Tarnished Crown (Gravestone Elite #2) by Caitlyn Dare (books like beach read TXT) 📕

Sasha casts me a bemused glance; she looks as pleased to be here as I am.

Brook takes my mom’s arm and they walk into the restaurant together.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Sasha hisses under her breath.

“Can you try and play nice? For my mom’s sake?” My expression softens.

“This is crazy, you realize that, right?”

“My mom invited her.” I shrug. “I couldn’t exactly send her away.”

“That’s exactly what you should have done.”

“Let’s just get through lunch. Hopefully Brook will play nice.”

“This is Brook we’re talking about.”

“Girls?” Mom glances back at us dawdling behind. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine, Mom. Let’s sit.” I make sure to plant myself between Sasha and Mom. Annabel sits between Sasha and Brook, and Brook revels in being next to my mom.

“I just love the food here. It’s always so well-cooked.” Brook plucks her menu off the table and studies it as if this is completely normal. As if we’re all just friends doing lunch.

“What do you fancy, sweetheart?” Mom asks me, and I shrug. My appetite has been missing since I woke up this morning and realized what day it was.

“Just a salad,” I reply without looking at the menu.

“With the salmon?”

“Sure, Mom.” I swallow over the lump in my throat.

“Have whatever you like, girls. Mia’s father is kindly picking up the tab.”

My stomach drops at the mention of Dad.

“Mia, darling, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Pre-Coglio jitters, I bet,” Brook whispers, flashing me a conspiratorial wink as she takes a sip of her champagne.

“Of course.” Mom pats my hand. “It is a big night for you.” She chuckles. “I remember it well—my wedding night, of course. Your father and I were up all—”

“Okay, Mom. Nobody needs to hear yours and Dad’s sex stories.”

“We’re all friends, Mia. And it’s the most natural thing in the world.”

I snatch up my crystal flute and gulp the champagne down.

“I agree, Mia,” Brook drawls. “Sex is healthy. And you’re Cade Kingsley’s prosapia. He’s like—”

The server appears, silencing Brook. Thank God. This is turning into my worst nightmare, which is something considering my life is one constant bad dream lately.

We reel off our orders, then Mom clinks her glass, smiling at me. “I would just like to say a few words. Mia, darling, I know this isn’t what you wanted for your life, but to be prosapia is a blessing. May you walk into your new life with humility, grace, and poise. I just know you and Cade are going to live a long and happy life together.”

She’s brainwashed.

My own mother is completely and utterly brainwashed.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I opt for a muted thanks and help myself to another glass of champagne. Sasha squeezes my hand under the table, but it does little to ease the knot in my stomach.

“Excuse me, I need a girl’s minute.” Brook excuses herself and struts across the room as if she owns the place. Men track her every move, especially her ass, and women watch with envy in their eyes.

Brook is made for this world. Cut from the heart of Gravestone. Nothing would have to be forced on her; she’d accept it all willingly with open arms.

Annabel’s purse begins vibrating. She digs out her cell phone and checks the screen. “It’s my mom. I’ll be right back.” Hurrying from the table, she exits the restaurant. A strange sensation trickles down my spine, but I can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong.

I glance over at the doors again but can’t see Annabel.

“What is it?” Sasha asks.

“I don’t know. I’ll be right back, okay?” I push from the table and stand. My mom calls after me, but I take off toward the doors Annabel left through.

I don’t know what I expect to find, but when I spill into the foyer there’s no sign of her. It’s like the pieces of the puzzle are slotting against each other but all wrong.

What am I missing?

“Excuse me.” I approach the check-in desk. “Did you see a girl come out here a second ago?”

“Yes, she just left.”

I glance back to the main doors and take off, catching sight of Annabel disappearing around the side of the building. My brows furrow. What the hell is she doing?

Heart racing, I follow her but keep a safe distance. She’s around the back of the country club now, near the kitchen. A door swings open and I duck behind a stack of crates. Brook appears, and my heart drops.

No.

No!

They start arguing about something, but I can’t hear them over the whir of the fans. Annabel jabs her finger at Brook who cackles, a wicked glint in her eye. She shoos Annabel away and slips back inside the building.

The second Annabel reaches me, I step out into her path.

“Mia? My God, you startled me. What is it? What’s wrong?”

My brow arches. “I saw you.”

“S-saw me? What do you mean? I came out here to talk to my mom.” She waves her cell at me.

“I saw you with Brook.”

The blood drains from her face. “I-I can explain, it’s not what you think.”

“I don’t know what I think right now. Are you two… friends?”

Her lip wobbles. “We’ve been hanging out. She knows what it’s like to be… to be on the outside.”

Guilt snakes through me, but nothing I’ve done deserves this kind of betrayal.

“It’s Brook—or have you forgotten that?”

“I messed up, Mia. At first, I thought she genuinely wanted to be friends… she made me feel better about everything. But then she started asking me questions. Things about you…”

“What did you tell her?”

“N-nothing important, I swear.”

“So what was that just now?”

“She threatened to tell you about everything if I didn’t start telling her what she wants to know.”

I let out an irritated sigh. “We should go back inside.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Oh, I’m mad. I’m so mad at you right now. You betrayed me, Bel.”

Her expression falls, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

“But I don’t want Brook to know that I know.”

“I don’t want to play games anymore,” she cries. “She…