Chapter 3: The Garden Party Showdown

Instead of heading home, my Uber detoured to Maple Heights Country Club.

The drive wound past perfect lawns and freshly painted fences. People in polos and sun hats zipped by in golf carts. My driver, a college kid in a Maroon 5 tee, flashed me a sympathetic smile as I got out.

The mayor’s daughter, Lila, was hosting a Spring Garden Party. My invitation had come weeks ago.

The club gardens exploded with azaleas and tulips, white tents shading lemonade stands and platters of finger sandwiches. Lila waved from the far end, her seersucker dress fluttering as she bossed around a string quartet tuning up under the gazebo.

Just as I stepped onto the grass, someone fired a Nerf arrow straight through my sunhat.

The foam dart thunked against my hat’s brim. Gasps rippled through the crowd; even the violinist paused mid-scale. Somebody popped open a can of Sprite, the fizz hissing over the low hum of country music from a Bluetooth speaker.

My hat tumbled to the grass, hair falling loose around my shoulders. A couple of little cousins giggled. One lady clucked her tongue, scandalized. My cheeks burned as I tried to disappear into the hedges.

Lila hustled me away behind a tent, apologizing in whispers, brushing out my hair, and handing me her cardigan. Gossip buzzed behind us, broken by the distant bark of a dog two doors down and the thunk of a tennis ball on the courts.

Walking by the gazebo, I overheard Aubrey—bow in hand—sneering:

She stood in the dappled shade, twirling the plastic bow. Her voice carried, clear and smug, through the honeysuckle-sweet air.

"That’s the famous Natalie? She’s about as exciting as unsalted crackers."

Derek’s voice answered, lazy and a little too relaxed:

"She’s just an ordinary girl from a good family—quiet and dull. She could never compare to your brilliance."

It was Derek.

Hearing him talk like that—like I was nobody—made something inside me shrivel. I pressed myself against the lattice, hoping nobody saw me.

Aubrey’s eyes glimmered, twisting a lock of hair around her finger, queen of the garden.

"Your childhood friend’s boring, but she’s good family. Just marry her for convenience. I’ve already got Noah. I can’t let you be alone just because of me."

Derek’s jaw tightened. There was longing and loneliness in his voice that he tried to hide.

"Don’t worry, Aubrey. I’ll marry her. I won’t make things hard for you. But you—Noah’s the mayor’s son. Don’t fight with him."

She sprawled on the checkered blanket, feet bare, nudging Derek’s arm and laughing like she had nothing to lose.

"Noah’s too much. I’ve followed him forever with no real status, and now he wants a good family girl for the mayor’s approval. If he doesn’t come beg this time, I’m not wasting my time."

I didn’t stick around to hear more. My chest felt heavy as I slipped away, the sunlight suddenly too bright. The smell of fresh-cut grass from the neighbor’s yard made me want to gag. I pressed my nails into my palm, fighting tears in front of strangers.

Ten years of being the good girl, and still I couldn’t compete with the wild card who showed up out of nowhere.

In Ridgewood, old history always lost out to the thrill of the new. I walked back to the clubhouse, each step heavier than the last, wishing for the sky to swallow me whole.