Page 67 of I Think He Knows
Honestly? I have no idea.
But the show must go on.
So I brush a stray lock of hair out of my eyes, pushing away any lingering anxious thoughts about tonight along with it. I smile. “Born ready.”
* * *
“Thank you so much for being here tonight, I appreciate it.” I pull my work friend, Imani, into a big hug, and when I step back, she’s laughing. It’s a couple of hours later, and I’m standing in Carter’s backyard—if you can even call this vast expanse of space a “yard”—still in absolute awe of the party unfolding before me.
A scene that’s happening inmyhonor.
“Oh please, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she twinkles, fluttering her fingers at the scene surrounding us. “It’s like something out of a billionaire romance in this yard right now.”
“OrThe Great Gatsby,” I agree.
“Totally. This is all going to feel like a dream come Monday morning when we’re back at work.”
“I’ll say.”
We chat for a few more minutes, before Imani jerks her head in the direction of a waiter carrying canapes. “Welp, I’m sure you have a ton of people to chat to, and I should probably go find Jared. I think he’s eaten his bodyweight in caviar blinis already.”
“Sounds good,” I laugh, and as she floats off, instead of making more polite small talk with guests, I’m still for a minute, allowing myself a silent moment to take it all in.
The gardens of Carter’s huge property are decked out with soft, twinkling fairy lights that sparkle overhead and along the treed perimeter. Incredible floral arrangements—white roses and deep green ivy, stunning but unable to hold a candle to the wildflower bouquet Carter brought me earlier—are strategically placed around the property.
There’s even an archway swathed in hundreds of roses with a swing beneath it. It’s been a hotspot with the Insta crowd this evening.
A massive marquee is erected over the swimming pool, which is covered by a lit-up perspex dance floor. Within the tent, a six-piece band plays instrumental contemporary classics, and waiters mill around carrying trays loaded with champagne flutes and caviar blinis. At the center of the lawn sits a grand table with a behemoth, six-tier red velvet cake frosted with a million sugar flowers and handcrafted lovebirds.
I’m still standing here, gaping like a guppy, when Mindy sidles up beside me, gorgeous in her teal, backless dress. “It’s nice, but I don’t think it beats the butt cake.”
“Agreed.” I gesture my champagne flute towards the thing. “Dare you to give it a hack job heart tattoo when nobody’s looking.”
“Challenge accepted.” Mindy holds up her own flute of what looks like sparkling water. “But only if you can figure out how to get that stupid dance floor off the pool so I can start the skinny dipping and this party canreallyget going.”
I’m so freaking glad that she’s here. Thatallmy favorite people are here for me tonight. Carter and I made our entrance earlier to thunderous applause and a champagne toast. Then, we mingled, kissing cheeks and shaking hands and thanking people for coming. I was so grateful that, among so many strange faces (and familiar faces that belong to famous strangers), I could hug and welcome Mindy, Luke, Annie, Liam, and Imani and her husband. And Allegra, of course, who’s currently busy buttering up a deeply wrinkled ex-Hollywood starlet wearing a fox stole and sucking on an empty cigarette holder.
“I already tried jumping up and down on it. That dance floor ain’t going anywhere.”
“Boo.” Mindy pouts, then her mouth drops open and she grabs my hand. “Wait wait wait… what in the crown jewels is this freaking rock on your finger?!”
I look down at my hand, which is still in her death clutches. “I know, isn’t it amazing? Fake, thank goodness. But looks the part, don’t you think?”
“It looks like a literal princess ring from a fairytale,” Mindy declares. “Show that thing off, lady. There’s going to be about a million girls across America wanting to claw your eyes out with jealousy this time tomorrow. So you may as wellenjoythis moment. Flash that rock, and let the world know that he’s yours and they don’t stand a chance.”
Mindy’s words make my stomach twinge, and I recall the conversation Carter and I had in the Jeep. If he reallydoesknow that I have more-than-friendly feelings for him, and he reallywastrying to let me down gently, then this moment in time and this fake engagement really is the closest I’ll ever get. And if this whole arrangement isn’t helping me overcome my feelings for Carter, well… maybe Mindy’s right—the least I can do is make the most of this time I have living this crazy fairytale.
I’m reminded of that old saying,Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
For so long, I worked with Dr. Lemay in our sessions to heal from the past. To let go of resentment and hurt when it came to my sad memories. To be able to look back at them without feeling pain. And I did it. I worked through it all, and I freaking did it. And now, maybe what I need to do is create memories that will always make me smile when I look back on them. Real romance or not. And right now, standing in this beautiful party, wearing this beautiful dress—feeling beautiful—I realize that I have the power to do just that. Tonight is an opportunity for me to carpe diem the crap out of this party.
I give Mindy a sudden spontaneous hug. “I love you. I’m so glad you married my brother.”
She gives me the side-eye. “Love you too, weirdo. And me too, mostly.”
I’m still laughing as I excuse myself to find Carter so we can continue our mingling efforts. I spot him over by the bar, sipping out of a crystal tumbler as he talks to two former James Bonds, both of whom I was introduced to earlier and discreetly fan-girled over.
But, let me tell you. Carter Callahan in a tuxedo? Yeah, he puts any James Bond in the corner.