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I looked up to find Sophie standing there, arms crossed over her chest, with a prospect I didn't recognize smirking beside her. The prospect wore his cut, but it looked newer than most of the others I'd met.
"Playing with dollies while the men do the real work," Sophie continued, her eyes fixed on me. "How fitting."
Annabel's smile faltered, her hands tightening around Princess.
"We're not hurting anyone," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "And they're stuffies, not dolls."
The prospect snorted. "Same difference. Grown men playing with toys." He glanced at Sophie with a conspiratorial grin. "Guess we know who wears the pants in their relationship, don't we?"
Something hot and uncomfortable twisted in my stomach. I set down my teacup carefully, not wanting Annabel to see how my hands had started to shake.
"Is there something you need?" I asked, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
Sophie leaned down slightly, her voice lowering but still loud enough for me to hear. "Just wondering when Bear's charity case is going to stop playing make-believe and start acting like an adult. The club has real problems to deal with, you know. Or while you were playing with your dollies, did you miss that people got hurt?"
I flinched, her words hitting exactly where I was most vulnerable. Daddy had told me the girls were fine and so was the security guard, but they’d been hurt originally. I knew Sophie wouldn’t know it had anything to do with my godfather. Beside me, Annabel's eyes had gone wide, her lower lip trembling slightly.
"You're being mean," she said quietly. "Daddy says mean people have to leave the tea party."
The prospect laughed. "Hear that, Sophie? We're not invited to the baby party."
"Such a shame," Sophie replied with exaggerated disappointment. "And here I thought we could all share sippy cups and take a nap after."
I felt my cheeks burning with humiliation. Part of me wanted to stand up and argue, to defend myself and Annabel, but the words stuck in my throat. Another part—the Little who'd been so excited about matching dinosaur shirts just minutes ago-—wanted to curl up and hide.
"Problem here?" Daisy's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "Sophie? Rider?" She appeared beside Sophie, dish towel over her shoulder and a dangerous glint in her eye.
Sophie straightened immediately, her smirk fading. "No problem. Just saying hi."
"Is that right?" Daisy said, her tone deceptively pleasant. "Because from where I was standing, it looked an awful lot like you were harassing my friends. I’m sure Bolt and Bear will be delighted to hear about it."
Rider shifted uncomfortably. "We were just joking around."
"Hilarious," Daisy replied flatly. "Now, I believe Jono needs help moving the beer kegs. And Sophie, Maria's looking for someone to scrub the grill pans." Her expression made it clear these weren't suggestions.
After a moment of tense silence, Sophie rolled her eyes and stalked off toward the clubhouse. Rider then followed, muttering under his breath.
Daisy watched them go, then turned to us with a softer expression. "You two okay?"
Annabel nodded quickly, though she still clutched Princess tightly to her chest. "We're fine. Princess is a little upset, though."
"Well, we can't have that," Daisy said, crouching down to eye level with the stuffie. "Princess, I promise those party poopers won't bother you again. And if they do, you just let me know, okay?"
Annabel giggled, some of the tension leaving her small frame. Daisy turned her attention to me, her eyes assessing.
"You good, sweetie?"
I nodded, though I wasn't entirely sure it was true. "Yeah. Thanks, Daisy."
"Don't let them get to you," she said, patting my shoulder. "Sophie's just jealous because Bear never looked at her the way he looks at you."
I blinked, surprised by her frankness. "Really?"
"Oh honey, yes. She's been trying to get Bear's attention for years, but he never gave her the time of day." Daisy's eyes crinkled with amusement. "And now here you come along, and he's wearing matching dinosaur shirts. That's gotta sting."
Despite everything, I felt a small bloom of warmth in my chest. "I didn't know." I mean, Daddy had told me but it was nice to hear from someone else.
"Well, now you do," Daisy said, straightening up. "You two enjoy your tea party. I'll make sure no one else bothers you."