“Don’t be ridiculous,” Bianca said, giving Edie a hurt look. “You need my help.”

“Of course I do,” Edie said, and that was the end of that. If Bianca needed to feel useful by driving Edie around, then who was Edie to complain? Bianca selflessly devoted her time to Edie’s business, and she wasn’t paid nearly as well as a real assistant, so Edie should have felt lucky that she had her sister’s assistance.

Emphasis on “should have.”

Two additional client visits later, they headed home for the day. As they did, they stopped to get the mail. Mixed among the bills was a decorative invitation addressed to Edie. She opened it and read it, trying to ignore Bianca’s nosy interest. “There’s a costume engagement party at Buchanan Manor this weekend. Masks must be worn or will be provided to guests. Please show up in costume. A donation to charity is requested in lieu of gifts. Open bar. Yadda yadda.” Edie sighed. “I guess I can’t bail out if I’m in the bridal party, huh?”

Bianca looked at the invitation longingly. “Does it say if you can bring a guest?”

Edie looked over the invite again. “Says Edie and one guest,” she lied, and was happy to see Bianca’s face immediately brighten. “You should be the one in the bridal party,” Edie commented. “You’re the one who actually likes this stuff.”

“Yes, but you’re her friend,” Bianca said. “She doesn’t like me.”

“Of course she does,” Edie lied, not wanting to hurt Bianca’s feelings. “Anyhow, maybe I can call and cancel. I’m not sure we have the extra money for costumes. Sneezy needs his asthma inhaler this month, and you know how expensive that is.”

Bianca gave her an exasperated look as they headed for the door to their apartment. “Don’t you call and cancel. I’m sure I can get us costumes between now and then.”

“Oh?”

“I have a connection at a costume shop,” Bianca told her.

“Too bad you don’t have a connection at a pharmacy,” Edie muttered. But it was fine, really. She could dress up as something benign that hopefully wouldn’t require too much walking.

And maybe . . . maybe Magnus would be there. Edie blushed at the thought, then hated herself for it. She really had no business mooning over him. None whatsoever.

But she still retreated to her room, gave her cats their obligatory attention and petting, and then curled up on the couch. Immediately one went for her shoulders and another for her lap. She pulled out her phone and texted Gretchen.

Edie: Thanks for the invite to the party. What are you going as so we don’t wear the same thing?

Ha! came the reply almost immediately. I am going as Ursula the Sea Witch. Don’t steal my costume, whore.

Edie: Pfft, won’t be a problem. I’ll come as a crab.

Gretchen: Don’t come as a crab! That’s not sexy! Unless it’s a sexy crab.

Edie: No such thing. PS—I’m bringing Bianca, okay?

Gretchen: Damn you and your codependent ways. Fine. Whatever. Just keep her and her gold-digging hands away from my man. There’s plenty of other billionaires going to be there that night.

Which brought Edie to the question she’d been trying to tiptoe closer to. Is everyone in the wedding party going to be there?

Not everyone, sent Gretchen, along with a frowny face.

Edie’s heart thumped in her chest. Oh?

Gretchen: Yeah, Brontë and Logan are overseas for some business thingie. Bron started to give me details but I stopped caring about halfway through. Needless to say, they’ll be in Germany? Sweden? Something over there.

Edie: Oh. Anyone . . . else?

Gretchen: Girl, just come right out and ask it! Magnus and his brother RSVP’d. You can tap that ass when you get here.

Edie: I’m not sure if I hate you or I love you.

Gretchen: I get that a lot. It’s both.

Edie texted Gretchen a smiley face and then put down her phone, thinking. Her heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of Magnus being at the costume party. Would he pay attention to her? Or ignore her like the last awkward party they went to together?

And at what point was Bianca going to let her kiss the damn man?

***

Edie: So how are Lady C and Lady D this week?

Magnus: They’re good. Thanks for asking.

Edie: Great! Glad to hear that. Are they still in separate rooms?

Magnus: I’ve been switching them out like you suggested. Today they were in a room together for the first time. No fighting, either. They are doing fine.

Edie: Wonderful! I’m so glad. Please let me know if you have trouble with either one.

Magnus: Will do.

Edie: Thanks for letting me sleep over the other night. Sorry I had to displace you.

Magnus: No problem.

Edie: Okay, see you around.

Magnus: Bye.

Edie stared down at her phone, confused and a little pissed. Magnus had been fun to hang out with last weekend. He’d flirted with her to the point that she thought she’d break Bianca’s rule and kiss him. Hell, she’d break all the rules and climb him like a jungle gym. She’d spent the night in the man’s bed. They’d had a moment, damn it. They’d had several of them, or so she’d thought.

But that text conversation? That was all business. Cold, impersonal, and he made her feel a little stupid for trying so hard.

She’d thought they were friends. Was she completely off about that? Maybe she’d read him wrong all this time.

Well . . . fuck him. She wasn’t going to be the one who reached out all the time. Let him give it a shot. If he wanted to be friends with Edie, he was going to have to try a little.

***

Magnus felt like a dick as he reviewed Edie’s friendly texts. He’d blown her off deliberately. It wasn’t her—it was the entire situation with Levi and Bianca and the stupid games they were playing. They were setting Edie up as a clueless pawn and himself as an evil mastermind, and he was fucking tired of that shit. If Levi wanted to see Bianca, he could ask her out like a goddamn adult, not ask Magnus to distract Edie so he could sneak off.

It was childish, and he was going to have no part in it. Edie deserved better, and she deserved someone who wanted to go out with her because she was warm and funny and had a soft heart when it came to animals, and the most incredible, kissable mouth.

Not someone who was dating her simply to distract her. He’d gotten a glimpse inside Edie’s mind in the last week or two. She was like a piece of dark chocolate that came in those candy boxes—bitter and brittle on the outside, and filled with sweetness within.

She deserved someone who would appreciate that sweetness. Not these stupid games Levi and Bianca were determined to play.

He tossed aside his phone in frustration, enjoying the clatter it made on his desk. He was alone in the office, and that made him even more frustrated. True to form, Levi was sulking and avoiding work.

Fuck him. Fuck everything about this. Magnus threw up his hands and went to the workout room to blow off some steam.

***

“Please, please tell me you’re not going to wear that outfit,” Bianca said to Edie, chasing after her sister with a makeup brush. “Look. I still have glitter and a long dress! We can make you a princess, too!” She blinked big, pleading eyes at her older sister.

Edie shook her sword at Bianca. “Arr. I’m going to be a pirate.”

“Pirates aren’t sexy! You want to be sexy tonight, don’t you?”

“I can be a sexy pirate.”

“Not with a peg leg, you can’t.”

“It’s the perfect solution,” Edie said, tapping her sword against the peg her knee was propped up on. “With this thing I can sit in the corner and be in character, and no one’s going to expect me to dance or be social or anything.” She flipped down the eyepatch over one eye. “You can be the hot one.”