Page 31 of Something Blue

She licked her lips and took a napkin from Andy. Inside was a sesame seed bagel with strawberry cream cheese. “Whoa! What service.”

They ate in a contented silence, but after Sadie’s growling stomach subsided, she knew it was time for their talk. She looked over to get Andy’s attention, but he was already looking her way, a grin on his face.

She touched her mouth to see if she had cream cheese on it. She didn’t feel anything, but his grin continued to grow. “What? Did I spread it around more?”

He smiled and leaned over, brushing her other cheek with his hand. A rush of heat went through her that had nothing to do with the sun’s rays. “It was on the other side.”

They sat back and looked out at the water again. Before she could think of a way to bring up last night, he interrupted her thoughts. “Did you sleep okay?”

She glanced over at him. Instead of his usual smile, he was frowning at her. “What? I mean, I guess.” If you counted the sleep in between tossing and turning.

He laughed loudly. “Sounded like it. I heard your snoring in the front room.”

“What?” she said, covering her mouth, only lifting her hand to defend herself. “I do not snore.”

“You think I’d lie about that? You kept me up all night.”

“I barely slept, so I doubt I kept you up.”

His eyes softened, and he closed his mouth instead of responding.

“Sorry for leaving in such a huff yesterday.”

Andy shrugged. “It’s fine with me. I was ready to leave anyway. And don’t feel bad. This is the first time you’ve dealt with grief in a place that meant something to the both of you. I imagine every place you went with your mom is a stab to the heart. You have every right to feel moody.”

How had she misjudged him so much? He was a lot more understanding than he seemed. “I wish you could’ve met her. She would’ve liked you.”

As they talked, he leaned in, making their shared moment more intimate. “You think so?” He glanced at her lips. Wait, what? He had glanced at her mouth? Was he about to kiss her?

Before she could say anything, Piper’s face appeared, peeking around the umbrella. “Okay if we park our chairs next to yours?”

Without waiting for a reply, she motioned for the equipment guy to bring some chairs. Chase waited a step behind and waved when she met his gaze.

Sadie instantly regretted not speaking up when she saw Andy fall back into his seat. She plastered on a smile and grabbed a book from her purse. “Great.”

Sadly, the book never had a chance to see the light of day. Chase fiddled with his phone as Piper chatted about everything and nothing. Sadie stole a few glances at Andy, and every time they made eye contact, it sent a tiny thrill through her. The million-dollar questions were: did he feel something similar, and would it ruin things to ask?

“So, about my wedding,” Piper said, switching topics again. “I know this is last minute, but I was hoping you’d be my bridesmaid. My cousin was supposed to come, but she caught the flu last minute. It’s a small wedding, but I need someone to stand by my side. Andy can walk you down the aisle too. I’m sure Chase wouldn’t mind having another groomsman.”

Chase pulled his earphones down. “Sure, whatever Piper wants. She’s the boss in this relationship.”

She laughed and brushed his comment away with the flit of her hand. “All right then, it’s settled. You’ll just need to be at the wedding a few minutes before it starts, you know. Make sure I look my best.”

Sadie sat up and tapped the side of the chair. There was no big reason to turn them down, except that she didn’t want to be Piper’s bridesmaid. Even though she and Chase had never dated, it didn’t mean she wanted to marry him off to Piper. Even he was better than that. Just as she was about to refuse, Chase flashed her a smile.

“I’m glad you’ll be close by. It wouldn’t be right if you weren’t joining the wedding party. We’ve been friends for so long.”

Sadie’s will to refuse them both weakened, and she finally nodded. “Okay, I’m sure I can handle standing by Piper’s side.”

“Perfect,” Piper said.

Sadie sat back in her chair and sneaked a peak at Andy. He was looking out at the water, a pensive look on his face. Had he paid attention?

“Look at that,” he said, pointing. “Have you done that before?”

Everyone turned to where he was pointing. A boat in the distance was lifting a parasail with two passengers in it. It lifted quickly and the boat pulled them along as the parasailers gained more height.

She gave Andy a nervous smile. “Uh—”

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