CHAPTER ONE
Never before had a wedding made Tamera so miserable. Her seven a.m. flight out of Texas and back to L.A. couldn’t come soon enough.
Her eyes trailed around the crowded ballroom. This entire reception was ripped right from her virtual wedding vision board. The four-foot-tall table centerpieces of white orchids with sprigs of jeweled crystals were almost identical to the ones she had admired online two years ago. The raised dance floor shimmered under the spotlights with painted glitter, just like she’d always imagined it would. The ice cream sundae bar even had chalkboard tags. Katie had stolen all of Tamera’s ideas, then made them gross by picking lavender as her primary wedding color.
She’d never believed Katie would take their sibling rivalry this far.
A heavy hand landed on Tamera’s upper back, and she looked up at her date. Drew’s dirty-blond hair hung halfway down his broad back in a loose ponytail, and his massive hand held out a glass of champagne.
“Thanks,” Tamera said, accepting the beverage.
“No problem.”
Drew sank into the chair beside hers, looking out of place in a suit and tie instead of his usual football jersey and jeans. He hadn’t wanted to come to the wedding, but Tamera’s begging finally convinced him. After spending nearly twelve weeks in each other’s constant presence, she’d learned Drew’s weak points and how to exploit them.
“How much longer until we can get out of here?” Drew asked.
Tamera took a long sip of the chilled alcohol, trying to cool the fury that had her seeing red at every stolen detail. The lavender silk of her maid of honor dress burned like hot oil. This was the trashier, tackier version of the day she’d always imagined having herself. Right down to the groom.
At least photos of her and Drew at the wedding would look great on social media. Her followers would eat it up.
“You promised you’d stay until the bitter end. You’re my arm candy tonight so I don’t look pathetic.” Tamera knew without a doubt that photos of tonight would go viral on social media, whether she wanted them to or not.
Drew wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “Say the word, and we can make that agreement a little more permanent.”
Tamera rolled her eyes and tossed back the rest of her champagne. She and Drew had met over the summer on Eye in the Sky, a reality TV show where twenty contestants competed for a million dollars while locked in a glass house covered with cameras. The network had contrived a showmance between her and Drew, but it’d never been more than harmless flirtations on his part and reluctant flattery on hers. The sting of Caleb’s betrayal was still too fresh for Tamera to even consider a relationship. Still, she and Drew had allied themselves in the game and become close friends by the time they were both voted out near the end of the season.
“Friends only,” Tamera reminded Drew. She was pretty sure he was only interested in her because she’d said no, anyway. The quarterback of the San Antonio Vigilantes could have any girl he wanted, even if an injury would keep him benched for most of the upcoming season.
His arm landed heavily around her shoulders. “How about friends with benefits?”
She laughed and pushed his arm off. “In your dreams.”
“You sure know how to make a guy feel special.”
The words sliced through her, and she looked away so he wouldn’t see how they hurt. She had tried her hardest to be a good girlfriend to Caleb. Sure, they’d had their share of problems, but she’d really thought they were happy. How could he have carried on an affair—with her sister, no less—for an entire year without her knowing? She might as well have walked around with #oblivious stamped on her forehead. Followers had said as much in their numerous comments on her page.
The DJ announced that the bride and groom would now share their first dance. Tension spread down Tamera’s neck and over her shoulders. An overly romantic pop song crackled over the speakers, then pulsed through the room at a near deafening decibel.
No freaking way. Katie had chosen this song? And Caleb had let her? Tamera’s mind flashed back to a time when she and Caleb had danced to it at a nightclub, and she’d jokingly suggested it would make a great first dance. Had Caleb told Katie about that conversation? Is that why she’d chosen the song?
The betrayals just kept on coming. It would take a miracle to escape tonight without exploding. Or crying. That might actually be worse. The hashtags practically wrote themselves.
An acoustic guitar swelled through the speakers as Katie and Caleb clung to each other, his hand uncomfortably low on her waist. The couple turned in a slow circle and Katie caught Tamera’s eyes. The corners of her mouth curled up in a smirk as she pulled Caleb closer and placed a sultry kiss below his earlobe.
Was this another layer of payback for Tamera going to junior prom with Katie’s high school crush? She hadn’t even known Katie liked him until after the dance. The sisters had always been competitive, but things had turned vicious after that one event.
Well, Tamera was done. Her fingers curled around the flute of the champagne glass. You won, little sis. Enjoy your spoils. Not that Caleb was much of a catch.
“Hey.” Drew snapped his fingers, and Tamera tore her gaze from the dance floor. “Stop obsessing. You’re over him, remember?”
“Totally over him.” That’s what she kept telling everyone, at least. Tamera took a deep, shuddering breath. Thanks to her inability to keep it together in diary room interviews, pretty much all of America knew about the Katie and Caleb betrayal. The network had taken her confessions and run with them, making it a plot point throughout the entire season. How could they not, considering the engagement had, in a roundabout way, gotten Tamera cast on the show?
“Good,” Drew said. “Now smile for the cameras. You never know what will end up posted online.”
He was right. As a pro athlete, Drew was accustomed to the constant attention. Tamera was still getting used to it.
It was after midnight when the DJ announced the bouquet toss. Drew gripped Tamera’s hand and gave her a meaningful look. “You don’t have to go over there.”
Tamera glanced at her mother, who stood off to the side of the dance floor with stress lines permanently etched into her brow.
“It’ll make everything worse if I don’t.” Her mother would probably cry about how her only children were constantly at odds. The wedding guests would talk. Someone might tweet a snarky comment that would end up going viral. Pass. She was tired of being an internet meme.
Drew nodded and released her hand. “Then chin up, soldier.”
She dropped a peck on his cheek. “Thanks.”
Tamera walked stiffly to the dance floor, hanging out near the back of the pack of tipsy females. Caleb helped Katie onto a raised platform, his hand lingering at her waist. Bile burned Tamera’s throat, but she couldn’t look away from the scene. Katie’s white silk dress hugged her trim figure, plunging almost as low in the front as it did in the back. Her dark chocolate hair was the same color as Tamera’s, her petite stature and high cheekbones nearly identical. She caught Tamera’s eye and gave a dazzling cherry red smile—one intended for the entire room. But her eyes glinted with a challenge.
“Ready?” Katie asked.
She wouldn’t dare. Tamera kept her arms to her side, the fake smile she’d sported since early that morning making her cheeks ache.
Katie turned around and counted. “One… Two… Three!”
The bouquet arched through the air, and the lavender flowers plummeted right toward Tamera’s head. Disbelief warred with fury as she instinctively reached out, catching the bouquet in one hand.
Cheers erupted from the wedding guests. One of the bridesmaids clutched Tamera’s arm, giggling.
“You caught it!” she exclaimed.
Tamera stared at the bouquet, stunned. She heard a squeal from the stage—Katie.
What. A. Troll. Tamera imagined holding Katie down and forcing her to eat the stupid flowers while the wedding guests cheered.
A flash brought Tamera back to reality, and she blinked. The photographer dragged her toward Katie while Caleb stood nearby. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he gave Tamera her favorite lopsided grin while his eyes roved over her figure. So gross.
Why did her heart still ache at the sight of him?
“Let’s get a picture of you two with the bouquet,” the photographer said, motioning for the sisters to stand next to each other.
Katie’s arm snaked around Tamera’s waist. “I’m so glad you caught it,” she said, her voice sickly sweet. “No one deserves this more.”
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