Bad for You by Weston Parker

22

BRITTANY

Nerves tightened everything inside me as I stood in front of the mirror in our bedroom. Tristin had already gotten dressed and was waiting outside for me to get ready.

My stomach churned with nausea, and my hands were trembling. I couldn’t believe that he hadn’t given me a single hint about this party. Not even to tell me to pack something appropriate to go out in.

Although I’d agreed to accompany him, I still felt tricked. Also, since I’d thought this was just a beach vacation, I hadn’t brought anything to wear.

The sea-green sundress I had on was the closest thing to appropriate party attire that I’d packed, and I already knew I was going to be woefully underdressed. When I’d shown it to Tristin, he’d said it was fine, but it wasn’t.

He’d offered to take me shopping when I’d told him I knew it wouldn’t be good enough, but I hadn’t taken him up on it. I didn’t want him buying me clothes, despite the several good arguments he’d laid out for letting him do it, and I definitely wasn’t splurging on some fancy outfit I’d never have a reason to wear again.

The strappy leather sandals on my feet were pretty, but they didn’t have heels, and no flats—no matter how pretty or how comfortable—would be welcome at this party. I remembered Selena too well. If a guest wasn’t dressed in couture, she wouldn’t approve of said guest being there.

Then again, she wouldn’t approve of me being there regardless of the clothes I arrived in. The queen of England herself could’ve given me an outfit and Selena still wouldn’t have thought I was good enough to be there.

Sighing as I ran my brush through my hair for what had to be the hundredth time, I pulled my shoulders back and narrowed my eyes at my reflection. I can do this. I might be resenting Tristin for not telling me about the party before, but I can do this.

He let out a low whistle when I walked into the living area, but the look I gave him shut him up. “You’re still in the doghouse, mister.”

Grinning as he opened his arms and strode over to me, he pulled me into a hug and dropped a kiss on top of my head. “I know, but you look beautiful anyway.”

“Beautiful for dinner at a beachside café, maybe. Not beautiful for a party attended by every important person in the county.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re the most important person in the county.” I felt him grinning against the side of my face before he let go of me and schooled his expression. “I’m being serious here, Brit. If you’d rather not go, you don’t have to. Even if you do decide to come, we can leave anytime.”

“I already said I’d come with you, but I might take you up on leaving early,” I said, extricating myself from his light grip on my arms to grab my casual purse from the kitchen counter. “This is going to be a disaster, but we shouldn’t keep it waiting to happen. It’ll only get worse if we do.”

“It’s going to be fine,” he argued, taking my arm as we made our way outside. “Just don’t let any of those pretentious old fools get into your head. Whenever you feel like one is about to, remember that they dropped everything and came to the party at short notice for me, and you’re the only one I care about having there.”

I breathed deeply, exhaling through my nose as I glanced up into those sincere, golden orbs fixed on mine. “Stop saying stuff like that. This is a big deal, Tristin. Everyone who’s going to be there tonight is important to your parents and to the company, which means they don’t give a damn about me being in attendance, and neither should you.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s just not possible for me,” he said, not looking or sounding sorry at all. “A lot of them may be important to the company, but the company is as important to them. It doesn’t matter whether they enjoy my personality or sipping cocktails my parents have paid for. There’s something to be said for networking, but this is nothing more than my mother parading me out for people.”

Yeah, and she’s not going to happy about who’s parading around with you.“Let’s just agree to disagree, shall we?”

“Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m right.” He flashed me a lopsided grin and opened the car’s door for me. “Let’s get this show on the road. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave and come back here.”

We drove down the shore to the huge mansion just a few blocks over from the place he’d rented for us. The house was massive with a long driveway, stairs leading to the double-wide front doors, and even a valet parking stand.

We hadn’t even parked in the space that had been reserved for him yet, and I was already feeling intimidated. A feeling that didn’t subside once he led me into his family’s beach house. It was light and airy, but the rooms were cavernous in their size which made it feel cold and impersonal despite the sunlight shining in.

Well-dressed, fancy people milled about all around us. Several guests greeted Tristin on our way in, but few even bothered to acknowledge me. Not that I could blame them.

I stuck out like a sore thumb. Clinging to Tristin’s arm, I kept having to remind myself that as long as he was with me and wanted me here, I could be strong for him. I can do this.

My inner bravado took a nosedive when we entered a large den where Selena was holding court. As soon as she saw me, a brief look of shock passed over her features before she literally thrust her nose into the air.

Tristin walked me over to her, seemingly not having noticed her reaction to seeing me there with him. He pecked the air next to her cheek, his voice cordial and polite. “Hello, Mother. You remember Brittany, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” Her tone was cold as ice, but the look in her eyes was positively glacial when they came to a rest on me. “Brittany, darling. What an absolute surprise to see you again.”

She didn’t wait for me to reply before brushing an imaginary piece of something off of Tristin’s jacket and flashing him a tight smile. “Your father needs you in his bedroom for a minute, my dear.”

He took my hand and squeezed it before turning to me. “Will you be okay alone while I go lend him a hand?”

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Go ahead. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“I’ll be right back.” He pressed a light kiss to my temple and took off, the crowd swallowing him up as more and more people arrived.

Selena fixed me in her gaze, her mouth twisting into a sneer as she looked me up and down. “If you had to come here despite knowing you wouldn’t fit in, the least you could’ve done was to make an effort. Honestly, darling, a sundress? This isn’t a lawn picnic in the morning.”

She stalked off after making her snide comment, leaving me feeling more out of place than ever before. I tried to mingle, but it didn’t go well for me. No matter what I did or who I spoke to, I kept feeling like they were looking down on me.

It got even worse when I ran into Faye Marston near the buffet. The sophisticated, well-dressed, beautiful woman was everything I wasn’t. I recognized her from the pictures she’d been in with Tristin, but seeing her in real life was something else.

It was no wonder Selena was pushing her on Tristin. She moved in that same graceful way they did, the sound of her freaking laughter was like hearing bells tinkling, and she had no problems holding her own among this crowd.

I didn’t speak to her, but I didn’t need to. She was the kind of woman who belonged in a place like this. The question was whether she belonged at Tristin’s side as well. He said she didn’t, but what if I was making the wrong choice by being with him again? I didn’t fit into his world at all, but she did.

While I didn’t doubt for a minute that he wanted me here with him, I couldn’t say that it felt like I should be. If I would always feel like this at events that he would always have to attend, was there any point in trying again with him at all? I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to prove that I belonged in a world that didn’t want me, but I wanted a man who belonged to that world.

I wanted him enough that I didn’t cut and run as all these realizations dawned, but I couldn’t deny that the thought crossed my mind. How was it possible that something could feel so completely right when we were alone and so utterly wrong when we weren’t?

The only logical conclusion was that it wasn’t. It either wasn’t right even when we were alone, and we were simply fooling ourselves into thinking it was. Or it wasn’t wrong here, and I was being hypersensitive to being around these people.

As I glanced around the room, I snagged a flute of champagne from a passing waiter and tried to steel myself against those looks. I wasn’t some party-crasher. I’d been invited here by the guest of honor. I wouldn’t let them drive me away. Not that easily.