Free The Wedding Favor by Unknown

thought to invite him at the last minute. He had some appointments he couldn’t reschedule, so he won’t be here until Friday.”
    Vicky went to the door, paused with her hand on the knob. “By the way, Isabelle’s got it in her head that Tyrell and I should get together. She practically ordered him to flirt with me. I told him I’d flirt back, for her sake.”
    Adrianna arched an eyebrow as she fastened the other stud. “Just don’t get any ideas about taking it further than that. I understand from Terry”—Vicky’s second chair at the trial—“that he’s exceptionally handsome and quite the charmer.” She smiled at herself in the mirror, then flicked her gaze to Vicky’s. “Remember that you’re handling the appeal in his case. Don’t cross any lines with him that could jeopardize that. And don’t forget that I can—and will—pull the plug on this scheme if it gets out of hand.”
    Vicky rolled her eyes. “Believe me, anything you see going on between us will be completely phony. I can’t stand him and he can’t stand me. And nothing that happens in the next four days is going to change that.”

Chapter Six
    A slender man in a tuxedo uncorked a bottle of wine, then lined it up with a dozen others on the portable bar the caterers had stationed on the terrace.
    Maybe I should get plastered , Vicky thought, watching from her bedroom window. Throw up on Tyrell. Better yet, on Mother.
    She rested her forehead on the cool glass, dreading every minute of the weekend.
    Down on the terrace, Isabelle stepped into view. She spoke a few words to the bartender, flicked an assessing glance at the café tables dotting the grass. Then someone must have called to her, because she looked over her shoulder, breaking into a smile.
    Ty emerged from the chateau, ambling toward her with that loose-limbed gait of his, the sun picking out streaks in his hair. He plucked a sprig of lavender from an urn, ran it through his fingers, releasing the scent, then tucked it behind her ear.
    In her present mood, Vicky almost wanted to perceive something illicit between them so she could pull the plug on the whole miserable weekend. But she sensed only friendship, and a deep affection. Ty would do what was necessary to protect Isabelle, even fake a flirtation with a woman he despised.
    Vicky pinched back tears. No one cared about her that much. No one but Matt. And now he was abandoning her to go off and start his own family. Leaving her to fend for herself with the likes of Tyrell Brown and Winston Churchill Banes and all the other heartless people in the world.
    A sob hitched in her throat. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t freaking fair.
    Outside, Isabelle reached up and touched Ty’s cheek, made some giggling comment, maybe about the bristles there, then patted it lightly and disappeared inside. Hands in his pockets, Ty watched her go, and on his face Vicky could have sworn she saw the same wistful longing that wrung her own heart. The yearning to belong to someone.
    She straightened away from the window.
    God, I’m pathetic. Imagining I have something in common with that idiot. I should stop feeling sorry for myself and just be happy that Matt’s found someone. That I can finally do something for him for a change.
    Squaring her shoulders, she drew a deep, even breath, exhaled it to a four count. Another one. Another.
    She just had to get through the weekend. Then, on Monday morning, she’d be back in her own world. Maybe it wasn’t all she’d dreamed of, but it wasn’t so bad. At least she knew what to expect each day.
    For the rest of her lonely life.
    T y cracked his funny bone, let out an oath. The damn shower stall was tighter than a coffin. How was a man supposed to hose out his armpits when his shoulders spanned the walls?
    Snaking one hand up, he worked his hair into a lather, then ducked under the low-hanging showerhead to rinse. Jesus, these Frenchmen must be short and narrow. Wait’ll Jack had to wedge his frame into