The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,30

to get revenge on Cole. They wanted to hurt him, and used me to do it. But their plan wrecked us both. The pain they caused me was merely a bonus, a two-for-one deal.

Mia sighs, studying me with pitying eyes. “You kind of glossed over the whole breakup situation the other day. Why did you end things with Cole back then? It’s obvious you never stopped loving him.”

“It’s complicated. I was worried my parents would find out and fire his mom. And all the Westbrook Three crap was just starting up. It was too much.”

That’s completely true. We hid our relationship from our parents and everyone at school. A situation that only got more complex once the three of them went on their justice crusade. It’s just…not the whole truth. I can’t risk telling her about the threats and blackmail. If that information gets back to Cole, this entire thing could blow up.

“Well, his mother doesn’t work for your parents anymore. As for the Westbrook Three stuff, that goes in the positive column for me. The fact that he’s a total badass is sexy as hell.”

“True, but there’s also a lot of baggage that comes with it.”

Cole’s decision to stand up to the bullies at Westbrook was the very reason I’d been forced to let him go. I often wonder if knowing that would change anything for him. If he’d want to go back and do things differently. I’m not entirely sure I’d want him to.

The things they did might not be totally moral, but there’s no denying the positive impact the Westbrook Three have had on the dynamics at our school.

“We all have baggage, Gwendolyn. Besides, we’ve only got one more year of high school and then none of that shit will matter.”

She has a point there. One more year and we’ll be free of this place and all the fucked-up people in it. We’ll finally have a chance to put all this behind us. To move on and start the next phase of our lives.

“What would you do if you were me?” I ask.

She leans closer, her eyebrows lifted as she holds her stare on me. “I would get my man. It’s not like you have to make up some excuse to contact him or for being at the same place at the same time. He’s right down the hall. Which gives you a serious advantage.”

“What do you want me to do?” I mock. “Listen for him to come home so we can run into each other in the hallway?”

“Uh, no. That shit is lame.” She pauses, her lips puckering as she thinks. Then she smirks. “Wait for him in his bedroom. Put on something skimpy. Or hell, wait in his bed naked. He won’t be able to resist you.”

My heart races at the thought, my body heating. It’s a very bold move. I’m not sure I have the confidence to pull something like that off. “What if he rejects me?”

She sputters her lips. “Trust me, Gwendolyn, there’s no chance of that.”

Chapter Fifteen

Present

COLE

Violet sits quietly in the passenger seat, her eyes focused on the glow of the Nashville skyline. It was a long night for both of us at Brighton. The wedding reception in the big ballroom was very demanding. And full of entitlement. More than once I was tempted to put those people in their place. One guy almost earned himself a shiny new black eye for getting out of line with Saint. If she hadn’t calmed me down, I might’ve lost my job.

“You okay over there?” I ask her.

She pulls her attention from the window to give me a halfhearted smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. But we probably shouldn’t tell Arwen about that asshole with the wedding party.”

Arwen will kick my ass if she finds out I’m keeping shit from her, but she was already worried about Violet working at the hotel. I make sure my weekend shifts line up with hers and insist she ride with me to and from. But even with me there to watch out for her, she’ll still run into creeps like that douchebag groomsman.

I chuckle and nod in agreement. “No argument from me on that one.”

Violet’s gaze wanders back to the flickering lights passing by, and I get the feeling her solemn mood has something to do with Thatcher.

Arwen told me she sent Thatcher a picture of Violet with her letter last week. She said he needed a good kick in the ass. My feisty best friend is the only one