This was too much.

Anna had known the moment she agreed to come to this thing that she was going to have to confront the demons from her past. But having one such demon not remember her was too much. Especially after he’d made her junior year of high school a living hell. To be fair, she’d made his final year at Parrish Hall just as miserable, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t had it coming to him.

From the look of shock and horror stamped on Nick’s too-handsome face, it was all coming back to him. “Anna Blake.” He nodded his head, his lips curling back in distaste. “What’s it been? Ten years?”

“Give or take.”

“More than enough time, I trust, for you to learn the value of verifying your sources.”

Anna’s right eye twitched involuntarily. He’s just trying to throw you off balance. Don’t give him the satisfaction.

She relaxed her face, one muscle at a time, until she could form a semblance of a smile. “That’s so sweet of you to be concerned over my career, but you needn’t worry yourself on my account. When I have a story to report, I always have more than enough evidence to back it up. Which reminds me, how are you expecting next month’s vote on the city’s zoning for low-income housing to turn out? It should be a certainty, but I understand that some of those developers have some pretty big pockets and aren’t above—”

“Oh, stop it, you two,” Janie said and laughed. “We’re not talking business this week, and I’m not above playing the bride card if I have to and putting you both in time-out.”

Janie’s affection for a sister she’d never known had come easily for her, made evident when they’d met for the first time during last Saturday’s custom fitting of Anna’s bridesmaid’s dress followed by lunch. Janie had made it clear that she already loved Anna and the two of them were going to be best friends.

This exuberance and Mary Poppins optimism had been overwhelming to Anna, who had arrived at the appointment determined to hate the spoiled sister who had grown up with all the things Anna had once coveted. Although Anna was far from calling the woman a friend, she had realized that trying to hate the younger woman would be a losing battle, and she’d have to settle for dignified indifference.

“Wait,” Janie said as if finally processing Anna’s and Nick’s argument. “You two know each other?”

“We went to high school together,” Nick said.

“Actually,” Dax chimed in, “Anna and I went to high school together, too. I was a lowly freshman when you graduated, though, so I doubt you would remember, Anna.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” she said, even if, in fact, she did remember him, but only because when she heard that another St. Claire had started at Parrish, she’d wanted to be sure to keep her distance from him—and Kathryn St. Claire. But Dax had been harmless enough.

“And a decade later she’s about to become your sister-in-law,” Janie added.

God. That was true, which would mean that, technically, Nick was going to be her…brother-in-law. She worked at not visibly grimacing, which, from the look Nick was giving her, he was well aware of.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you two didn’t date,” Dax teased.

“We most definitely didn’t date,” Nick said dryly. “Ms. Blake, here, was supposed to have been covering the student body election for the school paper when she decided to do a smear campaign on me instead.”

“It was not a smear campaign. I was just doing my job,” she said defensively. Wine. She needed wine. She paused and turned around, spotting the glass she’d ordered from the bartender waiting on the counter. She took a sip, giving herself a chance to calm. “I might add, however, that my source swore to me everything was true.”

Everything being that Nick had been cheating off the guy’s exams for more than a year and that the future student body president had paid him to write his last English Lit paper.

“Yes, perhaps he did, but had you done your due diligence, you would have seen that your source was the brother of a girl I’d dated the year before. Your reckless carelessness nearly cost me the election.”

Yes, in hindsight, she had learned the importance of verifying her sources, something she never forgot again. Especially since failing to do so made her more of a social pariah than she’d already been in her worn no-name shoes and an address far from the posher zip codes where everyone else lived.

“Come on,” Anna said. “Everyone knew you had that election in the bag. Those things are more popularity contests than any kind of real testament on the merits or qualifications of the nominees. Kind of like how you got your fancy new position as the city’s youngest supervisor on the board with barely any qualifications other than your last name. Must be nice to rely on your family’s laurels to get what you want,” she added.

The St. Claire name was as well-known and well-respected in California and on the West Coast as the Kennedy name was to Massachusetts and the East. Nick’s dad had been a US senator for sixteen years, and his grandfather had been a one-term governor before that.

Her arrow seemed to have hit its mark when Nick’s dark brown eyes flashed back in anger.

“Okay, okay,” Dax said, not hiding his amusement at their verbal sparring. “You two definitely didn’t date, and as much as I’d like to hear more, now might not be the time.”

“Exactly,” Janie said, ready to take the reins in the conversation. “Anna, I don’t know if you had a chance to review the week’s itinerary when you dropped your stuff off in your room earlier, but you might have noticed a few changes since my last email.”

“Um, I’m not sure,” Anna said vaguely.

She had seen a small gift basket filled with wine, chocolate, a tee shirt, and a few other odds and ends along with a detailed itinerary—a list she had purposely pushed aside. Since the moment she’d conceded to being Janie’s bridesmaid, she’d been deluged with emails from the bride with questions or orders dictating how she wanted them to wear their hair, clothes to pack for the various activities that were planned for the week, what her favorite foods and colors were, and so many more that Anna had finally stopped opening them altogether. Ignorance had been bliss for as short-lived as it might have been.

“Don’t worry, you can just read it later,” Janie said. “The short version is that we’re starting with a dance lesson in the morning, followed by lunch and a game day at the park, and then the wedding shower. Thursday morning our shuttle bus will take us on a tour of the wineries and, if we haven’t had enough to drink, we’ll be heading into town for the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Let me think… Oh, hot-air balloon rides on Friday morning will be capped off with a girls’ day at the spa while the guys take in an afternoon of golf before the rehearsal dinner. It’s a lot, I know. That’s why you’ll want to read that itinerary, since you wouldn’t want to miss any of the fun.”

Dang. Anna really should have looked at that itinerary. Dance lessons? Game day? Not to mention being stuck on a bus with all Janie’s friends an entire day with no escape? Of course, Anna didn’t know Janie’s friends or know what they were like, but she’d met enough privileged, pretty, and popular girls in her life to know that it was unlikely they would have anything in common.

“I can hardly wait.” Nick’s tone didn’t sound any more excited.

“There’s actually one more thing,” Janie said and grasped Anna’s hand. “Just a tiny little thing and I wouldn’t be asking this of you if it weren’t an emergency.” Anna didn’t like the eager gleam in the younger woman’s blue-gray eyes, eyes that, Anna had to admit, looked a lot like hers. “My best friend, Chantelle, was supposed to be my maid of honor, but, like a dummy, she went to Cabo this past weekend and broke her leg wakeboarding. Now she’s in traction and won’t be able to do any of the events that I had planned for this week.”

“That’s awful,” Anna said, trying to appear sympathetic.

“I know. It couldn’t have been timed any worse. When she called me yesterday, I thought for a moment that that was it. The start of the domino effect of what was going to be a wedding disaster. Then I had to remind myself of all the things that were right—not least of all this guy here…and you. Entering my life at this time was, like, fate. I mean, when I asked Chantelle to be my MOH last year, I didn’t even know I had a sister. When you think about it, who would be more perfect for the role than you? I mean, I told myself that if you didn’t show up today, I’d ask my other best friend, Sara, to stand in, but if you did, then it was meant to be. And here you are! So you’ll do it? You’ll be my maid of honor?”

“Maid of honor? Are you kidding—” Anna started before hearing the horror in her own tone and changed tack. “That’s so sweet, but I couldn’t possibly fill such big shoes. I’m sure Sara would be the better bet. She knows all about you, your friends and family, all the ins and outs of what’s taking place. I mean, I don’t even know the week’s schedule, something that your maid of honor would need to know if she’s going to help you with the planning.”

“Don’t be silly,” Janie said. “That’s what I have a wedding planner for. Lynette has already done all the legwork. All you have to do is show up with that pretty smile and hold my hand when I need it. Just like I’ve always wanted in a sister.”

It was one thing to be part of the bridal party, one of three other bridesmaids who smiled and melded into the background. Another thing to stand up there, next to the bride in such a symbolic role. That was too much. Too much considering Anna’s entire goal here had nothing to do with getting closer to Janie—except to get some dirt on her and her friends.

“Why don’t we give Anna a little time to adjust to the request,” Dax said, rubbing Janie’s shoulder as if in a warning to dial it back. “There’s no rush. Anna doesn’t need to agree to anything tonight.”

The guy was quickly becoming Anna’s new favorite person.

His words seemed to do the trick and Janie nodded, leaning into him for a quick kiss before taking Anna’s hand again and tucking it under hers. “I can’t wait to introduce you to the girls. You’re going to love them.”

Without waiting for Anna’s agreement, she pulled her along, heading directly for the bevy of bridesmaids that Anna had been trying to avoid all evening.

Well, time to put her game face on and do what she’d come here to do.

* * *

Nick couldn’t believe his misfortune. If Anna’s face as her sister dragged her away was any indication, he wasn’t alone, which made him feel only slightly better.

“Crazy what a small world it is,” Dax said as they watched Janie introduce Anna to the other bridesmaids.

“I’m afraid so.” He really needed a drink and signaled to the bartender.

Regardless of how she tried to deflect any blame now, Anna Blake had nearly cost him his first election, which, at the time, had felt like the most important thing in his life. His anger, frustration, and yes, even fear—fear of losing and disappointing his parents—had been real. That same fear never really left him.

It was why Anna’s sudden presence here again at such a pivotal time in his political career—when he was just days away from announcing his candidacy in the soon-to-be-vacant California Senate seat thanks to the retirement of Senator Hartley—could spell disaster. Nick had thought he was going to have to wait another four years before attempting to make the jump from San Francisco’s city supervisor to a larger election like the state senate.

As ready as Nick was to make his candidacy announcement, he also knew that, out of courtesy for his brother and Janie, he needed to keep the news on the down low. He wouldn’t want to risk overshadowing the wedding. This week was about Dax’s wedding and nothing else.

And was precisely why he needed to stay clear of Anna Blake.

Nick was well aware of the type of news that places like The Daily Rundown put out. Dirt and gossip that she dressed up as “entertainment news” but at its heart was nothing more than tabloid trash.

Taking his drink, he and Dax discussed stats from last week’s Giants game as he tried to distract himself from the growing group of bridesmaids several yards away. Four in total—including Anna—to match Dax’s four groomsmen. With a wary eye, he watched Sara cast a glance his way before disengaging from the group and heading in his direction. There was no avoiding her now. It was probably for the best. Get it over and done with.

She was wearing her dark brown hair shorter now, so that the waves fell just above her shoulders, giving her the appearance of sweetness that one might believe was sincere—if they didn’t look too far underneath the surface. It wasn’t like Sara had suddenly taken off her mask when they were dating, showing him exactly why they were wrong for each other. No, she’d been more subtle than that. Sara had perfected the art of making sly insults buried beneath compliments and not to mention passive-aggressive behavior that she used to get what she wanted.

Then there was the additional fact that just weeks after they started dating, rumors about their supposed fairy-tale romance were everywhere. By the time he finally called it off, there were even rumors of a ring and an imminent wedding somewhere in Ireland. None of which was remotely true, and it wasn’t hard to figure out where the leaks had originated.

“Nicholas St. Claire, are you going to hide from me all night?”

“Not at all. How are you, Sara?” he asked politely.

“I’m doing all right. Much better now, though.” Without asking, she grabbed his drink, letting the glass linger against her lips before taking a generous sip and handing it back.

Nick glanced at Dax, who shrugged and seemed anxious to get away. “I should probably go see if the rest of the guys are almost here,” he said before patting Nick on the shoulder and walking away.

Traitor. Nick never would have gotten tangled up with Sara DeWinters in the first place if he hadn’t agreed to join Dax and Janie for drinks that unfortunate night.

“What do think about this long-lost sister of Janie’s?” she asked, turning her attention to the woman whose hand was still grasped in Janie’s, offering her no chance at escape. “I hear she’s a reporter for one of those gossip rags.”

“I’m still trying to figure her out. See if she’s here for the right reasons.”

“Good idea. Did you hear she’s actually asked her to take Chantelle’s role as maid of honor? Not that I care, even if I have known her since we were in third grade and was there when she and Dax first met.”

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about on that score. She didn’t sound like she was interested in the position.”

“Or so she pretended. You know that there are rumors that a reporter from the LA Times might actually be covering the wedding. I would bet she’s angling for the spot so she can milk the publicity a little longer, maybe get a trade up from where she currently works.”

“I guess we’ll see,” he said noncommittally, even if he had to admit that Sara might be on to something. From his vantage point, Anna didn’t look particularly eager to be here, let alone be part of the bridal party for a woman she hadn’t met until last week. Curious.

Nick was saved from further conversation by the roar of the arriving groomsman who ran out onto the courtyard and tackled the groom to the ground in a loud and macho display of masculine energy.

“Have a good one, Sara,” Nick said, and before she could say anything more to keep his attention, he headed over to greet the new guests, even as Sara’s words about the bride’s sister stuck in his mind.

One thing was certain. Nick would definitely be keeping an eye on the woman, making sure she didn’t start any trouble.

* * *

Anna tried to remember the last name of the bridesmaid she’d met earlier that night. Megan. Megan…Hellerman. That was it.

She typed it into the Google search bar and waited. After a few minutes of reading about the one bridesmaid who’d actually smiled with sincerity when she was introduced, Anna pushed the computer away in disgust and sank back onto the plush queen bed.

This assignment was going to be harder than she’d thought. It was one thing to dish the dirt and details when she was merely an observer, her motives always clear that she was getting the dirt for the specific purpose of publishing. It was another thing entirely to subtly fish for the information in the guise of someone who might be a friend.

A roar of laugher from outside her open window told her that the first party of the week was still going strong, even if the sun had slipped behind the hills hours ago.

Mildly curious, Anna slipped off the bed and went over to the window to look out. The pool was glowing beyond the courtyard, and she could make out people milling on the lawn and in the pool, not to mention a tennis court located farther behind she hadn’t noticed before.

What would it have been like to live in this place? Have servants available to answer her every wish? Money to buy anything she desired? A mother and a father ready to shower her with love and devotion?

There was a loud splash as someone was thrown into the pool. After having spent the past few hours meeting every member of the wedding party and making the usual small talk about where everyone was from, how they knew the bride and groom, what if anything they did for a living, Anna finally had to withdraw from the party to recharge her battery. She was physically and emotionally drained. And it was only the first night.

At least she’d been spared having to meet any relatives other than Janie. Most of them wouldn’t be arriving until Friday, giving her time to acclimate a little better to her surroundings…and to her sister. As to the bride’s mother’s whereabouts, according to Megan, she was off at some plush Parisian retreat getting something or other rejuvenated.

For a minute, she considered calling Tessa and Quinn, her two best friends and roommates, just to hear their supportive voices, but quickly dismissed the idea. Quinn was prepping for a big trial, and if she had any spare time, she was probably enjoying it with her new and utterly devoted boyfriend. Tessa, who Anna had hitched a ride with out of the city, undoubtedly had her hands full with whatever crisis her brothers had that called her home to the family farm in Sonoma.

Instead, Anna lingered by the window a little longer, seeing if she could identify any of the guests below. She spotted Megan, Trish, and Sara, her fellow bridesmaids, standing alongside the pool, watching as two of the groomsmen wrestled in the water. She was still trying to straighten out the groomsmen and their names, but they all seemed laid-back, and she knew it would be easy hanging out with them.

Janie and Dax were seated in one of the chaises, his arms around her as they laughed and whispered together, lost in their own world. For a moment, she remembered Janie’s crestfallen face when, around ten, Anna announced she was heading to bed. The woman had clearly hoped they might have had more time to chat, something that Anna had assured her they’d have plenty of time to do before she headed up to her room to decompress.

Nick was sitting in a chair a few feet away from the lovebirds, his attention immersed in whatever was on the phone screen lit up before him rather than the horseplay around him. Single-minded and focused. That’s what she remembered about him from high school, too. In his studies, his spot on the school’s swim team that took them to state, and on anything he set his mind to having. Like that election.

Not that he didn’t have moments where he got…distracted. Key point, the fact the guy had dated probably half of the entire female population of Parrish Hall at one time or another. The beautiful and popular half, that was. A population that Anna definitely had not belonged in.

No, she was more the studious type, a loner with few friends and no interests outside of her job on the school paper. A girl who Nick and his friends had laughed at for being a little too weird, too intense, and too outspoken to be accepted into the in crowd.

She’d come a long way since high school, fortunately. But not long enough not to remember the sting of feeling like she didn’t belong.

Anna glanced back at her computer still out on the bed, knowing that she couldn’t let those feelings of inadequacy resurface, not when she needed to appear to be like everyone else—that was, if she hoped to find anything worthwhile to bring to Charlie.

And the only way she could do that was if she kept her distance from Nick St. Claire, a guy who only reminded her of her former inadequacies and insecurities.

A guy who still could make her feel like she wasn’t good enough.