“No worries. I got it,” Bri said, giving me a curt stare. “Do you take PayPal, Zelle, or Venmo?” I heard her asking the masseuse.

Thank god.

I took Rosalee’s hand in mine as Bri handled the payment for me.,. My finances were a disaster, and until I got to the bottom of who had hacked my account and stolen my funds I was unable to pay for anything.

I squeezed Rosalee’s hand. “You always look lovely, Rosalee, but tonight, you look simply ravishing. Are you ready for a night on the town … dinner… dancing?” I lifted her hand, and brushed it with a goofy kiss while trying to push away my guilt for betraying her; my concern over the creditors who were waiting back home to beat down my door played on my mind.

Rosalee giggled. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose,” she said.

Chapter Nineteen

Georgia

The groom’s friend

The sidewalk in front of Deanie’s restaurant was lined with people waiting to enter. Through the big front windows, I could see that nearly every table was full.

“Good thing I thought to make a reservation,” Mara said, zigzagging through the queue of waiting patrons and motioning for us to follow her through the front door.

“This place doesn’t look very fancy,” I heard Elizabeth moaning behind me. She had been quiet since our talk by the pool this morning; the silence between us during the massages grew so uncomfortable, that I’d been forced to pretend I was sleeping just to escape it.

“Table for six under the name of Mattingly, please,” Mara told the white-collared woman who was at the hostess stand ticking off names.

“Right this way,” she said, and led our group past a brightly colored bar crammed with happy, chatting diners, to a large booth towards the back of the restaurant.

I was grateful for the privacy as, despite the massage, I could feel a migraine coming on; the fluorescent lights in the room causing a sharp, throbbing pain in my eyes and temples. I took a seat at the end of the table, far away from Elizabeth. As we all sat, I watched her take her white napkin and place it daintily in her lap. I tried to catch her eye, but she refused to meet my gaze. She was still angry and bitter from earlier at the poolside.

I loved Asher. There was no doubt about that. But I didn’t love him in the way that Elizabeth wanted or needed me to.