The Cocky Thief

Chapter 12

"So who's the worse slave driver? The bride or the groom?" He didn't need to ask the question. It didn't help him at all. But he couldn't help but be curious about the woman behind the whole evening.

"Oh, Greg is a groomzilla, no question. Isobel would've been happy to elope but Greg is the one who wanted it here, his most expensive home, and he invited more frenemies than actual friends."

So Stranger wanted to show off. Hardly surprising. Also, the more money he had, the more successful people assumed he was and the more jobs he'd get. "Isobel wanted to elope, huh?" Somehow, she seemed like the type who would like the attention. At that very moment, she smiled while a flock of women seemed to follow her every move. She played the part of socialite arm trophy well.

"Isobel only had one requirement. She didn't care about the dress, venue, or food. She just wanted jewelry that would, quote 'make her feel like a princess.'"

"Like an engagement ring?"

Phillip shrugged. "I know she ended up with a nice ring, but that's not all. Greg was able to get something on loan from some bigwig. Small price to pay, if you ask me."

Austin had a feeling Phillip knew more than he was saying, but he was trying not to give away all his boss's secrets. He could respect that. So Isobel had encouraged Stranger to borrow the Dragon Heart. Was it just a coincidence?

At a normal rehearsal dinner, there would be a, well, a rehearsal. But this seemed to be something different. More like a pre-party that probably cost more than most couples' weddings.

Phillip's phone went off and he excused himself before he ran off to deal with who knew what.

"You look lost," said a voice from behind him.

He looked over his shoulder to see Melody Murray there. Strange that she was talking to him when Jennifer seemed to want nothing to do with him. "Not lost," corrected Austin. "Calculating my next move."

She didn't look amused at his choice of words. Funny. He knew that if he'd used the same line on Jennifer, he would've gotten a brow raise or something. So he went on to explain himself. "I'm supposed to be networking. I'm trying to do the cost benefit analysis of how boring someone is to talk to and how much they can help my career."

Still no change of expression. Maybe she'd just gotten Botox or something. Though she was so young that he had a hard time imagining that...

"If you don't want to be here, why don't you just leave?"

"Uhhh...work."

Melody didn't seem convinced. "Some jobs just aren't worth it."

"I think I missed it, but what do you do again?"

That got a wistful smile out of her, at least. "I used to work retail but I'm between jobs at the moment."

It was strange to think of someone so closely related to Isobel and Jennifer working behind a cash register at the local department store. But now that he thought about it, Jennifer never told him what she did for a living. And as far as he knew, Isobel was just a socialite before she met Stranger.

So what made this family so special?

Melody didn't seem like the kind to bullshit, so Austin got right to the point. "What are you doing here?"

She frowned. "I'm here for my mother's wedding."

"No. Here talking to me when I can't help but feel like you don't even like me."

She tilted her head before she glanced to her mother and sister. "I think my sister likes you more than even she thinks. So I'm trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not. My family isn't an easy one to get along with."