Page 15 of The Red-Hot Stakes

I elbowed him sharply, hissing, “Move over.”

He just shrugged. “I was here first.” And went back to his stretching. This time he pulled his left arm across his chest, his hand dangling right in front of my face.

My annoyance flared, and I made a fist, jutting out my middle knuckle. Just a little. Then I hit his thigh, in the perfect spot to give him a beautiful Charlie horse. He sucked in a shocked breath, his leg cramping as he jerked his arm back.

“Dammit, G.” He hopped to his feet, massaging the spot and trying to soothe the spasms. “What’d you do that for?”

“I warned you.”

His green eyes sparkled as they met mine. Heat passed between us, strong enough to break the numbness for a split second. Then the dull blanket drifted back over me, and I turned away.

Liam’s voice was full of challenge when he spoke. “Let’s play cards. How about some euchre? Guys against girls?” He crossed the room to lean against the overstuffed armchair Derek and Avery shared, staring at me. “Might as well take advantage, huh, D? I think Gina’s got her head too far up her ass to be any competition.”

Anger sliced through me, rippling over every nerve. I gritted my teeth as I leaped to my feet. “You wanna bet on that?”

He smirked. “Yeah. A dollar a game, a dollar a set. I bet we clean you girls out in no time.”

I stormed up to him, jutting my chin. “Come on, Ave. Let’s beat these assholes.” I paused, glancing at her fiancé. “No offense, Derek.”

She and Derek wore identical grins as they stood. I ignored them as I stomped past Liam, banging my shoulder into his. Euchre wasn’t my best game, but Avery and I held our own, winning more than we lost.

When I managed to set Liam, I threw my cards down on the table so hard my hand hurt. “Take that!”

He just smiled. As he handed over his dollar, I could have sworn he whispered, “Thatta girl.”

* * * *

The next morning I spent holed up in my room, giving into the bone-weary exhaustion that pulled at me. I knew I should be doing my homework for my classes tomorrow. Would normally love to tackle analyzing the graphs of trends and study up on the tiny details for our OSHA test. But it all seemed so overwhelming.

I couldn’t hide forever though because Avery and I had an appointment to look at bridesmaid dresses, one I’d been excited about. Before. And I had to work after that.

The effort of getting ready for the excursion made me want to crawl back into bed, but I had to keep it together. Avery was my best friend after all, and this was her wedding. I needed to be there for her.

Derek’s twin sister, Rhonda, had set us up with her personal shopper at a place called Lit. Less than two months away from the wedding, Avery was rightfully nervous that this item had yet to be checked off her list. But this was the only opening they’d had. Rhonda assured us it was worth the wait, and that they’d be able to get any alterations done in plenty of time.

Rhonda was Avery’s other bridesmaid, as well as the wedding planner. She had connections in this area I could only dream of, as the daughter of Malcolm Elgin. She’d grown up here, and I missed her and her diva ways. She and her boyfriend, Greg, had moved earlier this year to Marquette to start an event planning business. His family was from there, and she’d visited at the end of last year for his sister’s wedding, only to fall in love with the place.

Now that they were settled, their new business was booming, so much so they could hardly keep up. But of course, they made time for Avery and Derek’s wedding.

Avery gushed the whole way about Lit and what awaited us. Rhonda had taken her there last year. Evidently, it had been an experience.

The nondescript building had me frowning. “This is it?”

“Oh, yeah. Just you wait.”

I let her pull me inside, leading me through a winding maze that eventually opened into a shopper’s dream come true. A flicker of excitement pulsed within me, but it was nothing compared to what I’d normally be feeling if I stumbled upon a treasure trove like this.

Bouncing on her toes, Avery waited for my reaction, so I managed a smile. But it just felt like work. Like everything else these days.

Her face fell. She masked it quickly, but I noticed and berated myself, knowing I needed to try harder. I worked on mustering the energy.

My lips were at least tipped upward when she introduced me to Rhonda’s personal shopper. “Gina, this is Selena.”

The stately woman with thick frames peered down her nose at me. “She is your bridesmaid, no?”

“Maid of honor, actually.” Avery snapped her fingers. “I gotta call Rhonda. I promised I’d FaceTime her for this. Do whatever Selena says, I promise it’s worth it.”

Two other ladies hovered nearby, and I assumed they were assistants. Or maybe previous shoppers who hadn’t been dismissed yet. This woman seemed formidable.

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