It wasn’t that I didn’t like weddings. I didn’t like that I felt very single…and had Chase on my mind. Across the room, a group of men were talking. Most had already removed their sports jackets and loosened their ties. A younger one with sandy-blond hair made eye contact with me and smiled.
I laughed under my breath and downed the rest of my Moscato. One of the waiters walked by, and I snagged a fresh glass from his tray. As I settled back into my seat, the sandy-blond guy started crossing the floor toward me.
Oh, I am so not in the mood for this.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked.
“No, thanks.”
“‘No thanks’ you don’t want to dance, or ‘no thanks’ you’re not sure how? I’m happy to teach you.”
I looked up at him and frowned. “What?”
“Come on, let’s dance.”
I shook my head. “No. Go away.”
“Ahh, come—”
“The lady said no,” the other bridesmaid said.
I glanced over to her and raised my glass. “Mazel tov.”
She grinned and followed with, “Thank you.”
“Now please go ask someone else,” I said. “My feet hurt, I’m hungover, and I confessed to the lawyer I work for that I want to do awful things to him. So unless you have a get-out-of-jail-free card or a way to turn back time, step back and leave me alone.”
His brows rose, and he took a few steps back in retreat. “Right, sorry I asked.” He disappeared into the crowd of dancers.
I turned back to the table, grateful to be alone once more. I probably looked like a princess completely washed up after waiting for her knight in shining armor to arrive…but he never did.
“Fuck that,” I said to myself.
“Fuck what?” the other bridesmaid asked.
I glanced up at her and shook my head. “Just musing over today’s events.”
“Something about doing awful things to your boss?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that happened.” I leaned onto my left arm and sipped my wine. “I missed rehearsal last night because of him.”
She nodded. “We all heard about that. I’m Missy, Ashley’s cousin.”
“Ainsley,” I said and reached across the table with my hand. She took it and gave it a shake. “Nice to meet you, Missy.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
A silence fell between us for a bit.
“Are you here alone?”
She nodded. “Yep, sure am. Seems you are as well?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I looked over to the dancefloor. Ashley and her new husband, Brad, took to the song they had picked out for their wedding dance. “I’m really happy for her, but I’m in no rush to find Mr. Right.”
“But if Mr. Right Now were to approach?” Missy asked.
I looked at her and laughed. I liked her. “Yeah, Mr. Right Now has been fun in the past.”
“So, what’re your plans come Monday?”
I frowned and lifted a brow. “What do you mean?”
“When you have to go back to work with that lawyer. Are you going to walk in like a baller, or will you walk in and not make eye contact?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet. I’m more of a dragon kind of girl. I don’t need a man to rescue me from a tower. I’ll tame the dragon and ride the beast out of the kingdom.”
She laughed and pointed to me. “I love that! That shit needs to be on a shirt!”
“Well, Missy, damn it, make it happen!”
“So,” she asked and leaned over. “Do you plan to line up for the bouquet?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Hell, no. You?”
She shrugged. “If it’s an opportunity to push someone aside who is desperate enough to grab for it? Then yes, yes I’ll play.”
I shook my head. “You play dirty.”
She winked. “Yes, but it’s better than not playing at all.”
“Maybe, but I don’t need the bouquet.”
“No, but you can take a flower from it,” said another voice.
I glanced up to find Ashley standing in front of me. She pulled a peach rose from her bouquet and handed it to me. “I decided to say fuck tradition and do my own thing. So instead of having people push each other out of the way”—Ashley glared at Missy—“I thought it would be fun to give everyone a rose from my arrangement instead and send them off with well-wishes for the future.”
I brought the rose close and inhaled the familiar fragrance. I noticed the center of it was a dark peach, almost pink. The outer edges of the flower were almost white.
“The roses are beautiful,” I told her. “So are you.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Now, if I may be so bold to ask, will you dance with me?”
I grinned and stood. “Well hell, I can’t turn down the bride.”
“Exactly. Let’s go!”
We made it to the dancefloor just as the DJ was starting one of our high school dance songs. The Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” started, and I couldn’t help laughing. Ashley took my hand and pulled me to the center of the floor.
I laughed and held my hands in the air while I danced with my friend who had long since forgiven me for not showing up to her rehearsal last night.
Across the room stood a man in the shadows. He wore a tuxedo, and his hair was styled back. I couldn’t quite see who he was for the darkness that fell over his features, but even from here, he had the build of a familiar man. When a camera flashed, my breath stilled in my chest.
“Chase?” I whispered and looked toward the darkened corner of the room. The man moved toward the light, and I realized then it wasn’t him. I closed my eyes and flinched when my arm was grabbed. I looked to see Ashley holding on to me.
“When I get back from our honeymoon, we’ll talk about what happened. Is that okay?”
I smiled and pulled her into my arms. “Oh, woman. You’re always doing everything for me. No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You go on and have your honeymoon and start making babies. I’ll see you when you get back.” I let her go and stepped back.
I nodded and turned when her new husband took her by the hand. I headed back toward the table I was sitting at with Missy, the other bridesmaid, and decided it would be a good time to make a break for it. I needed air, I was tired, and I wanted to sleep through the rest of this weekend.
When Monday arrived, I had no idea what I would be walking into.
Chapter Six
Chase
I wasn’t sure how many times I had read Ainsley’s love/hate note over the weekend, but the folds of the paper began to tear. Darkened spots that marked the page where Scotch had splashed when she’d written the letter became something of a road map. My fingers traced over the parchment, and the indentions of her scribe reminded me these were her words that were indeed on the paper.
Not many called me out on bullshit, but Ainsley had. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but it had opened my eyes to something I hadn’t realized before. Ainsley was a beautiful woman. She was a few years younger than me, but she held herself in high regard and never let her emotions show.