Free Effortless by Lynn Montagano Page A

lobby before I had the chance to consider an answer. The four of us gathered by the exit. I was struck at how normal we must have appeared to everyone else but how uncomfortable it felt to be a part of this group.
    “I totally spaced on this, Lia,” Stephanie blurted. “I really do want us to hang out. Let’s go for a little while. We’ll toast to your engagement and have a fun night.”
    Since my hand was still knotted with Alastair’s, I felt him stiffen.
    Brent regarded both of us with surprise. “Engagement?”
    “Oh shit,” Stephanie mumbled. “I didn’t mean to…oh shit.”
    “It’s alright, Stephanie,” Alastair answered with ease. Shocked to hear his calm tone, I looked up at him. He was enclosed in his protective shield, leveling a dispassionate gaze at Brent. “It’s already been online today and the news was bound to spread eventually.”
    The muscles in Brent’s jaw tightened as he held Alastair’s stare. “Then it’s settled. You’ll both come tonight and we’ll drink to your happiness.” His smile was as effortless as it was taunting. The last thing I wanted was to spend several hours faking niceties with him and a bunch of strangers.
    “We’ll be over at eight,” Alastair said, mirroring Brent’s disingenuous smile.
    Stephanie and I exchanged glances. If nothing else, this night would be interesting.
    * * *
    No matter how hard I attempted to engage Alastair in conversation on the ride back to his house, he remained stony and silent. I marched to the bedroom as soon as we walked in, tossing my bag on the bed. I knew he followed me into the room, I could feel his presence.
    “Do you want to explain what the hell that was all about?” I asked. “You’ve been gone all week and now I have to spend an evening with Brent Garrison?”
    He leaned against the doorframe and fixed a hard stare on me. “We can’t avoid him forever, Lia. Glasgow is smaller than you think. We’re going to be in similar social circles so the sooner we get this out of the way—”
    “Get this out of the way?” I yelled. “This is our engagement, not a decree to be sent to some torture chamber. And it’s also not a goddam game. I’ve told you already that what we have isn’t some ace in your pocket to whip out when you want to make yourself feel superior.”
    “Enough,” he said through clenched teeth. “I would rather stay home in bed with you all night than go to his house but we have to.”
    “Why?”
    He steeled his expression, clenching his fists. “We just have to.”
    Frustrated at his lack of answers, I paced the room. “When did you become so concerned about what other people think?”
    “I’m not. I don’t give a shit what these people think of me but I do care what they might say about you.”
    “What could they possibly have to say about me?” I spread my arms in a grand gesture. “The headlines say it all. I’m just some piece of American arm candy who bagged Britain’s wealthiest, most eligible bachelor who, up until this past spring, screwed women for fun until he got what he wanted and dumped them.”
    I couldn’t stop the awful words from pouring out. The air was sucked right out of the room within seconds. Guilt surged through me at lightning speed. My mouth had a way of running off on a tangent when I became overemotional. I regretted every syllable.
    “Alastair, I’m…it’s just when you’re quiet and shut me out like you did in the car it bothers me. You know how I get when I start overthinking.”
    Cloudy, tortured eyes held my remorseful gaze before shifting their attention to the floor. “Is that how you think people look at us? That you’re just a conquest for me? Someone I don’t deserve to have in my life?”
    He paled, sending me into a panic. I bolted across the room and held his face.
    “I shouldn’t have said that. You know you deserve me.”
    He looked away, disbelieving my words. Nausea rolled my stomach. I could never stand it when Stephanie