Terri clapped her hands and ran out to the patio to let the rest of the girls know we were going to the pavilion to make sure everything was set up. I figured at least a few of them would go, but they all declined.
“Snobs,” Charlie whispered as I covered my mouth to hide the giggle. “Most of them are daughters of Terri’s father’s business partners.”
Morgan chuckled and said, “That was a mouthful.”
Terri came walking back in. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “They’re buzzkills. Let’s go.”
As we headed down the hall, Charlie hooked her arm with mine. “So. How are things going with you and Nash?”
I smiled. “I think good. This past week we’ve not seen each other much at all. I’ve never met anyone like him. He has such a kind heart and t
he way he loves each of you. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his friends.”
“He is a pretty neat guy,” Charlie agreed.
“Neat?” I asked, giggling. The wine had certainly gone to my head, and I could feel it the more I moved about.
“Yes, neat. He’s always been there for Tucker, even me, when I didn’t give him much reason to be.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Terri and Morgan huddled up talking. They were a few steps behind us. Even though Morgan hadn’t really hung out with Nash’s friends, Jim was like family to Nash’s family. I thought it was so sweet for Terri to invite Morgan and me to celebrate with her.
“Charlie, may I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
We made it out of the hotel and down a sidewalk that led to the other side of the hotel that housed all of the venues.
“Do you think it would make a difference to Nash if I was rich or poor?”
She stopped walking and looked at me. “What do you mean? He doesn’t care about money. Not at all.”
I chewed on my lip nervously. “What I mean is, I know Lily grew up very privileged, and she left Nash for a man who was equally privileged. Nash realizes that not all women who come from money are like Lily?”
Charlie laughed. “Of course he does. I mean, he has known Terri and me since college, and we are both from wealthy families.”
“Yes, but neither one of you ever made him feel less of himself like Lily did.”
With a frown, Charlie stayed silent for a moment. “Lily was, is, one of my best friends. I don’t agree with what she did to Nash. It took me awhile myself to forgive her for the pain she caused him. But I don’t think she was ever really in love with Nash. If she truly had been, she would have never insisted on hiding their relationship. And truth be told, if Nash had been truly in love with her like he thought he had been, he wouldn’t have gone along with it. I don’t think she meant to make him feel the way he did. Yes, she picked another man, and that man happened to have money and was someone her father wanted her to be with. Now, I’m not making excuses for her, but I think it all played out for a reason. Her father was pressuring her. She wanted someone different because Nash was her first, and she was stupid.”
My gut twisted. Nash was Lily’s first? That knowledge filled me with a jealousy I didn’t know how to make sense of.
“What do you mean she wanted something different?”
Charlie glanced around and leaned in closer. “Kinky. Mark, I guess, is into some pretty crazy sex. Lily was curious, her father was pushing this guy on her, and one night at a party she drank too much and he became something she wanted to try. So, if a woman is truly in love with a man, would another man turn her head?”
“No,” I answered.
“No. She simply didn’t want to let Nash go. He was a safety net for her, and the reason she still holds out hope of getting back with him.”
I stopped walking. “What? She wants to get back with him?”
Fear replaced the jealousy. Would Nash ever consider taking Lily back?
“Don’t even go there with your thoughts, Kaelynn. Lily has begged Nash to take her back more than once. He isn’t interested. What he is interested in is you, my friend. You should see the way he looks at you. It makes even my tummy drop.”
Smiling, I pressed my lips together to keep the girlish squeal inside.
“I will tell you, I never saw Nash look at Lily like he looks at you.”