And then paused.
There were voices coming from inside. Masculine voices.
“So . . . what about Daphne?” one voice said.
Edie heard the sound of what sounded like a bottle being opened, and then a pause. “Daphne’s not in the wedding.”
“No?” the first man said. “Damn. I wanted to meet her. She’s hot.”
“She’s a fucking mess,” said the other. “Rehab. Gretchen’s leaving her alone for now.”
“Well then, what about the other bridesmaids?”
A third voice came in, a deep baritone that was instantly recognizable. “Is pussy all you think about, Asher?”
“Why you blaming me? Levi here started it.”
“Everyone knows brides pick hot chicks for the wedding party.” That one was the one named Levi.
“Yeah, but you haven’t met Gretchen, have you?” said the one she guessed must be Asher.
“No, why?” said Levi. “She insecure?”
“She’s weird,” said that abrupt baritone voice. “He’s trying to say her friends are probably fucking weird, too.”
“Oh no,” Levi groaned. “Seriously?”
“Probably cat ladies or some shit,” said the baritone voice again. “Cat ladies and astrologists. So your dick is just gonna have to wait for some other opportunity.”
The other two voices laughed, and Edie brimmed with rage at the men. How dare they? From what Gretchen had told her, she and Hunter were insanely happy. And Gretchen was just picking her friends to be in the wedding with her, like any joyous bride-to-be. Did it matter if they were weird?
Most of all, though, she resented that fucking cat-lady remark made by the guy with the baritone voice. Because fuck him. Just because girls happened to like cats didn’t mean they were hideous unlovable creatures. He was probably an ugly slob himself. Her nostrils flared with anger.
“Come on,” said Levi. “You know the groomsmen always get to nail the bridesmaids.”
“You’d probably rather keep your dick to yourself,” said Baritone. “Gretchen’s a pretty decent girl and she likes Hunter, so what the fuck else matters?”
“Tits,” said another. “Tits matter.”
“Shut the fuck up,” said Baritone with a laugh. “Or I’m gonna insist you hook up with the cat ladies. Just don’t get them too excited or you might end up with a hairball on your—”
That was it. Edie shoved the door open and stormed through, ignoring the flare of pain her knee threw at her. She was good and pissy now. How fucking dare these assholes come into Gretchen’s house and judge her and her friends? They were her goddamn guests.
The kitchen was utterly silent at her arrival.
Three men lounged in the room, two leaning against the marble countertop island in the center of the kitchen, one at the fridge getting another beer. All three straightened at the sight of her.
She gave them her most withering glare and limped forward.
“Can I . . . help you?” the baritone rumbled, and she turned to give him the full fury of her cat-lady wrath. It was a shame that such an unpleasant man was so appealing-looking. Dark, short-cropped hair capped his head, a little too long to be a buzz cut, and a little too short to be anything else. His jaw was wide, his features too blunt to be handsome, but his eyes were an incredible shade of greenish-brown that were so vivid they practically glowed, and were framed by dark lashes. He smiled at her to make her easy, and his whole face lit up with that smile.
He might have been appealing, but he was also a world-class jerk. She gave him another icy look that made the smile on his face disappear. “No, you cannot help me.”
As she stormed past them and began to slam open drawers, she noticed out of the corner of her eyes that the men were exchanging looks. She suspected they knew she was a bridesmaid and that she had overheard them, and were probably now trying to figure out the best way to extricate themselves from the situation.
She knew she came off as an abrasive, bossy bitch. She also didn’t care. Impressing these men? Not on her list of things to do that day.
And they just didn’t know when to take a glare for an answer. “You here for the engagement dinner?” one asked as she rifled through a drawer.
Edie looked up and gave him a nut-withering stare just as her fingers closed over a Band-Aid. With her prize in hand, she lifted her head high, straightened her cat-hair-covered clothing, and walked back out of the kitchen, taking care to hide her limp as much as possible.
As the door closed behind her, she heard one of the men say, “What did I tell you? The bridesmaids are gonna be weird.”
“Christ,” said another.
Full of indignation, Edie limped back toward the red dining room, wrapping the Band-Aid around her finger and blistering the three men in her thoughts. Why did guys have to be such jerks the moment anyone’s back was turned? Also, who told those guys they were getting laid? Really. Being in the bridal party did not automatically make her someone’s date.
It wasn’t too hard to find the red dining room again. After returning down the hall, Edie just listened for the low buzz of voices. She pushed the door open and gave Gretchen a smile as she slipped into the crowded room. Her friend looked excited and nervous all at once. She didn’t need to know about the horrible things the men in the kitchen were saying. This was her night and it was going to be an awesome one, damn it.
“There you are,” Gretchen said, hurrying back over to Edie and taking her arm. “Come on. I want you to meet my Hunter.” She gave Edie’s arm a meaningful squeeze as she pulled her through the mingling people in the room. Off to one side, Bianca was talking with a man, a wineglass in her hand. Jeez, how long had Edie been gone that Bianca had already found someone to latch on to?
“Hunter, this is my friend from college, Edie. She’s the one who gave me Igor.” She moved to Hunter’s side, releasing Edie’s arm, and gave her friend a challenging look.
Edie could see why Gretchen was practically bristling. Hunter was . . . well, “unpleasant” to look upon would be the kindest way to put it. Deep, gouging scars bisected his face and made one corner of his mouth pull down in a ghastly fashion. Edie offered him her hand to shake, and noticed he was missing his little finger. No wonder Gretchen was so fiercely protective of him. People could be cruel when they perceived a deficiency. Edie and her leg sure knew about that. “It’s very nice to meet you,” she told him. “Gretchen speaks very highly of you.”
“Oh?” he asked, voice rich and velvety. He looked over at Gretchen again, gaze heated, and Edie nearly swooned at how he looked at his fiancée. It was like he wanted to eat Gretchen up with a spoon. She wished a man would look at her like that, damn it.
“You must have the patience of Job for putting up with Gretchen,” Edie teased.
He gave her a stiff smile, his scarred mouth curving a little. “Not patience, just love for her.”
Gretchen put her fingers to one side of her mouth and mock-whispered, “And I suck a mean cock.”
Hunter’s face turned a blotchy red, which, Edie was sure, matched her own. “God, some people never change,” Edie commented.
Gretchen just gave Edie a radiant look, clearly in love. “I hope you won’t mind that we did assigned seating tonight. I thought it’d be good to get everyone used to one another over the next year. Plus, I’m totally matchmaking.” She gave her friend an outrageous wink. “Lots of good bachelors here tonight, if you’re interested.”