Part 7 (1/2)
”No, I' She'd never seen hi out
”What are you talking about?”
”She's gone, Patty! She's gone!”
Patty looked at hi photos I ith her an hour ago”
”No, she's not!” Chad was pacing back and forth in the roo to think ”The photographer ca for her She said Shandi had asked if she could leave her alone for a few minutes, and when she carapher thought ere having so tryst I've called Shandi a dozen tirounds She's nowhere”
Patty looked at the clock It was 11:42 a, Chad,” she said calmly ”She's upstairs in the bridal suite I just walked past her to co whether Shandi actually had been in the bridal suite ”You need to go to the altar and get in place, okay? You'll see her in, like, twenty h about this”
Chad grabbed a bottle of water off the ht She probably just got distracted with all the getting ready”
”Exactly”
Chad put down the water bottle and gave Patty a hug ”You're the best,” he said, and ran out the door
Patty waited thirty seconds, and then ran as fast as she could upstairs to figure out as going on
CHAPTER 19:
Coe
”I wanted to thank you for today” A her hands in the bathroom when she heard a thick British accent perfectly articulate each word
The bathroom was otherwise empty The blond wohtly A moment passed before she took a lipstick tube out of her purse and leaned toward the gold-rimmed mirror to apply it
Amelia looked at the woman's reflection in thewater ”What for?” she asked cautiously
”For putting us on the map,” the woman said, her eyes focused on her e of her top lip She puckered a few times to settle the lipstick, and then she turned to face Amelia and stuck out her hand ”I'm Violet”
Amelia studied the woman She couldn't tell how old she was She could have been twenty or thirty-five Her wardrobe was too sophisticated for college, but her skin had the flawless glow of a teenager Amelia shook her hand but didn't introduce herself Violet obviously kneho she was
”What do you mean?” she asked instead
”Iabout RemoteX We weren't even invited to the conference We snuck inside the day before, pretending to be hotel staff, and added our booth to the expo floor Now, though, when people leave, all they're going to be talking about is RemoteX Doreye and Reot us”
”But they think you're dishonest My brother figured out how you cheated We exposed you”
Violet sive e Besides, any press is good press”
A at her suspiciously
”I knew you'd never figure it out in time,” Violet said ”Your brother, however, I underestimated He's not as naive as you There's real potential in Adaister
”You see, your probleood Despite all that you've been through, in your happy world people are incapable of acting selfishly or ht have done so to mess up your presentation Instead, you worried that you'd ”
A her warily Violet shrugged it off with a laugh
”Look at me like that all you want” She turned back to the mirror and touched her hair to pull it into place, dropped her lipstick into her purse and snapped it shut ”Not all of us are cute little orphans with Tos happen”