The Lying Season (Seasons #1) - K.A. Linde Page 0,24

so out of your league.”

“Apparently, I’m out of every guy’s league.”

Katherine shrugged. “Can’t deny facts.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not helping.”

“You just need someone more like us. Someone who will understand you.”

“What? Like Thomas?” I ground out.

Katherine wrinkled her nose. “Definitely no. That was a mistake. I still think that asshole should go down for what he did to you. We can make him suffer.”

I adamantly shook my head. “I’m not that person anymore.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, changing out of her polo outfit. “But not every guy on the Upper East Side is Thomas.”

“Have you met the guys on the Upper East Side? They’re all kind of pretentious douche bags.”

“They’re not all that bad.”

“Really?” I asked with raised eyebrows when she appeared again in a canary-yellow cocktail dress. “What? Like Camden?”

Katherine froze mid-spin in front of the mirror. “No…Camden Percy is the king of assholes.”

“I know that. But are you going to tell me what’s really going on with you two?”

“What?” She tried to sound cool. “It’s just an arranged marriage. A trade of money and sex. It’s not that uncommon with old money, Lark. You know that.”

“And nothing more?” I prodded.

Katherine stood perfectly still. And it was a tell on her part. I knew there was something else. I just wanted her to tell me. If I had to sit here and listen to her judge my love life, I was going to make her divulge her own.

“Come on. What happened on your honeymoon?”

Katherine dipped her chin. “Nothing of importance. We were in the Maldives for three weeks. Beach, sun, sand, salt.”

“Katherine,” I groaned.

She whispered something that I couldn’t even hear and then turned away from me.

“Wait…what was that?”

“You heard me.”

“No…no, I didn’t,” I said, stepping close to my friend.

She looked up at me with wide eyes. And for the first time, I realized she was…afraid.

“I think…I like him.”

“Camden?” I asked. “Camden Percy?”

She blanched and looked away from me. “I think I’m…I’m falling in love with him.”

“Whoa,” I breathed. “But…you hate him. We all hate him. We’ve always hated him.”

“I know,” she whispered. Then she sighed heavily. “Fuck, do I know it.”

“Then what’s changed?”

She shrugged, nonchalant. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t want to talk about it. God, this is painful. I hate him. And I’m falling in love with him. And I don’t even know what is going on.”

“Okay,” I said, realizing when not to push her.

This was a huge revelation for her.

Katherine had only ever loved one person as far as I knew. And we both knew that she wasn’t going to end up with Penn Kensington. For her to have real feelings about anyone else…let alone her husband…had to be the hardest look she’d ever given at her life.

“Let’s forget it,” she said. Her Upper East Side mask slid back in place. “Let’s talk about nabbing you a gorgeous, extremely wealthy businessman at Natalie’s atrocious Happily Ever After party on Saturday.”

“Ugh,” I groaned. “Do I still have to attend?”

“I got you a dress, so you’re fucking going.”

I chuckled as I stormed into the dressing room to try on another outfit. “This is going to be such a disaster.”

“It is not,” Katherine said.

I came back out to find her staring darkly into the trifold mirror. She looked like a woman possessed.

“It’s going to be fine,” she insisted when she caught me looking. “You’re going to get a hot, new guy. I’m going to hold on to my throne. And Natalie will be put back into her place. All will be right in the world again.”

She sounded like she was convincing herself.

I wanted to believe that it was all going to be fine too.

Not just for me…but also for Katherine and Natalie and my whole crew. But only Saturday would tell.

10

Lark

It was not fine.

Not dealing with Sam the next week at work.

Not at Natalie’s party.

Not for Katherine’s throne.

Or my crew.

I stood there in the crowded ballroom as everyone I cared about yelled at each other. Tears rimmed Katherine’s eyes. Natalie looked like she was ready to spit actual venom. Penn could barely keep it all together. Camden had already raced out of the room, furious with Katherine.

I didn’t know how it had all gone so wrong.

One minute, I’d been trying to take Katherine’s advice and meet a new guy—unsuccessfully, I might add—and the next, Katherine was almost crying. I hadn’t seen her cry since high school.

“Oh god,” I whispered as they continued to go at each other’s throats.

Then I saw it. The moment that Katherine admitted defeat, turned on her heel, and