Free The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

waist. “Doesn’t she look precious? Pink is really her color—don’t you agree?”
    “Just precious,” Jack answered as he avoided Rebecca’s kiss by offering his cheek instead. “Is that a gift from you?”
    Nola shot him a “you’re the most oblivious man on the planet” look, and I was starting to prepare for violence when Sophie walked toward them. “Hey, Nola. You’ve got to try one of my lemon bars. They’re completely vegan, and very tasty, if I may say so myself.” She gently put her arm across Nola’s shoulders. As she passed me I heard her add, “As soon as she’s not looking, you can toss that thing into the fountain.”
    A real smile erupted on Nola’s face. I was mouthing the words “thank you” to Sophie when I caught sight of her left hand on Nola’s shoulder. The little sparkling diamond on her fourth finger, to be more specific.
    “Sophie? What’s that ring?” My voice was a lot louder than I’d intended, effectively ending all conversation.
    Chad, Sophie’s colleague at the College of Charleston and what I thought of as her platonic roommate, looked up from where he’d been tossing a tennis ball with General Lee, his eyes wide and innocent. Not so platonic after all, I guessed.
    Sophie clasped her hands behind her back but it was too late. My mother rushed forward and past me, her hands reaching for Sophie’s. “Let me see it; let me see it!”
    “You’re engaged?” I asked, surprised and not a little hurt that she hadn’t confided in me. I considered Sophie Wallen to be my best friend, and as such I would have expected her to tell me first.
    She shot me an apologetic look as she held up her left hand to show my mother the round diamond in an antique platinum setting. It was a little more traditional than I thought Sophie would have wanted, but it was lovely. And sparkly. And completely and totally unexpected. I was happy for her—I was. It was only that I couldn’t yet wrap my mind around the fact that it would be Sophie and Chad from now on, and not just Sophie and me.
    Chad joined his fiancée as everyone crowded around the happy couple, and I found myself being forced back as I listened to how he’d proposed while they were sharing a shift checking the loggerhead turtle nests on Isle of Palms.
    “It’s like they were made for each other,” a voice said beside me.
    Startled, I looked up to see the dark and handsome face of Marc Longo. We had dated for a short while the year before, until I’d learned that he’d lied to me to gain access to Confederate diamonds hidden in my inherited house on Tradd Street. Although he’d since apologized and made attempts to amend our relationship—no doubt helped along by a single blow to the jaw offered by Jack—I doubted that I could ever really trust him again, regardless of how sincere he seemed. It didn’t help that Jack loathed him and used every opportunity to let Marc know it. The feeling was mutual.
    “Marc,” I said, offering my cheek for a kiss. “It’s so good to see you.” I stared up at him, wondering how to ask him why he was there. He’d definitely not been on my small family-only invite list.
    As if reading my mind, he offered, “Your mother invited me. Said something about there being too many females and she needed me to even things out.”
    I shot a look over at my mother, who was pretending not to notice Marc or me and instead was making a good show of listening as Sophie and Chad told everyone about their ideas for the wedding. I caught the words “barefoot” and “hemp,” but was too distracted by Marc’s hand, which was now squeezing mine in an earnest grip.
    “So does that sound like something you’d like to do?”
    I glanced back at Marc, realizing he’d been talking to me. “I’m sorry; what did you say?”
    “I said that I’m planning on having a party at my beach house to celebrate Carolina Day. I was hoping you’d come and play hostess.”
    “I’m pretty sure she’s busy