“What are you doing?” she said. “Don’t draw attention to yourself.”
“Don’t leave me hanging here,” I said and shimmied myshoulders.
She actually laughed. “You’re an idiot.”
I wasn’t going to stop until she joined in. I started doingthe robot.
She grabbed my arm. “If I say deal back on, will you pleasestop?”
I nodded.
“Deal back on.”
I froze on the dance floor, my arm still dangling down in theperfect robot. I moved it just an inch.
She slapped my robot arm and then pulled me back in. “Sorry,”she said. “I just figured since you were here it wouldn’t hurt to rub it in myex’s face that I’m so happy.”
“You know what will probably make you happy?”
She looked up at me. “Don’t tell me you moonlight as atherapist. I hate therapists.”
Yeah, me too. “No. But I do know that being in a real relationshipis better than being in a fake one.”
“That’s the plan. We’ll grow on each other.”
I clenched my jaw. That wasn’t what was going to happen. Itwas hard enough to stand here with her, let alone thinking about being in arelationship with her. Please, Nigel. Do your thing.
“Ah, there he is.” She pointed over to Mr. Pruitt. “Let’s gethim to believe we’re in love. He’s going to be thrilled. Look at me like youcan’t see your life with anyone else.”
I tried to picture her like Kennedy. But I couldn’t. But thethought that Kennedy popped into my head made me smile.
“Perfect.” She looped her arm through mine and walked us overto her uncle.
“Poppy,” Mr. Pruitt said and leaned in to give her a hug anda kiss on the cheek. “And…Matthew. What is this?” He looked back and forthbetween us.
“We’re dating, Uncle Richard.” Poppy reached out like she wasabout to straighten my tie, but then remembered I wasn’t wearing one. Shelaughed and patted my chest.
“You’re dating…each other?” He lowered his eyebrows.
“That’s right. When I went to visit him the other day we gotto talking. And talking. Talking at his office turned into dinner.” Sheshrugged like it had all happened without threats and bribery. “And we have somuch in common. Plus, he’s such a finance whiz. I know you mentioned that a whileago.” She waved her hand through the air. “But I’d completely forgotten. He’sso smart. And I was telling him how I’m not so great with budgets and all that.He’s been kind of tutoring me on the side when we’re not busy canoodling.” Shebooped me on the nose. “Isn’t that right, sugar tits?” She batted her fakeeyelashes at me.
Sugar tits? What the hell kind of nickname was that for agrown ass man?
Mr. Pruitt just stared at her. And then his scrutinizing gazelanded on me. “Is this true?”
Honestly, the last thing I wanted to do was lie to Mr.Pruitt. But I was kind of in a sticky situation here. I just nodded.
“I thought you loved my daughter,” he said.
It felt like a slap in the face. “I do.” I shook my head. “Idid.” A lump had formed in my throat and it wouldn’t go away. “She’s gone.”
“We really need to talk,” he said. He glanced at Poppy andthen back at me. “In private.”
“Anything you need to say in front of my boyfriend you cansay in front of me, Uncle Richard.” Poppy snuggled into my side like a leech.
“Very well.” Mr. Pruitt stared at me. “Then both of you comewith me.” He turned around and walked toward a door marked Personnel Only.
We started to follow him.
“Sugar tits?” I whispered to Poppy. “Really?”
“I panicked. It was the first thing that popped into my head.And we’re stuck with it now, so just roll with it.”
I shook my head as we walked into the hotel kitchen. Therewere only a few people inside. Caterers refilling their trays with littledesserts.
“Out,” Mr. Pruitt said to them.
One of them looked up. “But…”
“I said get out!” He picked up one of the half full trays andthrew it against the wall.
The caterers scattered, running out of the kitchen.
I tried to bite my tongue, but I couldn’t. “You know whowould have hated you talking to them like that?” I asked. “Brooklyn.”
Mr. Pruitt turned to me. “I don’t think you knew Brooklyn aswell as you believe you did.”
What was that supposed to mean? I opened my mouth but Poppygrabbed my hand.
“Uncle Richard, you seem a little upset,” Poppy said.
A little upset? He just threw a bunch of miniaturecheesecakes at a wall. If this was a little upset, I didn’t want to see whatreally upset was.
Mr. Pruitt ignored her. “I’ve always thought of you asfamily,” he said to me. “Despite everything. Despite my past with your father. ButI should have known. Maxwell put you up to this, didn’t he?”
What did my dad have to do with any of this? “No.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying to you. My dad has nothing to do with who I doand don’t date.”
Mr. Pruitt glared at me. “He’s been trying to ruin me fordecades.” Mr. Pruitt started pacing. “End this, Poppy. Matthew’s just trying tocon his way into our family to get inside information. He doesn’t love you. Heonly loves himself.”
What the actual fuck? “I loved your daughter.”
He stared at me.
“I never see you leaving flowers on her grave,” I said. “Fakecrying once doesn’t count. You basically harvested her organs. So don’t youdare stand there and say she meant nothing to me when she meant everything.” Icould feel myself cracking. I was saying everything I wasn’t supposed to say.
“Are you finished?” he asked.
God I wanted to punch his smug face. I clenched my hand intoa fist and then unclenched it. Over and over. “Yeah, I’m done.”
“So you loved Brooklyn? And you expect me to believe that nowyou love Poppy? The two of them couldn’t be more different.”
“Opposites attract.”
“I know that. That’s why Brooklyn liked you.
