The Almost Wives Club: Kate Read Free

one foot. Clearly he was stressed about the wedding too.
    The starters arrived and she dipped her spoon into her soup.
    Ted polished off a couple of slices of crusty bread with foie gras and finished off his glass of wine. He’d barely put it back on the table when a waiter appeared to top up his glass.
    “Bernard said he’s stocked a bar fridge in his house in Hawaii for us and of course the housekeeper will remain in residence.”
    Bernard was a Carnarvon family friend who had offered them the use of his Hawaiian estate for their honeymoon. She was thrilled, of course, but would have preferred something a little more intimate. “Do we really want a live-in housekeeper on our honeymoon?”
    “His staff is well-trained. Don’t worry, we’ll have all the privacy we need as well as excellent meals and wine without having to go out for them. He’s being very generous.”
    “I know.”
    There was a pause and she felt the urge to fill it. “You’ll never believe what happened to me at the final dress fitting today,” she said.
    She saw him jerk and flinch, probably the way she had when she’d been stuck by that pin. He pulled out his cell phone and she realized he’d had it in his pocket on vibrate. He glanced at call display and shook his head. “I’m sorry, honey. I have to take this.”
    He answered discreetly. Mumbled a few things she could barely hear. Then clicked his phone off. “I’m sorry, darling. That’s Llewellen. The brewery deal is tanking. That’s a huge deal for our company. I’ve got to get back to the office for an emergency meeting.”
    “What, now?”
    He shrugged, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “The life of a junior partner. You’ll get used to it.” After getting his MBA from Harvard he’d joined the family firm. The first Edward Carnarvon had made fortunes in oil and lumber. Now the firm that still bore his name specialized in financing start up companies and real estate.
    She doubted she’d ever get used to playing second fiddle in his life. “Can we finish our dinner first?”
    “You go ahead. I’ll take care of the bill on my way out. Tell them to call you a cab when you’re done.”
    He rose and came around the table to kiss her goodbye.
    She put a hand on his arm, reaching for her purse. “Wait. I’ll come with you.”
    An impatient expression crossed his face. “First, I don’t have time to drive you home. And second, you should eat. My mother often dines in restaurants alone.” He dropped his tone and snapped, “Don’t be needy.”
    “But—”
    “I’ll call you later. I’m sorry, but I have to go.” And he leaned down and kissed her swiftly before striding off.
    Needy? She sat there feeling stunned. What was needy about not wanting to sit in a busy restaurant alone on a Friday night while your fiancé abandoned you for work? Ted wasn’t an emergency room surgeon needed to save lives. He wasn’t a security advisor that the president called when war was imminent. He was a junior partner rushing off for a brewery deal.
    She wasn’t even hungry.
    She pushed her soup away. Sipped her wine. She’d wait five minutes and then she’d call herself a damned cab.
    The girls at the fun table were on their second pitcher of margaritas. She wished she were out with her girlfriends. She wished she could go over there, pull up a chair and tell them about her evening. They seemed like the kind of women who’d get her laughing and feeling better in no time. They’d commiserate over inconsiderate men, prenups and cursed wedding dresses. She’d never, ever push herself on a group of strangers like that but the fantasy was nice.
    Of course, not one person in this busy restaurant was remotely interested in her. She could easily stay and eat her salad and enjoy people watching.
    But she didn’t want to.
    She had a million things to do, she wasn’t hungry, and she did not appreciate the man she was marrying in less than a month running out on her. Screw it. She