncharacteristically rude.” Her father, normally subdued to let his wife handle things, spoke up.
When she heard Margo scoff, no doubt about to gear up to run her mouth, Mary’s patience was gone. She speared Margo with an angry look that had her sister’s eyes widening a fraction. Yeah, no more standing back and letting herself be looked down upon. No more dealing with people’s shit.