going to notice. They were also going to notice that Penny’s engagement ring had been joined by a wedding band.
And I didn’t care. It didn’t matter to me that this was supposed to be fake, or that we were leaving in the morning to meet with a divorce lawyer. Tonight we were at a party, with all of our friends, and all I could feel was happy.
I circulated for a while more, congratulating our employees on a great year that had been pulled from the fire of an awful one. And I decided to make an announcement. Right here, tonight.
I grabbed a chair from a nearby table and stood on it, waving my arms and shouting for everyone to be quiet. It took a minute, but everyone quieted down and turned to me, expectant.
My father had always made a speech at the annual Christmas party. Dad’s speeches were always boring, and everyone secretly hated them. People wanted to relax, not listen to their boss drone on. They could do that every other day of the year.
So I said, “Don’t worry, everyone. I’m not making a speech. Instead, I have an announcement.”
People laughed. I glanced down at Penny. What are you doing? she mouthed up at me.
I held my hand down to her, and she put her hand in mine.
“You may have heard,” I said to the crowd, “that Miss Penelope Gold and I are engaged. We have been for the past year. Well, as of tonight, we’re not engaged anymore.” I lifted our joined hands, Penny’s ring gleaming in the light. “Because we got married.”
The crowd broke out in surprised cheers and applause.
And I jumped down off my chair and did what I’d wanted to do all night. I took Penny in my arms, in front of everyone, and kissed her senseless.
Chapter 20
Penny
This wasn’t supposed to be magical. Tonight wasn’t even supposed to be good, considering I’d fought this move to Denver and I’d dreaded having to marry Wes. But instead of a dismal evening getting married for business reasons, tonight was relaxed and fun, filled with great food, delicious drinks, and congratulations from people I was starting to really like. Instead of a business decision, tonight this marriage felt like the start of a new chapter, one in which both Wes and I could leave the craziness of the past year behind and start new.
It was only for tonight, because we were going to Colorado Springs for a divorce tomorrow. Wes really shouldn’t have made that announcement, because it was only going to make announcing the divorce more awkward. But it was Christmas Eve, with the snow coming down hard outside and the music playing, and right now I didn’t care. There was only this moment.
We circulated through the room for a while, sometimes together, sometimes separate. Wes’s mother appeared, icy and angry, inexplicably wearing black at a holiday party. She was very displeased at the announcement, at being excluded from the wedding of her precious son. Wes was calm and polite with her, but firm. If she wanted to tear a strip off him, she could do it another time. Tonight was not the night.
When I went to the bar by myself for a drink, I felt a hand on my elbow as soon as I picked up my glass. Sophie whisked me away from the bar and around behind the huge Christmas tree.
“So you did it,” she said. “You married my brother.”
I nodded. Sophie was dressed up in a blue sequined dress and heels. Her wild blond curls were down around her shoulders, and she was wearing makeup. Her boobs were sticking out in a way that definitely meant she had a push-up bra on. “You look really nice,” I said to her.
To my surprise, Sophie blushed hard and her mouth turned down in a frown. “Do you really mean that?” she asked, her voice sharp.
“Yes, I do.”
She shook her head. “You really are nice. My brother doesn’t deserve you.”
Despite Sophie’s prickly ways, or perhaps because of them, I liked her. She had a lot of defenses and maybe not a lot of confidence. I could definitely relate. I could also see us being great sisters-in-law.
If Wes and I were going to stay married, that was.
“Are you here with a date?” I asked her.
Sophie looked prickly again. Something was definitely going on, though I didn’t know what it was. “No. I don’t have a date,” she said, her emphasis on the last word. She looked away and