Page 100 of Running from Drac

“After what she did? Absolutely not! You know she planned on me running into Ryder again.”

“Was it such a bad thing? You smile more when you’re around Ryder. There’s no history of bad breakups or cheating.”

“I was drunk, Poppy. Ryder is nothing more than a fucked-up fantasy. How would you feel if a male stripper fixated on you?”

She shrugs. “I’d go with it. The sex was probably amazing.”

Sighing, I fall back onto the bed next to her. “From what I remember, it was life altering—the kind of sex that can ruin a girl.” My head turns toward her. “Consider me thoroughly ruined.”

She giggles. “But that sex you had with Eddie the other night, that rendezvous in the rain, wasn’t it—”

“Life altering? Yup…” I pop the ‘p’, exhaling deeply as both men invade my thoughts. “Is it possible to have mind blowing sex with two different men and not feel so confused?”

Poppy giggles. “My guess is no. Are you going to do anything about it?”

Shaking my head, I shift up on my elbows to look at her. “Nope. I’m just going to show up at that chapel, marry Eddie, and get this over with. Has Mallory arrived yet?”

“I’m sure she’s just stuck in traffic; you did pick an insane time to get married.”

“It’s all they had available. I know it’s just one of those marry quick and get out of there places, but they still were fully booked.

Poppy nibbles on her lip. “You know she really wanted to be here, right? She’s told me a million times how bad she feels about the bachelorette party.”

We’re back to talking about Pippa again. Great.

“And yet she planned every miserable minute of it. Purposely. She’s sooooo sorry.” Rolling my eyes, I move over to my mirror so Poppy can do my hair. “I thought you haven’t seen her in two days?”

She meets my glare in the mirror and shrugs. “She’s called me, but she hasn’t been home in two days. She doesn’t wantto upset you anymore than she already has. You know, she actually considered calling the cops and pressing charges on you that night.”

“Wonderful.”

“I talked her out of it.”

“You’re such a gem,” I reply, the snark and sarcasm strong and abrasive.

“She really is sorry, Amber. I know you don’t believe me, but she is. My sister is…”

“Fucked up? A psychopath? A fucking gaslighting manipulative bitch that everyone tiptoes around because it may hurt her pathetic little feelings?”

Poppy stops mid brush, knowing that every trait is true. “She’s difficult,” she finishes, but we both know who’s more right in their descriptions. “Just think about it, okay? There are too many years of friendship between us for you to just throw everything away over a mistake. I don’t want to have to choose between you two.”

“I’ll never let that happen, Poppy. She’s your sister, and I respect that. If it ever comes down to a choice between the two of us, I’ll make it for you.”

“Amber, I don’t want to lose you. You’re my best friend.”

“I’ll always be your best friend, Poppy. That’s never going to change.”

She frowns, a look of regret flashing in her eyes, almost like she’s holding something back. When I catch her gaze in the mirror, she forces herself to smile. “Let’s do something about this hair, shall we? No need for all these tangles on your wedding day.”

The conversation dies there, but the way she looked at me is still kind of haunting. Ignoring it, I somehow manage to pull myself together, just long enough to get dressed and into the car with Mallory, who finally showed up, and Poppy.

“You ready for this?” Mallory questions, looking amazing in her green, floor-length bridesmaid dress.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You look nervous,” Poppy observes, studying me like Pippa always does.

“Is it that obvious?” My hands haven’t stopped shaking since getting into the car, and I can’t shake this feeling of dread that’s been gnawing at me for the last few hours. “I keep feeling like something bad is going to happen.”