Must Be Magic (Spellbound) by Sydney Somers Page A

preoccupied. That left only one person who might know and after their fight this morning, she wasn’t sure talking to Bryce about anything but the wedding was a good idea.
    One shared look—one melt-her-feet-to-the-sand look—wasn’t exactly an olive branch.
    Not until she noticed Alex winking at her from across the room did Darby realize she’d unconsciously scanned the room for Bryce. He stood at the bar with Alex, talking to two women. She recognized the redhead from last night, but it was a petite blonde who reached out to curl her hand around Bryce’s forearm.
    Darby returned her attention to the glass of water in front of her.
    Maybe her father was right and she should leave it alone. What good would it do to figure out why Bryce’s father hated her family even more than the magic-abusing Hastings? It wouldn’t change Thomas Lancaster’s stance on magic or the beliefs he’d passed on to his son.
    And none of that really mattered anyway.
    Riley waved at her. “You coming?”
    Darby pushed her chair back and stood. “You actually want to try and catch the bouquet?”
    “Pfft. Try? I’m going to catch it.”
    She should have known Riley’s competitive streak wouldn’t let her pass up the opportunity to win something. “Just try not to trip or elbow anybody this time, okay?” Like she had at their cousin’s wedding.
    Riley rolled her eyes. “I’ve matured since then.”
    “It was last summer.” She trailed her sister through the maze of tables and chairs until they reached the dance floor where another dozen or so women had gathered behind Bree.
    “Where are you going?”
    Darby grinned. “I’m not stupid enough to stand anywhere near you. I’ll be blending into the edge of the crowd at the back.”
    She picked a spot that looked safely out of Bree’s throwing range and found herself next to Angel. Bree’s younger sister smiled in greeting, and then someone hooted and the group of women seemed to swarm to the right.
    Angel abruptly stepped back and yelled, “Catch.”
    “What?” She raised her hands defensively, not realizing that Angel was talking about the bouquet until the flowers grazed her palms. Her fingers instinctively closed around the stems.
    “Nice one,” Angel murmured, looking relieved she hadn’t been the one to catch it. “My mother would want me to start thinking about wedding plans if I had caught that.”
    “I didn’t know you were dating anyone seriously.”
    “I’m not, but my mother takes this kind of thing as an omen.” Angel shuddered. “Now you just have to hope that my cousin Reggie doesn’t catch the garter.”
    Ugh. Why hadn’t she just waited at the table?
    Riley walked up to them, and Darby thrust the bouquet at her sister. “Here.”
    “Uh-uh. You won it fair and square. Now I need to go grab my phone. Watching you squirm at the thought of who might be sliding Bree’s garter up your leg shortly is definitely a Kodak moment.”
    “Bitch,” Darby muttered.
    Riley’s grin widened, then she craned her neck as they made room for the single guys. “I wonder if Reggie plans on participating.”
    “Now that’s just mean.”
    But Riley had already retreated, probably in search of her phone.
    The second Darby spotted the pervert in question join the pack behind Finn, she headed for the back door. If she stayed and watched she’d no doubt end up jinxing herself and get stuck with Reggie after all.
    The back deck was almost deserted when she stepped outside. To her right she spotted Bryce and his father. They spoke too low for her to overhear, but judging by the expressions on their faces, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.
    She thought about escaping around the corner, then found herself turning toward them.
    “Bryce? I think Finn might be looking for you. He’s ready to throw Bree’s garter.”
    Without another word to his father, Bryce headed for the ballroom. He paused, nodding in what might have been gratitude, then started forward again only