Free The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank Page A

helping her now, but he had some ulterior motive for doing so. Some instinct told her it had something to do with his mission to save his family business, but for the life of her she couldn’t make the connection.
    Nicole Vandemeer’s face softened. “Aren’t you just too precious? Defending Megan like that. And I insist you call me Nicole.”
    “Thank you, Nicole.” His hand tugged Megan closer and he leaned his cheek on top of her head. “And I can’t help but defend her. She’s my damsel in distress.”
    Megan wanted to kick him in the shin again for the pun he’d made for her benefit, but her mother would notice.
    Megan’s mother got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Which makes you her white knight. This just makes the princess theme more perfect.”
    “More like my court jester,” Megan mumbled, loud enough for only Josh to hear. But then she absorbed the second half of her mother’s statement. “Wait. What princess theme?”
    Her mother scowled, picking up a tray of white bowls shaped like flowers and white candles. “Take these outside and set them up.” She handed the tray to Megan. “Be sure to light them too.”
    “Mom, what princess theme? You didn’t say anything about a princess theme last fall.”
    “Now don’t you worry, Megan. I’ve got everything under control.” Without another word of explanation, she walked into the dining room, leaving Megan with the tray in her hands.
    “Megan,” Josh said in a low voice. “Let’s take the candles outside.”
    She glared up at him. “Why? So you can brown-nose her some more?”
    “That’s not fair. I was defending you.”
    She shot him a hateful look. “I don’t need you to defend me.”
    “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. After all, consider why I’m here in the first place.”
    “Exactly,” she spat. “Why are you here?”
    Josh’s face was expressionless as he took the tray from her. “I’m here to help you and you’re doing your best to make it difficult.”
    “I don’t trust you.”
    “Which you’ve made abundantly clear. The way I see it, you have two options. One, we play this out, or two, I leave right now.”
    He was right, which irked her to no end. Why was she so irritated with him anyway? Unless he was a secret cultist looking for recruits, so far he was harmless enough. And he was right. He was helping her out of a situation she should have taken care of herself a month and a half ago. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    An infectious grin spread across his face. “Now was that so hard? Come on.” He turned and headed for the French doors, leaving her to trail behind.
    When she stepped out the back door, she gasped, stopping in her tracks next to an equally stunned Josh.
    “What the hell…?” he muttered.
    “Oh. My. God.” The house had a multilayered deck with a pool at the edge. The yard had been re-landscaped a few years ago and more features had been added since Megan’s visit last fall. A pool house/cabana had been installed, and the pool deck had been extended and was lined with flowerbeds and potted flowers. Several bistro-sized tables with chairs were arranged around the pool, and a buffet table covered in pale pink organza and a gathered white organza overlay was set up on one level of the deck. But that wasn’t what had so stunned them.
    The entire area was tented with a soft white fabric lined with white twinkle lights, and a giant chandelier hung in the middle, directly over the pool.
    “Does your mother think we’re already married and this is the reception?” Josh asked.
    “No, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to torture me before the wedding.”
    “What the…” He walked down the steps to the pool deck, checking out one of the bistro tables.
    Megan followed in horror. Like the other tables, this one was decorated with a single blooming rose in a crystal vase, beneath which a few petals were artfully scattered on the white tablecloth. It was the domed glass covering the flower