Page 82 of He Loves Me Knot

Callum raised his brows as his friend was helplessly dragged away.

Mason filled the space where Quinn had been. “That’s the wedding planner Mum surprised Quinn and Elle with yesterday.”

Callum nearly groaned.Oh no.

He searched the crowded pool area for Liddy. He should have noticed before—this event was over the top forLa Hacienda.A long buffet table, featuring an omelet station and what appeared to be a personalized crepe and waffle station, was set up in the most open area of the pool, blocking the path to the beach. Cocktail tables, complete with fresh flowers and long tablecloths, had been set up around the pool, and the wooden lounge chairs that normally occupied the space were mostly pushed out of sight.

He found Liddy. She stood beside Elle, who wore a thin-lipped smile.

Liddy met his gaze, then grimaced.

The situation was clear enough: Quinn’s mother had staged a coup.

ChapterTwenty

Liddy waiteduntil Kat had scurried Elle away for a photograph to make a beeline for Taryn and Hunter, Elle’s best friends, who stood in front of the crepe station. “Liddy!” Taryn said, pulling her in for a hug. “Come here, girl. I am so happy to see you. You look amazing.”

Liddy hugged her back. “I can’t believe it’s taken this long for me to actually see you on this trip.” Even though Elle’s friends had always been Elle’s friends, they’d become a part of the Winnick family over the years, and Liddy felt as though she knew them almost as well as her own friends.

Taryn tossed her long black hair over her shoulder. “I hear you’ve been gallivanting about the country with a hot new man.” She scanned the pool area. “Which one is he?”

“Um. Callum . . . he’s that one.” She nodded toward him, where he stood with Mason and Rebecca—who kept looking over at Liddy expectantly, as though to say,“Get over here already.”

“Nice work,” Taryn said with a wink. “He’s a ten.”

Hunter leaned back just then, holding a steaming hot crepe on a plate. “Oh, which one is he? We’ve all been curious to find out the secret man’s identity.”

Liddy glanced around.We?Her aunts and uncles and closest cousins were all here, so that could literally be anyone she was related to. Her love life had never been a topic of conversation before—let alone under the microscope—so this was getting embarrassing.

“The tall one with the tats over by Mason and Aiden,” Taryn whispered loudly.

Hunter made an impressed face. “Oh, heisa ten.”

“Don’t be too obvious.” Liddy swatted him. “He’s my boss, and he’s standing next to my coworkers and the CEO of the company I work for.”

He wiped mock tears from his eyes. “I’m so proud. Little Liddy, all grown up, screwing her boss. It’s enough to warm my cold, dead heart. By the way, if you were trying to keep it a secret from your company’s CEO, you should’a picked someone a little less close to the Camden dons.”

I should have seriously thought this fake relationship through better.

But, focus.

“Okay, but seriously, guys, I leave for two days, and what the hell happened while I was gone? Who is this Kat lady, and why is she walking around like she’s in charge? Elle seems really, really upset, but she keeps saying she’s fine.”

Taryn grimaced and aimed a look at Hunter, who was digging into his crepe. “Oh, this crepe is good. There’s like a whole crepe menu. This one is called theItalianoand has mozzarella and basil . . .” Hunter cleared his throat. “But I digress.”

“No, that’s my point.” Liddy pointed to the crepe. “What happened to the homemade Costa Rican breakfasts? What’s this whole spectacle?”

“Welcome breakfast.”

“Brunch,” Hunter corrected.

Taryn made a face. “Elle wanted to do a welcome dinner for friends and family the other day, but on Saturday, I was talking to the countess”—she gestured toward Quinn’s mom, Ellen, who appeared dressed for a garden tea—“and she said something about how she had a friend who had a daughter who was a ‘world-class wedding planner,’ and the next thing we know, Kat showed up yesterday morning and took over.”

“How world-class can she be if she flew here at the last second?” Liddy asked.

“I think Momma Camden might have hired her a long time ago without saying anything. I’m not sure.”

“Or she doubled her rates. You know, as super rich people do.” Hunter shrugged.