The Kissing Challenge - Cookie O'Gorman Page 0,13

yours."

"Hmph, whatever."

"I'm sorry I missed it," I said, but Mary's eyes had already dropped back to her magazine, and Beth didn't pay me any mind.

"So?" Lady pressed. "Where did you go? It must've been something exciting if it made you forget our plans."

I shrugged, stalling for time. "I went out with some friends. That's all."

"Wasn't it to watch that terrible band play again?" Beth said.

"They're not terrible," I said while shooting her a look. "In fact, they played awesome. A lot of people were there to see them, too."

"What like ten?" Beth snorted again, and I wanted to tell her how unattractive that was. But I didn't have to. Lady beat me to it.

"Don't snort, dear," she said. "It's unbecoming."

Beth frowned but didn't say anything.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the music, Anne."

"More like she enjoyed the eye candy," Beth muttered.

My blush couldn't be contained, and unfortunately, Lady was still watching me.

"Oh, I see now. Captain must have been there."

Her lips pursed.

"I take it you're still friends?" she said.

"Yes," I said slowly. "We have been for years, Lady. You know that."

She nodded. "I just thought you'd grow out of that phase. You're so different from each other."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but look around. Your family is rich," she said. "And Captain's…isn't. I would've thought he'd feel threatened by you. But it's not just the money," she went on before I could dispute her claim. "You're special, Anne. You're intelligent and sensible. You have a great head on your shoulders."

I felt my lips turn down. "We're the same. Captain's smart, too. He'd never feel less than me. You just don't know him like I do."

Lady arched a brow. "So smart that he spends all his time with that band, earning pennies at the dives around town?"

"They're really amazing," I said. "If you'd just come out and see them, I'm sure you'd agree."

"Of course, they are. Of course." Her tone was patronizing, but I didn't think she was doing it on purpose. "But honey, every guy under twenty-five dreams of becoming a rock star. Hardly any of them ever make it."

That might be true, but…

"You don't know, Captain," I said. "He's so talented and driven. He can do anything he sets his mind to."

"There are a lot of other men who would make a better match for you," Lady said.

I gave her a half-smile. "We're best friends in high school, Lady. It's not like we're getting married."

She held her hands up in defeat. "Okay well, maybe we can watch Princess Di some other time since you ended up having to cancel."

"I'd like that," I said.

My father suddenly spoke, "Did you go somewhere, Anne? I didn't even notice."

Beth's smile was smug, but I just sighed. Dad never paid me much attention which was fine. We didn't have a lot in common. My father had always had a taste for the finer things in life, and he loved going out into society, being seen, rubbing elbows with the other rich people. It was simply his way—whereas I would rather stay home, read a good book, and hang out with people who I genuinely liked, whether they had money or not.

"Dad, did you remember to pay off all your credit cards?" I asked.

My father waved that away. "We're wealthy, Anne. Why must you constantly worry about these things?"

"What about the electricity bill? And the water bill? Oh, and that other little thing called the mortgage?"

"Yes, yes." He huffed while refolding his napkin. "You act as if I'm incompetent."

No, I thought. Just totally oblivious. My dad enjoyed the high life, but he didn't like to think about costs or deadlines. It wouldn't be the first time he'd forgotten to pay a bill or two. My mother had been the sensible one. My father…not so much.

"Oh Lady, did you hear about the new spa they're building?" he said.

"No, tell me," she prompted.

"They say it only caters to the most elite clientele. There's even supposed to be one of those anti-aging cryogenic machines. We should go and check it out."

"Ooh sounds fun."

He smiled, and there wasn't a wrinkle to be seen, though he was pushing fifty. "You know how serious I am about skincare."

"I do, my friend, which is why you always look your best."

They continued in that vein for a while and were still talking when the doorbell rang. Beth was texting on her phone, and Mary had already gone up to her bedroom. Our butler—yes, we actually had one