Page 80 of Pucking Sweet

Slowly, she looks down at her hand. Then she lifts it, wiggling her fingers to make the diamond glint under the arena lights. “This feels like something I can do. I can make a fabulous match. I can be a good wife who throws great parties and has impeccable fashion sense.”

“Vi, you can be so much more—”

“No,youcan be more. Poppy, youaremore. You and Anderson were a bad fit from the start because you were never meant to be the one on his arm.” Reaching up, she tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. I lean away from the intimate touch. “I think you were so miserable together because, deep down, he knew it too.”

“Knew what?”

“He knew if he married you, he’d spend the rest of his life being onyourarm,” she replies, cutting me to the quick. “Your star is just too bright not to shine, and he’s too selfish to be a mirror for someone else’s light.”

I search her face, my heart breaking. “Well, Vi, honey, if you know all this about him, why are you marrying him?”

“Because this is howIshine. This is my chance, Poppy. I’m not looking for perfect. I’m just looking for a chance to matter.”

“And you’re sure? I mean reallyreallysure this is the way you wanna go?”

She gives me a solemn nod. Her fake smile is finally gone. I can see her now. I see my sweet little sister who danced in the living room with me toThe Nutcrackerand called me “Popcorn.” No walls, no masks. I see her hopes and her fears. “Poppy, I have to ask you something. Please don’t hate me for it, okay?”

I take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “What, honey? Anything.”

27

After making a few more jokes about Poppy and her sister, the rest of the guys clear out with their coffees, even Novy. I can tell he wants to stay, but he has a PT meeting he can’t skip. “Just…take care of her,” he mutters, giving one last look at the double doors.

I wait for less than thirty minutes, and then I’m watching from a bench in the atrium as Poppy and her sister walk out. Poppy looks more relaxed now, which has me relaxing a little too. She also looks gorgeous. That soft purple dress is hugging her curves in all the right ways. She’s got a little flower scarf wrapped around her neck, making her look like a sexy flight attendant.

She and her sister cross the atrium, heading for the front doors. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but they’re both smiling and hugging. Is Violet staying? Maybe they’re agreeing to meet up somewhere after work. Poppy nods. Then Violet is walking off into the Florida sunshine, and Poppy is turning back around. She searches the atrium as if she’s looking for something. The moment she sees me, her smile falls. Then she cracks. With a sob, she flings her hand over her mouth, trying to catch the sound as she rushes away.

I leap to my feet. “Poppy!”

She tugs her keycard from her pocket and taps it on the security access panel. The door beeps and she jerks it open, not looking back.

“Poppy, wait,” I call after her, ducking inside the closing door.

“Go away.”

I follow her down the hall to the elevator bank. “Will you just wait?”

She thumbs the elevator button, pressing it until the car dings and the doors slide open. I slip in right as they shut. She sinks against the wall, hand still over her mouth to stifle her sobs.

I don’t know what to do. Should I touch her? Not touch her? Doesshe need a hug? I go for something in the middle and place my hand on her shoulder. “What do you need?”

“Oh god,” she gasps. “I can’t breathe—”

“Just slow down,” I soothe. “In and out, Pop.”

She grabs my forearm. Clinging to me, she takes in a shaky breath.

“Good, that’s it. Now, let it out.”

She closes her eyes, shaking her head.

I brush her hair back with my free hand. “What happened?”

“Nothing I shouldn’t have expected,” she says, clutching her chest with her other hand.

“Tell me.”

She blinks her eyes open. I hate that they’re rimmed with tears. She looks at me, and I see the trust there. I’m so goddamn grateful for it. She knows I care, so she lets me in. “I was ready to cut my sister out of my life for good.”