Page 57 of Igniting Sparks

What the hell is Bitsy up to?

Leo finally releases her, his hands sliding down to rest on her upper arms as a grin cuts across his chiseled face. “How long has it been? Two years?”

“Too long,” Bitsy adds, interjecting herself once again in the conversation.

“Yes. About two years.” Mina glances down, wringing her hands.

“Aren’t you going to tell Leo your big news?” Bitsy motions toward me. It’s the first time she’s looked my way since entering the dining room.

Mina swallows and licks her lips. “Leo, this is my fiancé, Braden.”

Leo drops his hands to his side, blinking rapidly as if trying to absorb Mina’s words. Then, after a few painfully long seconds, he looks my way. “You’re engaged?”

He rubs the back of his neck, obviously floored by the news.

Time for me to enter the chat.

I step forward and extend my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Braden Hammond.”

Leo pauses and shakes his head as if to clear it before shaking my hand. “Right. Nice to meet you. I’m Leo Rothwell.”

Which tells me nothing about who you are to Mina.

Leo turns to her. “Bitsy floored me when she said you werestill in Sparkwood. I figured you’d be long gone—you were always champing at the bit to escape small-town life.”

“Well, that’s news to me,” I say, trying not to sound defensive. “Mina loves Sparkwood.”

At least… Ithinkshe does. Doesn’t she?

It’s the first time I realize I might not know her as well as I thought.

“Sure, now,” Leo admits. “But she always told me her grand plan was to live in New York or Paris.”

“That was before my injury,” Mina chimes in, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Things change.”

“Obviously,” Leo chuckles. “You’re settling down in Sparkwood. Talk about a plot twist.”

A plot twist? No, that’s me. I’m the twist in this story she didn’t plan on.

The hostess walks over, ready to seat us, and we follow her to a table in the back corner with a lovely view of the gardens. Too bad I’m stuck looking at Leo as he chats up Mina.

When Mina’s cousin and her fiancé arrive, I bite back a groan.

Just what I needed—more pompous asshats around the table.

Get it together, Braden. It’s just lunch. They’re just people.

But the truth is, they’re experts at making you feel like an outsider in their exclusive little club. And while I’d never want a membership to their highfalutin hijinks, it still makes for a damn uncomfortable afternoon.

No wonder Mina hates being around them.

Hopefully, I’m overreacting, and lunch will be fine.

How bad can it be, right?

Not even three minutes in and I have my answer—this meal is a nightmare, and I need a stiff drink to persevere.

Nothing against Aurum Ridge. The food is exceptional and the service top-notch, but my dining companions are loathsome, and I know full well that everything from theseating arrangements to the conversation circling the table is intentional. A power play designed by the dowager herself.