Chapter 10
I leaned against the window and made a small sound.
"Later," I said.
Whether I would have any appetite later was another question.
The wedding was at an estate outside the city.
White and gold covered everything, and the whole place was polished, crowded, and short of nothing.
One look told one the Stantons and the Suttons had spared nothing.
Somebody met me at the entrance the moment I stepped out of the car.
"Ms. Winters, the dressing room is upstairs."
The room went quiet for a second when I pushed the door open.
Every head turned toward me.
I knew that look far too well.
It was curiosity, and testing, and an appetite for a scene.
Emily sat in front of the mirror, already in her gown.
She looked gorgeous today.
She was graceful and beautiful, and it seemed completely effortless for her.
She spotted me in the mirror, smiled, and waved me over.
"Stella, you made it."
"Congratulations," I said.
"Don't just stand there, go change." She touched one of her diamond earrings. "We still have photos before the ceremony."
The room went quiet again when I came out in the dress.
Someone smiled and complimented me.
"That dress is stunning on you, Ms. Winters."
Someone else immediately chimed in.
"Obviously. Mr. Stanton wouldn't have kept her around this long otherwise."
The air in the room suddenly froze.
Emily frowned slightly.
"Watch your mouth today."
The woman apologized through a laugh.
The woman said, "Sorry, I just blurted it out."
I stayed where I was, smoothed my skirt, and took two seconds before I looked up and smiled at her.
"It's fine.
"I'm used to it."
The answer came out so soft and so agreeable that nobody in the room could find a way to follow it.
Emily looked at me in the mirror and said nothing.
I went over, settled her veil, and bent to shake loose a corner of the train that had caught under itself.
My movements were careful and attentive.
It was the same care I had put into Richard's cuffs, his tie, and the buttons of his shirt more times than I could count.
Someone beside us laughed.
"Ms. Winters, you're really good at this."
I looked up and smiled back.
"Working with Mr. Stanton for so long, you learn a few tricks," I replied.
She stalled, and in the end she just drank her coffee.
The noise in the dressing room started back up soon enough.
I stood at the window watching people cross the lawn below, and the air in the room started to feel thin.
There were way too many people.
And way too much laughter.
I turned and slipped out the door.
The garden downstairs was quiet.
The ceremony hadn't started and most of the guests were still in the main hall, so there was nothing out there but wind in the leaves and somebody testing the sound system farther off.
I walked the gravel path slowly in my heels.
Somebody called out to me at the corner.
"Hey," the voice called out.
The voice came out lazy, with a laugh sitting in it.
I looked up and found a man against the pergola, his suit worn loose, his tie half done, unwrapping a piece of candy.
He was hard to miss.
He had a whole different vibe from Richard.
Richard's looks had an edge under them and a distance around them that made people keep their hands to themselves.
This one was loose all over, amused around the eyes, standing there like nobody had ever impressed him.
He gave me a quick once-over, then held out the candy.
"You look rough. Low blood sugar?"