Page 41 of The Best Man Wins

20

Susie

There’s a party going down tonight. And it’s happening at Two Roads Tavern.

I don’t know what I expected—maybe a creaky-looking bar with a couple of old coal miners sitting around it, drinking “lite” beer? Yeah, that exactly, actually. Instead, by time the bridal party reaches the tavern, we can already hear the live music pouring out the doors.

Cora—with the firm encouragement from her double-C sisters—picked out bridal colors. Coral pink and white. I managed to pull a white top and a pink skirt out of my closet and—yes—I look like a cheerleader, but this is fun. Maybe I’m not an official member of the wedding party, maybe I’m supposed to technically be working, but I’m buzzing with excitement all the same when all six of us flood the tavern.

The live music blasts from some wild country rock band, and the place is packed with denim and cowboy boots.

“We stand out like a sore thumb!” Lena calls out over the music.

“Who cares?” Candace calls back. “We’re peacocking!”

She’s not wrong. It does feel good to be part of a flock. Cora dives at the bar and shoves a plastic card at the bartender. “Get a tab going,” she tells him. “We’re starting with shots!”

A round of six neon blue shots slide over the bar on a tray. The bridesmaids all crowd around and take up far too much space in the bustling bar.

Cora shoves a shot in my hand.

“Oh…no.” I lift my hands. “I’m technically on the clock, I really shouldn’t—”

“Yes, you really should!” Cora says. “I’m the bride and I get to make the rules, right? So. Bottom’s up.”

She hands the shot to me, and I take it. Well. Can’t say no to the bride, can I?

“To Cora and Ray!” Cynthia lifts her shot.

“And to my last night of bachelorette-dom!”

We all let out whoops and cheers and knock our shots back. It tastes sickly sweet, and I cough lightly as I set my dry glass down.

Cora makes a face like she ate a lemon and shakes her head. “Whew!” She hands over her shot glass, which is still nearly full to the brim. “That’s not my drink. Here, do you want it?”

“Anything for the bride-to-be.” I knock it back. By the second shot, I’m starting to feel floaty on my feet. I settle down with a punch cocktail and fall in a rhythm with the girls. I talk to Candace for a bit, who, it turns out, has a lot to say about Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton. I’m only half listening to her, half swaying to the beat of the music. I try to keep an eye on Cora. She cheers on the band and spins wildly on the dance floor. I can’t help but grin.

Let her have her fun. These next few days are going to be hectic as it is.

Somehow, my glass is empty again. I take a break from dancing and head over to the bar. The bartender is busy, so I lean against the bar table and drop my purse in front of me. I dig my phone out and flick through it.

I have a confirmation email from Simply Sweet, an updated email thread between Thom and the landscapers, and a couple of missed calls from Ace. The words blur in my vision, and I have trouble concentrating, so I click away.

One missed text. 917—A New York number. I click on it.

[txt: Braxton] It’s Braxton. Where are you?

I can’t stop the grin that crawls across my face. I debate whether or not I should answer, but he’s already seen that I’ve read it, so I have no choice now, right? That’s the excuse I tell myself, anyway. My fingers fly over the screen.

[txt: Susie] Two Roads Tavern.

[txt: Susie] Bridesmaids are in full swing.

[txt: Susie] We’re having fun. You’d hate it.

I don’t want to be the girl who waits by the phone, so I click away from messages. I scroll back through my emails without reading anything, and then click back on my messages, far too eager and impatient. My heart leaps when I see Braxton typing back.

[txt: Braxton] Because I hate everything?

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