Page 11 of The Spite Date (Small Town Sisterhood #1)

“That’s why it’s brilliant,” Hudson calls from the bedroom.

He’s flipping through a gaming magazine, on his back on Daphne’s bed, which is also piled with laundry and the ancient stuffed lobster she’s had for as long as I’ve known her.

Hudson’s enjoying every minute of what’s likely to be his last summer vacation since he’s planning to try to get an internship somewhere next year.

He’s in school to be a teacher, but he’s obsessed with music, and he almost landed a summer job at a record label in New York.

He knows tonight’s full plan because he knows Daphne and he knows me and he has a very logical brain. He basically called us both on it the minute Simon left the burger bus last weekend.

And he’s clearly still in favor of it. “You show up and you’re all oh, Jake, this is so beautiful, you did such a good job , and he’ll be so confused that he’ll spend the night trying to make his little pea brain think bigger thoughts than it’s capable of.”

Daphne laughs. “Can you do that voice again? Bea’s a little higher pitched.”

“Fuck you,” he replies with a grin in his voice.

“Bea, if you bring Jake’s favorite actor of all time, he won’t be able to talk or walk straight because he’ll be so flustered.

He might even forget Simon’s lactose intolerant and serve him something with cheese.

When people talk about his opening, it won’t be about the food, it’ll be about why was his ex-girlfriend there with Simon Luckwood , and you’ve made his night about you.

You’ve stolen all of his attention and all of his glory.

You win. Any way you look at this, you win.

And you can’t take Simon somewhere else tonight and win the same. You have to crash the grand opening.”

“And then the rocking chair test on top of all of it,” Daphne murmurs. “But if you don’t want to go, don’t go.”

“For the record, I object,” Ryker calls from the short hallway outside the bedroom. He’s been here for about an hour. Probably because he also has concerns about what I’m up to tonight.

“You’d object to breathing if it wasn’t necessary,” Daphne calls back.

I smile at the accuracy of her statement.

“Okay, Bea. You’re ready. And now the first test of the night is if Simon can be on time.”

She’s barely finished speaking before the doorbell buzzes.

Hudson flings himself off the bed and dashes out of the room.

Ryker’s not one to run, but I can still hear the two of them tussling in the hallway, making me wonder if Ry’s breaking his preferred grumpy-slowpoke routine to battle Hudson to get to the door first.

“Too bad Griff couldn’t be here too,” Daphne says. “Can you imagine Simon facing all three of them together?”

“I might be dreaming about it before the night’s over. Probably with Griff’s bat too. Do you think Simon really smiles that much all the time, or is it an act because he’s prepping for a role that’s like, the opposite of playing Peter Jones?”

“Margot says he’s smiley all the time.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“Huh.”

“Right? I would’ve thought it was fake too.”

If Daphne’s sister says Simon smiles all the time, then he just might.

While I don’t know Margot nearly as well as I know Daphne, she’s been to visit enough that I call her a friend.

Plus, Daph adores her despite the unpleasantness of Daphne being disinherited while Margot’s still on the fast track to taking over as CEO of their family’s hotel mega-chain.

They grew up filthy rich in a family with multiple homes in neighborhoods full of other rich and famous people.

They went to school with famous people’s kids, and Daphne was regularly invited to famous people parties until she was disinherited, so it doesn’t surprise me that Margot, who’s still in that world, would’ve crossed paths with Simon, even if his fame is relatively new.

I check the mirror one last time. “How’s Margot doing?”

Daph rolls her eyes. “Working too much and pretending she’s not thinking about her ex-fiancé.”

I don’t know the full story of Margot’s big breakup—it happened about the same time Daphne was disinherited four years ago or so—but I know enough to make a face. I also appreciate that Daphne’s letting me ask questions to distract myself from what I’m about to do.

“Why’s she thinking about him now? It’s been forever since they broke up.”

“Because his dad’s getting out of prison soon and our father is apparently talking about trying to merge the companies again. Or so she says. I wouldn’t know. I don’t talk to him directly.”

“Wait. Prison ?”

“Yeah. Prison. Embezzlement and wine fraud. You didn’t know that?”

“ No .”

“Yep.”

“How did I miss that ?”

“Bea. You were in classes and I was moving in and Hudson got the flu and strep all at the same time and you kinda had other things going on than worrying about my sister’s break-up.”

“But her ex’s dad went to prison ? And your father still wants to merge companies? What does Margot’s ex’s family do?”

“Long story. No more time to spare. You have a hot date.”

I am so getting this story out of her later. But for now, I check my reflection one last time. “An overly smiley date that I don’t trust.”

Something crashes in the living room, and then the apartment door makes its usual squeak, and then something else crashes.

“Who are you?” Hudson says in a tough guy voice that cracks Daphne up and makes me cringe.

“If you’re going to try to get into my sister’s business tonight, I’ll get into your business, you get me?” Ryker says.

“Hold on, I can get Griff on video call in two seconds,” Daphne says. “I don’t think his game today is for a few more hours.”

“Do not call Griff too.” I lower my voice as the two of us dash to the bedroom doorway and hover, listening to my brothers. “I think he fell down the In the Weeds rabbit hole and would probably also crap his pants.”

“Good evening, gentlemen,” Simon says. “Lovely to see you both again. I have the utmost respect for your sister and intend to try absolutely nothing beyond accompanying her on what I sincerely hope will be an enjoyable evening. Unless she wants something, of course. Which I also would not confide in either of you, because a lady deserves privacy.”

“Where are your kids?” Ryker asks.

“Pizza and movie night with their mother, who’s missed them quite a bit while she’s been tied up helping her own mother this week.”

“Bodyguards?” Hudson says.

“One with Lana and the boys, two downstairs with the limo.”

“A limo ?” both of my brothers say.

Ryker’s question is skeptical. Hudson’s is delighted.

Naturally.

And you can practically hear Simon’s smile in his response. “Yes, one of those stretch SUV numbers. Did you truly expect me to make this evening anything less than grand to apologize for accidentally having your sister arrested?”

“What time will you have her back tonight?” Hudson asks.

“Whenever she wishes to be back.”

“Turn your pockets inside out,” Ryker orders. “I need to see for myself that you’re not carrying condoms and hoping for a quickie in the bathroom.”

“Oh, no, I sent those in the handbag that accompanied the dress and shoes.”

Daphne and I trade glances, and both of us lunge for the clutch on the bed.

I’m not in the killer heels yet, so I beat her just as I hear Simon chuckle out in the living room.

“I jest, I jest. There won’t be any hanky-panky initiated by me this evening. I’m well aware of my standing with your sister, even if I hope to eventually convince her that I’m not the devil I play on television.”

“She knows karate,” Hudson says.

“No, she doesn’t, but she doesn’t need to if she decides you’ve crossed a line and need a lesson,” Ryker says.

“Sorry, Bea’s loins,” Daph murmurs over my shoulder as I open the handbag and verify for myself that there are no condoms inside.

My loins are still too skeptical of smiley Simon to agree that they need sympathy. Who’s that happy all the time? And what celebrity doesn’t care if they’re used for publicity for a random small-town burger bus?

This is all fishy.

And not like my secret menu is fishy. That’s good-fishy. This is bad-fishy.

But my heart melts the teensiest bit as I take in what is inside the bag.

Tissues.

Eye drops.

Makeup wipes.

Butterscotch candies.

“Did he do this himself, or did he steal an old lady’s bag?” I whisper to Daphne.

“One way to find out. Get your shoes on, and let’s make your grand entrance.”

“You’re making my grand entrance with me?”

“Of course.”

“Because you think I’ll fall over in these shoes?”

She flashes me a grin and very distinctly doesn’t answer me. “If you really don’t want to do this…”

“How much of your actor money have you blown on alcohol and drugs and gym memberships that you don’t actually use?” Hudson asks.

“Okay, okay, I’m going.” I shove my feet into the sparkly red heels and only wobble a little as Simon’s answer wafts down the hallway.

“Do you count inhalers as drugs? One of my boys has asthma, and the other has been known to break a bone here or there and require painkillers. And I send money to my favorite charities every month as well.”

“Is he still smiling?” I whisper to Daphne.

“Sounds like it. I wonder what it would take to fluster him?”

“His children. They definitely fluster him.”

Okay. Shoes on. Bag in hand. Hair done. Makeup done. Dress smoothed.

It’s time.

“Bea?” Daph says softly.

“Yes?”

“Jake’s gonna lose his mind when you walk into his restaurant in this dress. Everyone’s gonna see what he gave up, and everyone will realize what a complete moron he is. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

“More to a person than how they look, Daph.”

“In this world? I wish you were right, but you’re not.” She shoves me gently. “Go on. Go make a scene. I’ll make contact with my spies so I can be there in five minutes flat if anything goes wrong.”

I eye my friend once more.

She grins. “I will not be what goes wrong. Swear on the lives of every polar bear to ever walk the earth.”

I hug her quickly. “I adore you.”

She squeezes back. “Adore you more.”

My brothers are still discussing Simon’s qualifications and worthiness, and it’s rapidly devolving—Ryker just said something about high school test scores—so I square my shoulders, straighten my spine, and walk out of the bedroom.

It’s time for a spite date.